Missouri State University

Skip to content Skip to navigation
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Arts & Letters Expressions

An online publication for the alumni and friends of the College of Arts and Letters

MFAA students gain new artistic perspectives

October 19, 2015 by Trysta Herzog

Missouri State’s Missouri Fine Arts Academy, also known as MFAA,will begin accepting applications for its 2016 summer program (June 5-25) several months earlier this year on Nov. 1. The application period will run until Jan. 15, 2016.

Changes on the horizon for summer 2016 academy

That is not the only change this year. Director Ray Castrey, who has been with MFAA for two decades, retired at the end of summer 2015. Melissa Herr has taken over the position. And Ellis Hall will be undergoing renovations during the summer, so daily assemblies and evening performances will be relocated to other MSU campus facilities.

A day in the life of MFAA students

Three students from the 2015 academy describe their artistic journeys in hopes to inspire others to join them for 2016.

MauraShimmens_webTransformation begins here

Maura Shimmens wakes up nearly three hours before her first class begins. Sometimes she goes for coffee with other students, but most days she finds a peaceful place to be alone, meditate on what she’s learning and get ready for a day of constant interactions and performances.

Shimmens, soon to be a junior at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, is more than 130 miles from home living among 93 other high school juniors and seniors she’d never met. She’s soaking in the experiences at MFAA, and it’s transforming her, she said.

“Before I came here, I was slowly losing confidence. I’m learning how to not forget that I’m valid in whatever I do. I’m learning to not only show others how confident I am, but show myself.”

RayCastrey3MFAA is a three-week summer residential program for highly motivated student artists in visual arts, theatre, dance, creative writing and music. The academy, which celebrated its 20th year last summer, offers an intensive schedule of classes in interdisciplinary and discipline-specific arts, and a wide range of co-curricular activities.

Art from an interdisciplinary perspective

The interdisciplinary aspect is key, said former MFAA Director Ray Castrey, who has been with the program for all of its 20 years, starting as a part-time teacher after the academy’s inception in 1995.

“It is probably the most difficult to implement, but I have a pretty strong feeling that it is the most important part.”

BaylorBarnes_webBaylor Barnes, a senior at Springfield’s Parkview High School, can attest to its powerful effect. He came to MFAA with a focus in theatre, but he found a passion for painting, an art form he previously thought he was terrible at: “Growing up, I thought, ‘I can’t draw. I can’t paint. I can’t do anything like that.’”

Barnes had five paintings in the works by the middle of the program’s second week.

“There’s no such things as bad art. I guess that’s one of the biggest things that I’ve learned,” he said.

LeahSutherlin_webLearning from one another

Leah Sutherlin will be a senior at McCluer North High School in Florissant, Missouri. She said her friends recommended she come to MFAA, and she’s glad she did.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to get to know other people and their backgrounds, and incorporate their knowledge with yours. You learn a lot from the students. The teachers, too, but the students are the really big teachers in the program.”

Filed Under: Faculty & Staff Accomplishments, MFAA, News Tagged With: coal, dance, English, MFAA, Music, ray castrey, theatre, visual arts

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • RCOAL Research Symposium – Spring 2023 Series
  • Mind’s Eye features work of Dr. Brad Snow
  • Course credit opportunities during January 2023 Intersession
  • Missouri Fine Arts Academy successfully returns after pandemic hiatus
  • Reynolds College of Arts and Letters Associate Dean receives award for outstanding scholarship

Categories

  • Admin News
  • Alumni News
  • Alumni Spotlight
  • Announcement
  • Art + Design
  • Awards & Accolades
  • Brick City Gallery
  • chamber orchestra
  • Communication
  • community
  • Diversity
  • Electronic Arts
  • Employment
  • English
  • English Language Institute
  • Exchange
  • Experts
  • Expressions
  • Faculty & Staff Accomplishments
  • Faculty and Staff Page
  • Faculty News
  • Faculty Travel
  • Festivals
  • health
  • Lecture Series
  • library
  • Media Journalism & Film
  • MFAA
  • missouri state journal
  • Modern & Classical Languages
  • Music
  • News
  • News Releases
  • Ozarks Celebration Festival
  • Philanthropy
  • Public Affairs
  • Public Event
  • publication
  • Qingdao
  • Special Event
  • Student Accomplishments
  • Student Exhibition Center
  • Student News
  • Student Travel
  • Theatre and Dance Department
  • Visiting Artist
  • Vol 3 Issue 1
  • WikiLeaks
  • World Languages and Cultures

Tags

Accomplishments Art and Design austin elliott awards barbara jones barb jones Center for Dispute Resolution chris olson coal College of Arts and Letters commencement Communication communications electronic arts English exhibits fantastic journey graduation grants homecoming Homecoming 2014 ice cream social internal josh pfaff locke and stache logan triplett lucie amberg masterclass Media Journalism and Film mjf Modern and Classical Languages Music musical theatre Ozarks Celebration Festival panels performances photography publications research Shawn Wahl Student Exhibition Center Tent Theatre Theatre and Dance The Standard travel

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Make your Missouri statementMake your Missouri statement
  • Last Modified: October 20, 2015
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Disclosures
  • EO/AA/M/F/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
  • © 2013 Board of Governors, Missouri State University
  • Contact Information