Mitzi Kirkland-Ives Archives - Reynolds College Blog

MSU’s Dr. Andrew Wasserman publishes book on public art

December 18, 2024 by Reynolds College

Public art serves as a powerful medium for expressing cultural identity, fostering community connections and engaging with our environments.

That’s according to Dr. Andrew Wasserman, assistant professor in Missouri State University’s Department of Art and Design.

In his new book, “The World Atlas of Public Art,” Wasserman embarks on a global survey that highlights the diverse practices of public art over the past six decades.

The landscape of public art has become increasingly complex, Wasserman said. The book was thus inspired by a desire to document how artworks interact with public spaces, as well as the meanings public artworks hold within different contexts.

As a result, the book goes beyond documenting the visual appearance of works to explore what public art signifies for various communities.

Published by Yale University Press, “The World Atlas of Public Art” was recently mentioned in The New York Times.

MSU art and design students assist with new exhibition

April 20, 2024 by Reynolds College

Several students from Missouri State University’s Department of Art and Design assisted with the Springfield Art Museum’s special exhibition, “Renaissance Works on Parchment and Paper.”

The students conducted research and developed written descriptions to focus on individual objects or thematic elements.

Professor of art history Dr. Mitzi Kirkland-Ives will discuss the exhibit June 6, 2024, from 6-7 p.m. at the museum.

The exhibit is on view April 20-Sept. 1. It is free and open to the public.

Exhibit highlights historical “information-technology” shifts

Kirkland-Ives guest-curated the exhibit, selecting items from the museum’s collection to document the transition from manuscript production to the dawn of printing press technology.

“The exhibit focuses on an information-technology shift and some aspects of how both script/typography and visual imagery adapted to the new formats possible during the advent of mass reproduction,” Kirkland-Ives said.

Exhibit visitors will encounter visual elements of fifteen printed images—woodblock prints, engravings, and one etching—by German masters of the sixteenth century, including several works by Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach the Elder.

Renaissance print artwork — Detail: Saint Jerome in His Study, Albrecht Dürer, 1514.

The exhibition provides a historical overview of how these works were produced—tools, equipment, and style—and covers a range of other subject matter.

“A half dozen examples of texts produced using the early printing press in several languages and typefaces are also included—early Bibles and other texts—and a number of leaves from medieval manuscripts on parchment as examples of the range of scripts and approaches to ornamentation seen in the unique hand-produced works of earlier centuries,” Kirkland–Ives said.

Kirkland-Ives wants viewers to consider contemporary issues in parallel with the development of print in Renaissance times, especially major changes in information technology, such as the internet and artificial intelligence (AI).

She hopes the exhibit encourages visitors to think about “big fundamental changes in how we get our information, whose voices can be heard, and how we negotiate, basically, questions of media literacy, legitimacy and authority.”

RCASH Research Symposium 2023-2024 series debuts Oct. 27

October 19, 2023 by Lynn M. Lansdown

The Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities celebrates faculty research through its ongoing research symposium. The program aims to establish a forum for interdisciplinary connections among the community.

Throughout the academic year, presentations will explore a variety of topics through a blend of lecture, media and discussion. [Read more…] about RCASH Research Symposium 2023-2024 series debuts Oct. 27