Reynolds College Blog

Dr. Mitzi Kirkland-Ives appointed head of art and design department

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The Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Mitzi Kirkland-Ives as head of the Department of Art and Design.

Kirkland-Ives has served as interim department head since August 2025. She joined Missouri State as an assistant professor in art and design in 2009. Specializing in art history, she earned her doctorate from University of California-Santa Barbara and has published multiple books and articles on the subject. Her latest book is “Hans Memling and the Merchants.”

RCASH Dean Shawn Wahl said he was thrilled Kirkland-Ives has joined the Reynolds College leadership team.

“Mitzi brings extensive leadership experience and continuity to the art and design department, one of the largest and most complex academic programs in the School of the Arts,” Wahl said. “She also possesses a broad set of advocacy skills that benefit students, faculty, staff and the arts community.”

Kirkland-Ives is looking forward to continuing her role as department head.

“The range of responsibilities is part of what makes the position so interesting to me,” she said. “The department is large and complicated, with a lot of moving parts in terms of facilities and programming and curriculum. Every day brings a completely new and interesting puzzle to crack.”

“I’m excited for the opportunity to think strategically and come up with creative solutions to help the students, faculty and staff achieve their goals,” she added.

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Department of Art and Design presents two student exhibitions

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From March until the first weeks of April, the Department of Art and Design is hosting two different student exhibitions.

The All School Exhibition is on view at the Cabot Gallery and Brick City galleries, located in the Brick City complex. Cabot Gallery hours for this event are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Brick City Gallery will be open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The exhibition runs from Feb. 27-April 5. Brick City galleries will also be open during Springfield’s First Friday Art Walk April 3, 6-9 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Annual Juried Student Exhibition is on view at the Carolla Arts Exhibition Center. Carolla Center hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Carolla will be closed April 3-5.

The Annual Juried Student exhibition runs from March 6-April 10.

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All School Exhibition finds temporary home at Missouri State’s Brick City Gallery

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Missouri State University’s Department of Art and Design will host the Springfield Art Museum’s annual All School Exhibition Feb. 28-April 6.

The exhibition is on view Monday-Friday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 12-4 p.m. at the Brick City Gallery.

Showcases for middle and high school students are Friday, Feb. 28 from 5:30-7 p.m. The elementary school student showcase is Saturday, March 1 from 12-3 p.m.

Major renovation in the works

The Springfield Art Museum is using Brick City’s gallery space this year while it undergoes an expansive renovation ahead of its centennial anniversary in 2028.

Key improvements include a new west entry with an expanded lobby and visitors’ lounges, an east façade with high-ceiling gallery and the Family Learning Center with hands-on art-making activities. The renovation aims to enhance visitor experience and further showcase the museum’s role as a hub for creativity and education.

Celebrating a Springfield tradition

The All School Exhibition has been a Springfield tradition since 1932. By hosting the All School Exhibition, Missouri State supports that tradition through its commitment to fostering the arts and supporting community talent.

The exhibition celebrates the creativity of K-12 students and the hard work of talented area teachers. Families, friends and art enthusiasts are invited to view these exceptional works free of charge.

For more information on the All School Exhibition, contact the art and design department at 417-837-2330 or visit the Springfield Art Museum’s website.

Brick City Gallery, located at 215 W. Mill St, Springfield, MO 65806, is open Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Colorful mixed media image of girl with in field
Emilia Leighton, Cowden Elementary, “All About Me,” mixed media collage; Kara Risner, teacher.

Artwork on display at the All School Exhibition

Photos provided by Vonda Yarberry.

News edited by the Reynolds College Communications Team.

Sam Barnette is a writer for the Department of Art and Design. She holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Missouri State’s Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film and is working toward an MS in Data Science and Analytic Storytelling at Truman State University.

MSU art and design students assist with new exhibition

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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.”

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