College of Fine Arts

Highlights

• Over the past three years, the Department of Art has renovated four classrooms with updated facilities for photography, art history, New media and graphic design. The new teaching spaces include a new photography studio, 100-inch TV monitors to view artworks in HD for art history and new media, new upgraded digital projectors in photography and graphic design, new classroom furniture and additional technology.
• The Department of Art offers a rotating selection of exhibitions in various media by regional artists. The Poole Art Gallery shows six different artists per year, including artist talks open to the public at the opening reception for each exhibition. The Gallery at Bloch Hall showcases student work by providing a venue for each art major to have a senior exhibition, and is home to our Emerging Curators Program, which provides opportunities for students to gain experience in exhibition design and production, as well as exhibiting their work in a professional gallery space. It also annually exhibits the work of the artists in our visiting artist program, the Stephens Artist Residency.
• In summer 2023, the Department of Art presented the exhibition “Family Ties: Southern Folk Art from the Rod Hildreth Collection” in the Poole Art Gallery in the Alan and Lindsey Song Center for the Arts. This exhibition of important folk art was made possible by the generous gift of collector and alum Rod Hildreth, who presented a gallery talk during the opening reception for the exhibition about his relationships with the artists he collected and his lifelong experience as a collector. The exhibition was designed by Dr. Catherine Walsh’s “Caring for Art Collections” class, which spent the semester cataloging the artworks, writing labels and wall text and planning for the installation.
• In May 2024, the Department of Art led a study abroad trip to Italy, including the cities of Florence, Pietrasanta and Venice. Led by Professor Misty Bennett and Dr. Catherine Walsh, this trip was open to students, faculty, staff and alumni. The group visited with Montgomery’s sister city, Pietrasanta, home to many artisans and craftspeople, where they toured a marble carving studio and the Carrara marble quarries. Two student travel scholarships were awarded for participating students, based on a portfolio of artwork submitted. They also attended the Venice Biennale, an international exhibition of art and architecture exploring themes of contemporary cultural and social issues.
• UM’s Communication Studies program was recently chosen to receive the 2024 National Communication Association’s (NCA) Rex Mix Program of Excellence Award. The Rex Mix award recognizes the top undergraduate communication programs in the nation. This is a competitive award wherein programs are evaluated on the basis of four criteria: curriculum, program quality, course design, and special programs. It is the highest program-level award available in our discipline. UM is the only school in Alabama to ever receive this award. We are also one of only two universities nationwide to receive this award twice. A primary feature of our 2017 submission was our senior capstone experience. A primary feature of this year’s submission is our deliberative communication initiative, which is led by Drs. Sally Hardig and Sherry Ford. Program representatives will formally receive the Rex Mix Program of Excellence Award at the NCA conference in New Orleans in November 2024.
• The Broadcast Education Association’s (BEA) 2024 School Rankings featured UM’s Mass Communication program as one of the top 100 programs in the country and second in the state of Alabama. We were also ranked in the Top 30 Film & Video Programs nationwide. These ranking are based on student achievement in the BEA Festival of Media Arts, which is the “preeminent international media competition focused on student and faculty creative endeavors.” The program also hosts two successful events for students and prospective students. Nearly 100 students attended our annual Communication Career Day where they had an opportunity to engage with employers from 20 local organizations that hire communication and media professionals. Many of the organizational representatives are UM alumni. About 115 high schoolers attended our Exploring Mass Communication Day, which provides prospective students opportunities to learn about our academic programs and career prospects.
• The Department of Music introduced a new concentration and minor in music technology to modernize curriculum. The associated studio was possible in part because of the generous contribution of donors.
• The Department of Music hosts Middle School and High School Honor Band Festivals as well as the Festival of Voices. These annual gatherings bring to campus hundreds of middle school and high school students.
• Music also hosts the Hyatt Piano Competition, a statewide competition open to pianists in grades 9-12. The top three ranked pianists receive a stipend, and a Hyatt Piano Scholarship (provided by donor contribution) is awarded to the top ranked pianist.
• In Theatre, nine senior BFA performance majors attended a showcase and workshops in New York City with agents, casting directors and directors in March. Donations to the Foundation assisted students with the expenses of this trip.
• Theatre students created an adaptation of the children’s book “Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears” using the Tectonic Theatre Company’s Moment Work and presented it at Undergraduate Research Day, another venue supported by donor contributions.
• Alum and NYC Casting Director Jason Styres, a member of UM’s 2021 15 Within 15 class is coaching UM theatre majors this semester via Zoom.
• Assistant Professor Caleb Stroman was the lighting designer for Performing Ensemble Spring Show at Red Mountain Theatre and for “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at Virginia Samford Theatre; he was also named the resident lighting designer for the 2024-2025 Season at VST and will use the position to provide students with additional experiences.

Donor Impact

“The statement ‘You Belong at Montevallo’ is something that is dear to me because you can find it anywhere (on campus),” he said. “I tell our orientation groups that there’s so many outlets and opportunities where you can make that statement true to yourself. You can find it in SGA, you can find it at orientation, you can be a Montevallo Maven. I’ve found that within my department and as an orientation leader, and it’s brought me such great joy.”

– Bryan Perez, a music education major at the University of Montevallo

Bryan’s Story