Recap: College Award Ceremony

On March 31st, 2015, the College of Fine Arts held its annual award ceremony in which two hundred students received scholarships. Our very own Dr. Dave Gussak was the MC for the evening in conjunction with David Weisher and the chairs of the Department of Art, Art History, Dance, Interior Design, and Theater.

More information and photos from the event can be found on the College of Fine Arts blog.

The Department of Art Education Scholarships:

Jessie Lovano-Kerr & Donald R. Kerr Scholarship

• Alicia Viera, Arts Administration, Ph.D.

Ivan & Inez Johnson Family Scholarship

• Jennifer Hamrock, Art Education, Ph.D.

Marylou & Ernestine Kuhn Scholarship

• Sarah (K) Davis, Art Education, MS
•  Evie Hempler, Art Therapy, MS
• Victoria Mendenhall, Art Education, MS
• Dylan Ruby, Art Therapy, MS
• Maghan Stone, Arts Administration, MS

Jessie Lovano-Kerr Scholarship

Alica Viera, Art Education, Ph.D.

Alicia Viera is a doctoral candidate in Art Education/Arts Administration in the Department of Art Education at Florida State University. Viera holds graduate certificates in museum studies, art museum education, and program evaluation, a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from FSU and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from FAU. She has been involved in museums and art galleries in different capacities throughout recent years and is currently the Director of Cultural Programs at the Texas A&M University–San Antonio’s Educational & Cultural Arts Center. At her current position, she has curated exhibitions such as “Contemporary Latino Art: El Corazón de San Antonio,” “Arte y Tradición de la Frontera: The U.S. – México Borderlands in the Works of Santa Barraza and Carmen Lomas Garza” and “The Texas Size Breach Collaborative: From El Paso to San Antonio.” Viera has published and presented at regional, national and international conferences, placing an emphasis on her research interests, which include supported interpretation (SI), visitor-centered and bilingual exhibitions, multiculturalism and inclusiveness in art museums, as well as visitor studies. Viera strives for developing exhibitions that are non-authoritative and that facilitate the understanding and appreciation of art by engaging new and current museum audiences in more relevant and meaningful museum experiences that can enrich their personal lives and those of their loved ones.

Ivan & Inez Johnson Family Scholarship

Jennifer Hamrock, Art Education, Ph.D.

After teaching elementary regular education for three years at Cape Hatteras Elementary School in Buxton, North Carolina and high school art at First Flight High School in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina for nine years, Jennifer Hamrock came to Florida State as a doctoral candidate in Art Education in August of 2014 to dig deeper in her art education experience.  With an undergraduate degree in Art Education from James Madison, a Masters in Art Education from East Carolina, and National Board Certification, Jennifer’s goals are to continue teaching at the postsecondary level, as building relationships with people through art education is what she loves most about being a teacher.  While moving to Florida, she still maintains contact with many of her students through social media, which sparked her research interests.  Her research interests currently are exploring social media’s impacts on art student-art teacher relationships and art classroom culture and her hopes are to explore that topic through her dissertation.  She is truly thankful to feel such support from her Florida State Art Education family.​

Marylou & Ernestine Kuhn Scholarship

Sarah Davis, Art Education, MS

Sarah Davis is  currently a senior and in her fourth year of the five-year Art Education Masters Program.  Art has been a passion of hers since elementary school, starting with years of ballet and gradually developing into an interest of creating art with my hands. It was during her undergraduate studies in the Art Department that she learned about the five-year Art Education Masters Program. She knew right away that the Program was perfect for her and would enable her to pursue what she believes she is called to do – be an art teacher. Throughout her education experience, she has dreamed of becoming an art teacher and impacting students’ lives just as her art teachers have impacted hers.  She believes the arts are such an important and vital subject to be learned and cared about and  cannot wait to be teaching students to fall in love with art.

Evie Hempler, Art Therapy, MS

Evie Hempler is a first year Master’s student in the Art Therapy Program at Florida State University. Before coming to FSU she studied psychology and fine art at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia and received her Bachelor’s degree in 2013. The Art Therapy program has allowed her to focus efforts on learning about her specific interests, which include trauma, criminal behavior, and substance abuse. Evie plans to complete a thesis project measuring the effectiveness of art therapy to reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in survivors of trauma. Evie is a member of Florida State University’s Art Therapy Program and will be the incoming President for this organization in the 2015-2016 academic year.

Victoria Mendenhall, Art Education, MS

Victoria Mendenhall came to Florida State with hopes of becoming an Art Teacher. For the past four years she has worked for her Bachelors degree in Studio Art with a focus in painting as well as a minor in art history. She is pursuing a teaching certificate and Master’s degree with the goal of teaching either Elementary or High school students. Victoria hopes to challenge and inspire students by allowing them to express themselves through their own artwork. Currently, she is observing schools in Tallahassee and is learning how to become educator she aspires to be. In the fall, she will begin her student teaching internship and is eager to continue on in her journey of becoming an Art Educator.

Dylan Ruby, Art Therapy, MS

Dylan Ruby is a first year graduate student pursuing a Master of Science in Art Therapy. After graduating from Smith College with a BA in psychology she worked on various treatment programs for adults with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Hoarding Disorder. Through these experiences, Dylan became fascinated with how these individuals perceived the environment around them. She came to FSU with the intention of bridging the gap between her two passions: art and psychology. She is interested in incorporating art therapy into clinical treatment programs. She aims to conduct research on the effects of mindfulness-based art therapy with adults with OCD in outpatient and residential facilities. Dylan hopes to continue her education in pursuit of a doctoral degree in psychology.

Maghan Stone, Arts Administration, MS

Maghan Stone is a first year master’s student pursuing her degree in Art Administration, specializing in Museum Education and Visitor Centered Exhibitions. Her goal is to develop museum programming that is committed to community engagement and participatory museum practices. She is also interested in learning more about how to incorporate art therapy and healing into the museum setting, and developing an understanding of the museum’s possible role in facilitating community healing, change and social justice. She is deeply thankful for the Art Education department and the professors who have encouraged her to continue moving forward, and inspired her to become a museum educator through their passion and love of the field. She is truly appreciative and humbled to receive this scholarship and she cannot wait to learn more with the hope to contribute to the future of her field.

Make a Donation

To make a gift online to any of the funds above please visit our College’s Giving Page. Please choose “More Designations” and type in the fund name. Mail checks, made payable to “FSU Foundation” with the fund number noted to the address below.

To discuss a gift to the College of Fine Arts at Florida State University, please contact:

Jessica Comas
Sr. Development Officer
FSU College of Fine Arts
236 Fine Arts Building
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1170
(850) 645-0701
jcomas@fsu.edu