KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 28, 2021

Kennesaw State University’s School of Art and Design recently received a gift from the Windgate Foundation that will help foster the development of an artist residency program.

As part of the three-year, $60,000 gift, a review committee will select two individuals for a four-week residency at KSU. Each artist will receive a $5,000 honorarium for their work, as well as a $5,000 budget for supplies to produce an original piece, which will be showcased at the end of the summer residency. Part of the gift will also be used to create a summer course where students will be accepted by submitting an original work and will have the opportunity to work with one of the residency artists.

“The College of the Arts at KSU is committed to transformational student engagement through professional practices in the arts,” said Ivan Pulinkala, dean of the College of the Arts. “This annual artist residency program in the School of Art & Design, made possible through the generous support of the Windgate Foundation, advances our capacity to give students the experience of working with visiting professional artists in their field of study."

Recently, KSU’s Department of Dance benefitted from a similar gift by establishing the Choreographic Residency Program Endowment, which garnered national attention and delivered unique learning benefits for dance students. The Windgate Foundation’s support help the School of Art and Design mission of becoming a launch point for emerging visual artists and allow KSU students to grow as industry leaders to meet the growing market demand post-graduation.

“We have found visiting artist programs to be an exciting way for students to connect more personally with a practicing artist and absorb information and ideas,” said Patricia Forgy, Windgate executive director. “The visiting artists also benefit from the use of the facilities and connections made in the community as they share their craft. We are pleased to support the creation of this type of program at KSU School of Art and Design.”

To give students more space to work and study, KSU’s Chastain Pointe facility recently underwent a 21,000-square-foot renovation that made it the newest and one of the largest printmaking facilities in the nation. The world-class facility is designed to encourage cross-disciplinary exploration in the art form, with individual studio areas for etching, lithography, serigraphy and letterpress, among other things.

The School of Art and Design provides its students with a rigorous education offering undergraduate degrees in art, digital animation and apparel textiles technology. This semester, KSU launched a graduate degree in art and design. The Master of Arts in Art and Design degree program, which will be housed in the College’s School of Art and Design, features three tracks in digital animation, art education and museum studies.

Windgate Foundation was established in 1993 and is a private, family foundation based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Windgate's goal is to advance contemporary craft and strengthen visual arts education in the United States. The foundation also supports children and youth in the State of Arkansas. www.windgatefoundation.org 

– Josh Milton

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 45,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.