Lipscomb’s art students have been moved out of the James D. Hughes Center to make way for the new physician’s assistant program.
The visual arts department is moving to Ward Hall for the upcoming semester. The change-up has been a part of a series of recent large-scale renovation efforts by President Lowry, including the building of the new Shinn Event Center this year and a new business building next year.
The move has displaced the long-time Ward Hall occupants of the psychology department, who have been moved to the second floor of Ezell. The renovation was immediately started on Ward Hall in preparation for the department of visual arts to move in.
Students of both majors are concerned as to where their classes are going to be held, as psychology classes are still listed to take place in Ward Hall classrooms that no longer exist.
“I don’t have that much faith that they will have Ward completed and ready for us in the fall,” Lipscomb art major Carrie Hull said.
Some of the art department will be moving to the new Shinn Center, namely animation and graphic design. Animation and graphic design had only one room in the Hughes Center. Currently, there is no information as to where animation and graphic design will be meeting as the department awaits the completion of the Shinn Center.
“When I first heard about it, I thought, ‘That’s kind of upsetting that we’re not getting a part of the new building,’ but they are renovating the new building for us.” Hull said.
The Lipscomb website has not been updated to reflect the art department’s move from the James D. Hughes Center, still stating:
“The James D. Hughes Center newly opened in Fall 2010, features sculpture, drawing, painting, mixed media and printmaking studios all bathed in natural light from a skylight, an outdoor sculpture work area, a state-of-the-art animation and graphic design lab, and the John C. Hutcheson Gallery.”
Part of the art students’ dissatisfaction with the move has been in regards to the lack of natural light in the rooms the department is being moved to.
As of last semester, the art department only had two rooms in Hughes Center. Some art students expressed disappointment in that they think Lipscomb doesn’t take their major as seriously as others, and they have been afraid of losing even the two rooms they currently have.
“It would suck if we didn’t have any space, but we’re creative; we’re artists. Just put a tent in the yard and let us work,” Hull said.
The academic chair of the visual arts department, Cliff Eanes-Tierney, arranged a meeting with faculty and students in the department last semester to discuss the move.
Eanes-Tierney was unavailable for comment.
“We had two separate meetings, one for art therapy and studio art,” Hull said. “He (Eanes-Tierney) kept us informed every step of the way, which was nice. Initially, we heard that we were just leaving the Hughes Center and were not told where we would be moving.
“We were angry at first, but as more details came out, we learned that we have space, but they just have to remodel it to suit us. With the new space, at least it will be built for us, and we will have a lot of room to hang up projects.”
New art students starting their career at Lipscomb in the fall will be experiencing the renovated Ward Hall along with returning art students. Class schedules have not yet been updated to reflect the change. Students can email their academic chair for updates or contact the Provost, Craig Bledsoe.