Teaching and Learning

• Herron successfully launched the new Master of Fine Arts in Visual Communication, Printmaking, Furniture Design and Sculpture.  Eighteen graduate students, representing three countries and ten states, are enrolled for the fall semester.

• Herron initiated a new distance learning version of its popular introductory course in Art Appreciation (HER 100). The online format allows for more flexible learning options for students wishing to gain a basic understanding of the history and concepts of visual art. The new course was developed thanks to a faculty Jump Start grant from the Office for Professional Development and the Center for Teaching and Learning during Summer 2007.

• Herron hosted the Indiana Art Education Association Conference. It brought 400 art teachers to Herron, and was recognized as one of AEAI's most successful conferences in both attendance and participant reviews.

• Herron awarded more than $120,000 in scholarships and awards during Herron’s annual Year End Celebration, which also kicked off Herron’s annual student exhibition.

• Herron’s International Study programs sponsored educational experiences in Greece, London, and France.  Thirty students participated.

Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

• Faculty member Deborah Reichard installed the first of three outdoor public sculptures at Community Hospital North.  The Basile Center for Art, Design, and Public Life facilitated the partnership between Community Hospital North and Herron’s sculpture department.

• The Herron Alumni board established two new awards:  The Harry A. David Faculty Award and the Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award.

• Herron Associate Professor of Art Education Cindy Borgmann authored a chapter entitled “Social Imagination: Supporting Good Teaching in Tough Times. The chapter was published in Standing Up for a Change: Voices of Arts Educators, Kevin Tavin and Christine Ballengee Morris, editors, Ohio State University Press.

• Herron Assistant Professor of Visual Communication Lee VanderKooi presented a paper entitled “A Context in Flux: Addressing Curricular Change in Design Education” at the New Views 2 International Symposium, Defining Graphic Design For the Future, London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London, UK.

Civic Engagement

• Herron hosted six highly acclaimed exhibitions in the Eleanor Prest Reese, Robert B. Berkshire, Basile, and Marsh Galleries, including works by Bill Peet, Karl Wirsum, and Peter Shelton, and photography from the Kinsey Institute. 

• Herron hosted its first annual signature fundraiser, “The Herron Experience” (THE ’08), featuring an art couture theme with a runway show of wearable art works created by Herron students.  The fundraiser raised money to benefit Herron’s community outreach programs.

• Herron hosted outstanding visiting artist-lecturers, including Audrey Flack, the Jane Fortune Outstanding Women Artist Lecture Series 2008 honoree.  She spoke about her internationally recognized artistic accomplishments to a very enthusiastic audience of faculty, students, staff, and community members.

• The Basile Center for Art, Design, and Public Life facilitated an art competition, sponsored by the Wishard Hospital Foundation, for Herron painting students.  Students were assigned to create works about hope and healing inspired by observations and interactions at Wishard Hospital.  The paintings were judged by representatives from Wishard Hospital and three winners were chosen and awarded $1,000 each.  All three winning entries were added to the Foundation’s art collection.

Diversity

• Herron students were invited to participate in Indiana Black Expo’s Arts and Cultural Pavilion for the fourth consecutive year.  Herron contributions featured the work of the Spectrum Club, a faculty-mentored group that provides support to minority students.

• Herron Professor of Art Education Cindy Borgmann served as the keynote speaker for a training session for staff and teachers at the Indianapolis Art Center.  The session focused on engaging children in interpretation and critical inquiry with works of art.

• Herron Assistant Professor of Foundation Studies Vance Farrow served as Consultant and Exhibition Coordinator for the "Broken Landscape" exhibition, Cultural Arts Pavilion, Indiana Black Expo, Indianapolis, IN.

Best Practices

• Herron launched a new institutional Web site.  Developed by Studio Blue, Chicago, working with Herron administration and faculty, the site provides a rich resource of information about all of Herron’s academic and community programs.

External Awards and Appointments

• In a national competition, Herron Associate Professor of Sculpture Greg Hull was selected as a finalist for a commissioned project at the Indianapolis Airport, Parking Structure Atrium.  His sculptural work, "Breath," will be fabricated and installed in the new facility, with completion expected in August, 2008.

• Herron Professor of Photography Linda Adele Goodine was the featured visual artist exhibiting her Wixson Honey Series, in conjunction with the Sylvia Plath Symposium, University of Oxford, England, Fall 2007.

• Herron Assistant Professors of Visual Communication Youngbok Hong and Lee VanderKooi participated as co-investigators in an Indiana University New Frontier Grant, providing research input into the North American Religion Atlas Data Visualization project.