Excel Network Communities

Ryan Claytor’s 20-Year Legacy as a Comics Education Trailblazer

March 11, 2025

Ryan Claytor is a trailblazer in comics education whose passion for teaching and talent as an award-winning comics artist and creator is fueled by his love of the expressive medium. Since joining Michigan State University’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design in 2008, Claytor has built a thriving academic and creative comics community at the university, having launched the first comics studio course in MSU’s history and later establishing the interdisciplinary Comic Art and Graphic Novels minor.

AAHD / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Donor / Fundraising / News / Student / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Philanthropy Helps Support Student’s Financial and Academic Needs

March 3, 2025

MJ Monteiro’s passion for art became an extraordinary pursuit at Michigan State University where, with Spartan support, they have received funding as an Art History and Visual Culture major and have worked multiple student jobs supported by alumni.

Six individuals stand together in front of a navy blue backdrop with "AAF Lansing" logos, holding award plaques. A red curtain frames the backdrop. They are dressed in business and semi-formal attire, smiling at the camera.

Award / Design, Technology, and Media / Graphic Design / News / Staff / Student / Student

College of Arts & Letters Students and Staff Recognized with ADDY Awards for Outstanding Work

February 28, 2025

Ten students in Michigan State University’s Graphic Design program took home a total of five Gold, four Silver, and four Bronze American Advertising (ADDY) Awards at this year's American Advertising Federation (AAF) Lansing Chapter ceremony. In the professional competition, MSU's College of Arts & Letters Marketing and Communications Office received two Silver and two Bronze ADDY Awards. "Being recognized in…

Arts MSU / Faculty / Faculty / News / Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

‘9 to 5: The Musical’ Is a Collaborative Showcase of Talents

February 19, 2025

The “9 to 5: The Musical” production, presented by the Department of Theatre and running through Feb. 23 at the Fairchild Theatre, is a collaborative showcase of the efforts of many different students and faculty members. The overall production includes 23 cast members, 11 musicians, and a large production team of choreographers, designers, and technical directors.

AAHD / Arts MSU / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Michigan Impact / News / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Faculty Voice: I’m a Maker and a Storyteller

February 14, 2025

Teresa Dunn is a Mexican American artist raised in rural southern Illinois. Her identity life and art are influenced by her racial and cultural heritages and the complexities of being a brown woman in the Midwest. She's a Professor of Painting and Drawing in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design in the College of Arts & Letters. Dunn wrote the…

Read more about the article MFA Candidate Uses Art to Create Positive Africa Movement, Challenging Negative Perceptions of the Continent and Black Diaspora

Student / Student / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MFA Candidate Uses Art to Create Positive Africa Movement, Challenging Negative Perceptions of the Continent and Black Diaspora

February 11, 2025

As an artist-activist, Vadu Rodrigues came to Michigan State University from his native Cape Verde with a desire to not only hone his skills as a graduate student in the MFA in Studio Art program but to also fuel his decade-long efforts to transform global perceptions of Africa and the Black diaspora.An installation artist and veteran photographer, Rodrigues has spent…

Design, Technology, and Media / Graphic Design / Internship / News / Student / XA

Experience Architecture Major Interns for General Motors

February 5, 2025

Delilah Coe, who is a senior majoring in Experience Architecture with a minor in Graphic Design, gained experience working as a Product Design Intern for General Motors Co. during her sophomore and junior years and is looking forward to graduating this spring. She shared her internship experiences in this Q&A.

Arts MSU / Faculty / Faculty / News / Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MSU Department of Theatre Presents ‘9 to 5’ Musical Focused on Female Empowerment

February 4, 2025

Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre is pleased to present “9 to 5: The Musical,” based on the 1980 movie with Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin, about three hilarious female office workers who concoct a plan to get even with their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, and bigoted boss. Performances are scheduled for Feb. 15-23, 2025, at the Fairchild…

AAHD / Arts MSU / Event / Exhibition / Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Student / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Exhibit Invites Public to Participate in Creation of Community Art Projects

January 14, 2025

Reclaiming Space, the current exhibit at the MSU Union Art Gallery, calls upon the community to come together to reflect, respond, and heal through artmaking. Now through Saturday, Feb. 15, the public is invited to add their personal touch and creativity to the murals and sculptures that make up this exhibition, and as the show progresses, the artwork will evolve with each new day.

News / Publishing, Editing, and Authorship / Spanish / Student / Student / U.S. Impact

Historic North American MSU Graduate Student-Edited Journal Returns After Six-Year Hiatus

December 2, 2024

After a six-year hiatus, one of the longest-running graduate student-edited journals in Romance Studies in North America has returned. The publication, TROPOS, which was first published in 1971, is run entirely by graduate students in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University.