SCULPTURE AT ETSU

Sculpture students at East Tennessee State University  have the opportunity to work with a variety of media, including such traditional materials as stone, bronze, steel, clay, and wood. Projects ranging from temporary and site specific environmental art, to community oriented outdoor sculpture and installation are also encouraged.

Our program does not subscribe to any particular ideology, media preference, technical direction or conceptual philosophy, but encourages students to develop their own visions as artists and the skills with which they are able to create their sculpture. Sculpture students explore many possibilities with regard to the realization of their ideas, and are exposed to both the history of sculpture and current developments in the field.

ETSU offers the BA, BFA, MA, and MFA in studio art, with concentrations in many areas, including sculpture. Please see the links to the left for specific information about these programs.

The sculpture studio at the Art Annex is equipped with manual, electric, and pneumatic hand tools, TiG, MiG, and arc welders, a plasma cutter and oxy-acetylene torches. We have a small foundry and burnout kiln, a gas forge, and a traditional coal forge. Our yard was recently paved and covered, expanding viable workspace by several hundred square feet.  Students are also supported in their explorations with mixed media, new media and installation.

The Student Sculpture Society, a recognized student organization at ETSU, has sponsored numerous field trips over the years, from attendance at conferences to museum and gallery trips.  We have traveled to New York, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Providence, Raleigh, and many regional cities, all for the purpose of looking at sculpture.  The group has also written grants to fund visiting artists including Paige Davis, Hoss Haley, Steve Bickley, Tim Kaulen, and Melissa Caudell.