[126] Printmaker Katy Seals preps exhibit, visiting artist lecture, workshop at MTSU

MURFREESBORO — Oklahoma printmaker Katy Seals is bringing her talents to the MTSU Department of Art for an exhibit, visiting artist lecture and workshop — and, while she’s at it, a project commemorating the late country great George Jones.

Scheduled to visit Sept. 30-Oct. 3, Seals, an assistant professor of printmaking at East Central University in Ada, Okla., has spent the past eight years organizing and attending a variety of international printmaking conferences and workshops. She’s also worked as a part of Drive-By Press, an educational collaborative that traveled more than 250,000 miles to teach people about printmaking and art.

Seals also is a co-founder of the "Bump-It Mafia," a female printmaking collaborative that focuses on works about women and advocates positive role modeling for younger female artists just starting out.

“The characters featured in my images … explore issues of excess and over-indulgence in American culture and are part of a very specific narrative,” Seals explains. “I am greatly influenced by stories and cultural situations of the South and am particularly  interested in the social roles assigned to Southern women.”

While at MTSU, Seals will conduct a workshop, provide an artist lecture and show original fine prints from her collection. She intends to spend her time on campus on a work commemorating Jones, who died this past April and will be honored in a massive tribute concert Nov. 22 in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Those interested in attending Seals’ workshop or lecture should contact MTSU printmaking professor Meghan O’Connor at meghan.oconnor@mtsu.edu or Todd Art Gallery curator Eric Snyder at eric.snyder@mtsu.edu for more details.

All MTSU Department of Art and Todd Art Gallery events and exhibitions are always free and open to the public. The gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on state and university holidays.

For more information, including parking and directions, contact Snyder at 615-898-5653 or eric.snyder@mtsu.edu or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/art. You can learn more about Seals’ work at http://www.katyseals.com.