Friends and Alumni

Hello Friend!

We’re glad you stopped by. The School of Art and Design is committed to partnering with our communities—near and far—to enhance the arts, improve our quality of life, and foster economic, social, and personal well-being.

There are a number of ways that you can engage with us—from taking a tour, visiting our collections, enrolling in a continuing education class, offering an internship and more. Please browse through our Q & A section below, or feel free to reach out to us directly — artdesign@ecu.edu or 252-328-6665.

Visit

Come visit us. We have a number of options for exploring art and design at ECU!

The Wellington B. Gray Gallery

The GlasStation in Farmville, NC

The Dwight M. Holland Ceramics Classroom and Ceramics Teaching Collections
This classroom was made possible through the generosity of Dwight M. Holland, whose passion for ceramics collecting is evident in this outstanding teaching collection. Other collections on display in this room include James R. Henderson, Margaret Pepper Fluke, Benjamin F. Keaton, Lawrence W. S. Auld, and Baltic Ceramic Arts.

The Dwight M. Holland Ceramics Classroom is regularly used by faculty and students to learn through hands-on interaction with the collections that then inform their work as makers—just across the hallway. The Classroom is available to the public through appointment. Please contact Seo Eo (eos@ecu.edu) to schedule your visit.

Learn More About the Opening of the Classroom in 2018

Tour Jenkins Fine Arts Center

Support the School

Now more than ever North Carolina, the East, and our world needs creative practitioners who can make a difference and transform our future. The School of Art & Design’s prepares the makers of tomorrow with the skills they need to address the unique challenges and opportunities of the 21st century in the East and beyond.

The School continues to benefit from the generosity of countless supporters—alumni, friends, foundations, and corporations.

There are many ways you can support the School. Whatever the vehicle, your support enables us to continue to enhance the education of our student.

You can become an annual member of the Friends of the School of Art and Design or make a gift directly to the School.

Take art classes!

We offer classes to the community for youth and adults.

Find out more and register

Exhibition Space Offers

We have wall space in our business that would be great for displaying artwork. How can we connect with students and faculty?
Not all spaces and are appropriate for displaying artwork, but some can be. Qualities that may make a space appropriate for hanging art work include adequate lighting of the work, adequate signage indicating the artist, title, etc., and a focus on artwork rather than other activities (such as dining). When choosing to display artwork in a venue, artists must consider the cost of framing, hanging, and finishing the work, the time involved in transporting and hanging the work appropriately, and the potential outcome of their labor.

To connect with students and faculty, please send an email to artdesign@ecu.edu with the following information. A contact from the School will be in touch with you.

• You name
• Your organization (if any)
• Contact information
• Description of the space
• Description of compensation for artists time (if any)

Student and Faculty Artwork

If you are looking for original artwork by local, including ECU, artists we encourage you to visit the following local galleries. In addition, annually the School’s student guilds hold a holiday sale with a broad range of original work for sale. Watch the School’s and ECU’s calendar for information!

Art Contests

We want to have an art/design/sculpture/mural contest; how do we involve students?
We generally discourage competitions because they short circuit the relationship between artist or designer and client and cut off the dialog that allows the creative process to work. However, if you are in need of art and design services, feel free to contact us to discuss if your project or idea would be a good fit for students, faculty, class project, or other solution. We find that sometimes ideas that begin as contests can be excellence class projects. Contact us and we’ll help you figure it out.

Student Projects

How do we get an art class or student to work on our project?
Not all projects are useful as class projects but many can be. Send an email to artdesign@ecu.edu with the following information. A contact from the School will be in touch with to discuss next steps. Sometimes faculty will choose to work on projects, other times faculty may want to integrate the project in their class, or we can share appropriate opportunities with our students. Interested students can then contact you directly.

• You name
• Your organization (if any)
• Contact information
• Description of the project
• Description of compensation for students (if any)

Although we encourage students to work on charitable causes even when there is no budget for fees and we recognize that the fees students can charge are less than those of established professionals, we do not endorse students working for free because the project is “a really good opportunity.” This is considered speculative work and is bad for artists and designers.

Student Internships

How do we arrange an internship for a student?
Internships are an educational experience. As such, students must be supervised by experienced professionals. If your organization can offer such an experience, please send an email to artdesign@ecu.edu with the following information:

• You name
• Your organization (if any)
• Contact information
• Description of the internships’ work scope
• Description of compensation (if any)
• Projected time frame for internship
• Description of essential skills required

Hiring Students and Graduates

How do we hire a student or ECU graduate?
We are excited to share job opportunities with our students! If your organization has an opening, please send an email to artdesign@ecu.edu with relevant information.

K-12 Lesson Plans

In partnership with our art education program, we are happy to share the following K-12 lesson plans for art educators to use. Feel free to reproduce and use these materials.

These lessons plans were developed by ECU students, alumni, and friends. They generously give permission to use and modify these lessons.