Watkins College of Art Professor of Practice Doug Regen recently commented on the profession of graphic design in a Zippa article focused on giving an overview of graphic design as a career. In the article, Regen gave advice to future graphic designers regarding which skills should be on their resume, basic skills all graphic designers should possess, necessary technical skills and skills that will give graphic designers a competitive edge.
According to Regen, one of the most important skills a graphic designer can have is the “ability to motivate and lead others and be a strong communicator and presentation skills.”
Vertically-mounted television screens allowed passersby to stop and hear about Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones’s “Five Ways of Being” during the Presidential Inauguration celebration November 3 – 5, thanks to an interactive art display created by Watkins College of Art students. The digital kiosks showcased the overarching theme of “Hope” that Dr. Jones so highly values from the students’ perspective.
Watkins College of Art Dean James Pierce assigned the project to his Experiential Design Studio I students and let them run with the idea on their own so the end result would be a true interpretation from and reflection of the student voice. The student artists included Abby Connolly, Emily Johnson, Natalie Krause, Nathan Marken, Grace Massey, Silas Mosley, Mary Beth Parkinson, Cooper Scobey and Belle Weaver.
Senior experiential design major Abby Connolly said, “The hope sculpture, dove mural and kiosk displays for me represented a really beautiful embodiment of Belmont: pieces of people’s stories coming together and creating something deeply meaningful for the community.”
Students split into two groups and brainstormed how best to represent the five pillars visually, with each of the five displays featuring one of the pillars – Hope Inspiring, Character Forming, Future Shaping, Community Engaging and Bridge Building – and allowing the community to have a new perspective and better understanding of the five ways of being that Dr. Jones wants the Belmont community to embody.
Kiosk shown to the left with design elements from “Agents of Hope” Mural, pictured with Dove Mural
“It was my goal to weave a bit of entrepreneurial spirit into the project structure, while also discussing different approaches a design agency might use when creating a similar project in the real world,” Pierce explained. “The students were very engaged and worked passionately throughout the project. I was very pleased to see what they created, and I think they were excited about the content as well.”
Senior experiential design major Emily Johnson said her group was inspired by the new “Agents of Hope Mural” on campus and “by its message that we—as students—can use our voices to inspire the world around us.” The students decided to focus on just that, grabbing their filming equipment and heading to the campus lawn to interview their fellow students. Catching students walking to and from their classes, the artists wanted to know what these themes truly meant to them as members of the Belmont community.
“It quickly became clear that these themes are constantly in motion at Belmont,” said Johnson. “As I watched my teammates conduct the interviews, each student’s passion for our community became contagious. Hearing each student speak about their own experiences at Belmont reminded me how truly special our campus is: Each response was full of selflessness, growth, inclusion and—above all—love for others, and that’s what sets our campus apart from the rest.”
Dr. Jones and James Pierce view the Dove Mural at Campus Carnival
After the videos were filmed, the team took inspiration from the bold, vibrant patterns of the “Agents of Hope” mural and decided to include them in each kiosk’s opening and closing animations. The students then used their own personal strengths – which ranged from filming to graphic design—to create final designs that they felt successfully represented the Belmont community.
Johnson said getting to see the kiosks in place was extremely rewarding after spending weeks pouring creativity, effort and time into making the videos.
“It meant the world to see students, faculty and staff taking the time to view them. I even walked past a group of students watching our videos when I heard one of them shout, ‘Guys look, I made it!’ It brought me joy to know that I had helped make his voice about our campus heard. After all, highlighting student voices was the biggest goal of our project, and it was so rewarding to see that goal become accomplished.”
Last Saturday, dozens of students from across campus gathered for a full day for the first ‘Data Hackathon’ from the Belmont Data Collaborative (BDC), a new division that will serve internal and external audiences by promoting data fluency and data-driven solutions to all types of problems while also creating pipelines for jobs that require data skills. The Nov. 6 Data Hackathon partnered with the Mechanical Licensing Collective, which provided streaming royalties data, and Juice Analytics, which provided their JuiceBox analytical tool, to provide insights into why or how someone would receive rights and royalties.
“This was an opportunity for all majors to collaborate and talk data,” said Dr. Charlie Apigian, BDC executive director and professor of business system and analytics. “We had 70 students from 22 different majors represented. We also had 10 companies represented as either volunteers or mentors for the day. This event shows that there is a need and hunger from students, faculty and the community for data skills and the first step is allow individuals from different backgrounds to get together and address a problem through the use of data.”
Junior music business major Christian Ferguson said, “We had information on thousands of songs right at our hands, and we got to sort through it all as groups. My group had initially started to examine songwriters’ ownership stakes in the MLC data when Kris Ahrend, the CEO of the MLC, had an in-depth conversation with our group about some of our understandings of the data. He steered us in the right direction and pushed us to dive deeper… It pushed our understandings of the music business and allowed us to make new insights.”
Instructor of Journalism/Cinema, Television & Media Jennifer Duck, who served as one of several faculty mentors for the Hackathon, remarked at her own past experience working with Fortune 500 companies and the need at each corporation for different areas of expertise to collaborate. She saw that practice come to life for all of the students involved, preparing them for real-world challenges.
“Data often makes us ‘think again’ and bring in a multitude of perspectives we may not be exposed to in our personal bubbles,” she explained. “I’m excited for Belmont students and our greater community to grow with the Belmont Data Collaborative to become more informed thought leaders, community leaders and storytellers through the use of reliable data.”
Freshman biology major Saidmakhmud Makhkamjonov noted, “The experience was amazing, and I was able to make great bonds with some of the upper classmen… One thing I learned is that data quite literally is all around us!”
Dr. Scott Hawley, professor of physics, served as a faculty mentor and used the Hackathon as an opportunity to do “double duty” as he prepared materials on analysis of tabular data for his Deep Learning and AI Ethics course. “I believe events like this have value to students because it provides them with an opportunity to engage with real-life data issues and to contribute in ways that help the community — in this case, the community of songwriters and musicians in Nashville!,” he said. “I’m excited about the new Belmont Data Collaborative because it has the potential to unite the interests of different areas of campus under one common set of goals and resources.”
The BDC already is working toward hosting two data hackathons in Spring 2022, one for Belmont students and another set for April 2 with Women in Technology Tennessee that will be an all-female data hackathon for all universities and companies in the region.
Belmont students sitting in the audience of the Ben Rector performance held as part of the Presidential Inauguration festivities on November 3 may have recognized more than just the lead singer up on stage. When one of the bass players in Rector’s band became ill before the show, Rector recognized the wealth of talent at the university and decided to invite three Belmont students to fill in the position.
Belmont students Garret Arwood, Isaac Mauldin and Lee Williams were contacted and given only a couple days to learn the chords, each being assigned four songs to perform during the concert. Each of the students rose to the occasion and made a big impression not only on their peers cheering them on from the crowd, but Rector as well.
In addition to the comments he made during the show about what a professional job the students did, Rector told The Tennessean that he hopes performing on stage helped them gain confidence in their abilities. “They can step into that situation flawlessly and execute on the highest level,” Rector said in The Tennessean article. “If I were them, I’d be like, ‘that feels good, man.’ That feels like you got tossed into pro baseball … and they fill in and do great. Yeah, you’re this good.”
Senior commercial bass major Lee Williams admitted to being a little nervous leading up to the rehearsal on Tuesday afternoon, the day before the show. “But that rehearsal went well, and everyone in Ben’s band and crew was so kind and encouraging that my nerves really stopped there,” he said. “Everything after that was just excitement to perform with such a solid band in front of a great crowd.”
Williams, who performed “When I’m With You,” “The Men That Drive Me Places,” “Old Friends” and “Brand New,” described the feeling of being on stage with Rector and performing in front of his classmates as all the more rewarding. Williams made the decision to go back to school in his late-20s and said that performing with Rector made “all the hard work coming back to school worth it.”
Similarly, junior commercial bass major Isaac Mauldin (who performed “Duo/Just The Two of Us,” “White Dress,” “Forever Like That” and “Never Gonna Give You Up”) said his emotions were mostly pure excitement as the opportunity set him up well for his future career goals. “I was honored to have the opportunity and I wanted to make the absolute most of it, so I worked hard and prepared as best as I could.” he said. “Post-grad, I would love to go out on the road with an artist. Seeing the world and playing music has always been a dream of mine, and it would be awesome to see that come to fruition.”
Read The Tennessean’s article about the performance here.
Belmont’s student life team was given a green light to dream up something special for a day focused on the internal Belmont community during the three-day Presidential Inauguration Celebration, and they brought their A-game. Assistant Director of Student Engagement Laurel Hildner said the goal was to execute a day that “let hope ABOUND,” with the sky as the limit. The team dreamed up the idea of a campus carnival and followed through to create an event that will not be soon forgotten by Belmont students, faculty and staff.
Ending up with a Ferris wheel, a giant slide, bungee jumping, a carnival food truck, a sidewalk full of students’ chalk creations, games and merchandise galore – on the main lawn, no less – felt to the student life team like a tangible example of what ‘letting hope abound’ will mean for this new era at Belmont.
“From the start, Dr. Jones stated that he wanted the first part of the inauguration to be for Belmont students. Kicking off his inauguration festivities with a carnival, a free Ben Rector concert and a free trip to the National Museum of African American Music spoke volumes to how Dr. Jones thinks about his role as President,” said Ryan Holt, assistant dean of students and director of new student orientation programming. “Foundationally, our work at Belmont is to impact the lives of students. Our hope is that students will be talking about this extraordinary day for years to come.”
Bouncy House Fun
Bungee Jumping
Students Hanging out with Dr. Jones
Carnival Games
Lawn Games
Giant Slide
For the carnival, the team quickly jumped in to plan out all the logistics: from power sources to insurance, catering orders to printing needs and more. On November 3, the team made sure every detail they had worked on prior was carried out in a way to maximize the experience for Belmont students, whether that meant running back to the office for a carnival game prize refill or asking volunteers to spin more cotton candy.
Cross-campus teamwork was vital, and the event would not have been possible without so many coming together and committing to the event. “There are a lot of moving pieces when planning a carnival, and we needed the expertise of many people on campus to pull it off. Ultimately, we all wanted this to be a day for carefree fun and the commitment to pulling that off is what got us across the finish line,” Hildner said. “Even when we hit roadblocks, the team we put together would find a way to make it work. From facilities and risk management to the events and student life teams, it really took a village, and we think it turned out great.”
The best part was seeing people from all areas of campus coming together and enjoying themselves. Staff rode the super slide, faculty enjoyed funnel cakes, senior leaders waved from the top of the Ferris wheel — modeling for students how much Dr. Jones and the Belmont administration prioritizes strong community, mental health and happiness. This could have easily been designed for students only, but it was important to Dr. Jones to help build connections across staff, faculty and student populations.
While Hildner is new to Belmont, she can tell there is a genuine desire for increased student life on campus and the carnival was a testament to that.
“The sight of the Ferris wheel in the distance with hundreds of students playing games and jumping around in bouncy houses signified to me how committed the Joneses are to infusing our campus with energy and fun for students and staff,” she explained. “It is one thing to dream of things like this on paper, and it is another thing to have the support and resources to pull it off. The Joneses have made clear through their support that this type of student engagement on campus is going to be the norm, and that is something I am really excited for.”
When Assistant Professor of Art, Program Director of Fine Arts Dr. Meaghan Brady Nelson heard the news that there would be a celebration on campus recognizing the Presidential Inauguration of Dr. Greg Jones, her mind instantly started thinking about the ways collaborative artmaking could be present during the festivities. Brady Nelson’s research looks at ways collaborative artmaking can bring about social awareness and empathy for others, and with Dr. Jones’s emphasis on hope, she knew she could execute a project to create a visual impact with that theme.
Inspired by the ribbon-like “embrace” of the word HOPE in a new mural on campus, Brady Nelson realized ribbons have been used as symbols of hope around the world for many reasons – in hospitals, around trees, to raise awareness for various causes, etc. Using ribbons as a material for the project would be a natural symbol to tie into the inaugural theme, “Let Hope Abound.” She recruited help from 3D Lecturer Thomas Sturgill to weld the giant metal letters of H – O – P – E that served as the resting place for each ribbon that passersby contributed, eventually covering the entire structure in colorful symbols of Hope.
Ahead of the installation, Brady Nelson visited classes in the Watkins College of Art to promote the project and invite students to pre-write on ribbons – so that the day of, there would be some ribbons already attached to make the visual clear, so that anyone that passed by would know what they were participating in.
On the big day, Brady Nelson stationed herself by the letters in front of the Curb Event Center all day and invited anyone who walked by to join the project and add to the “Hope Installation” by writing on a ribbon. She asked people, “Would you like to share your hope?” When people agreed, she prompted them with:
What is your HOPE? This can be written as a wish, a prayer, a statement, a name, an affirmation…What do you HOPE for? Let’s tie our HOPE together as a collective.
Brady Nelson said she was deeply moved by everyone who stopped by. “Some wrote extremely personal messages of hope, stating names of people suffering from cancer, or that ‘you are enough,’ ‘you are loved,’ as well as calls to society in regard to social justice issues,” she recalled. “Many people spent time reading all the ribbons, became inspired to write their own, while some just took the time to pay respect to what they had just read.”
The collective act of the HOPE installation inspired Brady Nelson as a Belmont community member. “I was deeply moved by how much the project meant to some, and how thankful they were for being able to participate in something like this,” she said. “I was fueled by the kindness and empathy that I encountered all day long.”
Brady Nelson extended gratitude to the students, faculty and staff of the Watkins College of Art that made the Hope Installation come to life, to the University for supporting large-scale collaborative art making projects and to the many people in the community that shared their hope on ribbons and tied them together.
In a recap about the installation after it was complete, Brady Nelson wrote, “Hope is trusting in humanity and knowing that together we have the power to make these good things become a reality. Hope is having faith in the power of optimism. I have HOPE in the power of collaborative art today. Hope is believing that something good may happen and today, something great did.”
The HOPE Installation is currently outside the Gabhart Chapel on campus, placed in time for a chapel service on November 8 on suicide awareness and prevention. However, Brady Nelson is currently working on finding a permanent home for the display in a space where hope is continuously needed.
Art piece used in ceremony to represent University’s commitment to service
As Dr. Greg Jones was officially inaugurated as the newest president of Belmont University on November 5, one symbol used in the ceremony stood out for its significance to the Belmont community – a large wooden basin and cloth. Belmont Watkins College of Art Professor Doug Regen hand crafted the large, layered wooden bowl that was presented to Jones during the ceremony, symbolizing the gesture of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet.
The idea of a basin and cloth originated with Vice President for Administration and University Counsel Dr. Jason Rogers, signifying Dr. Jones’s commitment to service and humility, and replaced the original symbolic mace.
Regen explained that the idea of serving others with humility is at the core of Belmont’s beliefs. “Being asked to create such a symbolic part of the Inauguration Ceremony and knowing that it will represent humility and service to future generations is quite humbling,” he said.
(Wade Payne/www.wadepaynephoto.com)
The bowl is made of layers of various wood species: Birch, Poplar, Maple, Mahogany, Elm, Black Walnut, Oak and raw edge Cherry. These varieties differ many ways–color, strength and other qualities, representing the diversity of Belmont students, faculty and staff.
The hammered precious metal interior represents how humans remain malleable and can be shaped and adorned. The basin also features three metal forged nails representing the pain of the crucifixion and the promise of love and forgiveness.
In the artist statement about the piece, Regen wrote, “The imperfections in the wood that are clearly evident symbolize the imperfections in all of us. Keeping the raw edge/bark on the top cherry band, reminds us of how rough and unrefined we can be as we grow and learn. It exemplifies the brokenness of all of us and how we are refined in spirit as we grow in faith. From a Belmont University perspective, this exemplifies how we train students as they hone their skills in their area of study.”
The Process: Building the Bowl
Concept Sketch
Rings of Wood
Rings of Wood
Metal Work
Nails Embedded
Final Product
A Q&A with Doug Regen on his artistic process:
What was your process like?
When Greg shared his vision for wanting something special and meaningful for the inauguration, I started as I always do – sketching. Knowing that it would be presented in a large ceremony, I thought about the scale of the bowl. I didn’t want it to look like a soup bowl. I also knew I did not want it to be perfect; it needed to look handmade and have a bit of history to it. I sent Greg and Susan a sketch of what I was thinking, and with their approval and excitement, I set to selecting my materials.
What are the differences in the woods, and how did you select them?
Having worked with a variety of woods as a furniture designer, I was definitely familiar with the hierarchy of what people perceived as the finest woods. While I wanted to have some of the finer ones – Mahogany, Black Walnut, Maple, and Cherry – I also wanted to use some of the lesser valued woods. Birch, Oak and Poplar to showcase how all these woods can work in harmony to create something beautiful.
What was it like to create the piece?
Once I selected my species, I cut them into circles and thought about the layers and how they would work together. I knew I wanted the raw edge cherry that I had to be the top edge of the bowl. I then started stacking the layers to see what felt right. I put the birch plywood as the bottom, symbolizing that the least of the wood species is what everything else built upon.
Next step was gluing the rings together then grinding and sanding them to blend together into the bowl shape I wanted. At this stage, I started shaping the hammered metal interior.
The idea of the iron forged nail heads embedded into the side of the bowl came as the whole process unfolded. Thats part of what I love about the creative process, that moment when an idea is sparked, and that detail just makes the final bowl more special.
Have you made a piece like this before?
I’m fairly well known for my one-of-a-kind creations, and this was definitely a first for me. For that reason, there will never be another like it.
From the future of virtual reality to hope found in children’s literature, the insight of the enneagram to injury prevention for musicians, the Belmont community was invited to attend several of 20 “TED-talk” style presentations known as “Belmont Talks and Experiences” on November 3 as part of the Presidential Inauguration Celebration. The 90-minute time frame allowed attendees to select several of the 20-minute sessions to attend, covering a variety of topics and led by various members of the Belmont community.
Marketing Coordinator Lindsey Hurst helped bring all of the presenters together to create an engaging, cohesive event for campus to enjoy. “It was awesome to have so many willing faculty members create fun games and presentations around wellness, purpose, an entrepreneurial mindset and more – all themes we’ve been discussing since Dr. Jones’ arrival to campus,” she said. “I hope one or more of these sessions encouraged a student, faculty or staff member in attendance to continue to show up to new and out-of-the-box events our Belmont community works hard to host. It affords us the opportunity to fellowship with those we already know and meet new people we might not have met otherwise.”
All the events that occurred on the Wednesday of Inauguration Week were created specifically for the Belmont community. Transformational Project Strategist Jenny Lokey said event organizers were thrilled to see faculty, staff, and students participate. “The goal of the day was to celebrate our campus community and provide ways for everyone to have fun and enjoy fellowship together,” she explained. “It was so fulfilling to see so many participate and enjoy the festivities!”
Brownies and Balance Session
Virtual Reality and Democratization of Experience Session
How to Assess and Interpret Online Health Information Session
Transforming Medical Education Session
While certainly not an exhaustive list, a recap of some of the sessions can be found below. A full list of presenters included: Joyce Yang, Jane Duncan, Christian Williams, Todd Lake, David Gregory, Austin Mondloch, Matt Sherman, Elizabeth Gortmaker, Amy Smith, Nathan Adam, Marilyn Odom, Michael Hill, Jeremy Fyke, LaRae Murray, Jhennifer Amundson, Kelly Gore, Tom Lowing, Shannon Pennington, Jenny Muckala, Sue Curfman, Gary Austin, Rachael Flynn, Cathy Eschete, Pete Kuryla, Sue Trout, Beth Conway, Amy Hodges-Hamilton, Andy Davis, Jenny Crowell-Thompson, Doug Crews, Eszter Szentirmai, Anderson Spickard, Joy Kimmons, Jimmy Davis and Nathan Griffith.
Enneagram– Discovery of Self & Others
Dr. Amy Smith, professor of music business, lectured on the importance of the enneagram personality assessment in understanding ourselves and others, making connections between the nine personality numbers, spiritual growth and personal development. Smith’s lecture went below the surface to make deeper connections on how each Enneagram number symbolizes one of God’s gifts as well as one of the deadly sins/vices. Smith’s lecture encouraged attendees to continue learning more about their number and themselves.
Hope Dealers: Bringing Hope to the World by Understanding Pain
Physical Therapy faculty Dr. Sue Curfman, associate professor, and Dr. Gary Austin, professor and chair, led a heartbreaking yet hopeful Belmont Talk on the rise of the opioid epidemic, suicides, healthcare disparities and immeasurable psychological and physical suffering and disability. Curfman and Austin spoke about how the misunderstanding of pain and coping strategies contribute in large part to these national issues. Throughout the lecture, the presenters cited research that proves understanding pain can prevent these issues, lead to teaching proper coping strategies and help family members of those struggling be better supporters.
Let’s Talk Entrepreneurship
The Let’s Talk Entrepreneurship session represented three businesses started by Belmont entrepreneurs: Dream Achieve, founded by Belmont senior Hannah Rodriguez, 31:25, founded by Belmont senior Bethany Husni, and Bizi Vitamin Honey, founded by Belmont alumni Ethan Akdamar and James Richard. The student entrepreneurs shared their passion for helping others and solving problems through their businesses. A desire to serve through problem-solving and innovative thinking are critical elements of the entrepreneurial mindset taught by the Belmont entrepreneurship center and in the inaugural “Let Hope Abound” theme. Husni began her apparel business as a response to the lack of inclusive sizing in women’s apparel, specifically within Greek organizations. Rodriguez established Dream Achieve and coinciding ventures to help young women in school manage their time and be successful in their academic endeavors. Akdamar and Richard created Bizi as a solution to the issue of vitamins with added ingredients. The entrepreneurship center and entrepreneurship classes through the Massey College of Business provide aspiring student entrepreneurs with helpful feedback and direction to set them up for success.
Brownies and Balance
Social Work faculty Dr. Jennifer Crowell-Thompson, chair and associate professor, and Dr. Doug Crews, assistant professor, led a session focused on helping students find various ways to deal with everyday stress and anxieties. Instead of lecturing attendees about stress coping methods, all attendees were given the opportunity to relax, color and make stress balls while eating brownies in the process. Attendees were handed stickers as well as pieces of paper that listed ten different ways to deal with stress and how to practice mindfulness. “Brownies and Balance” served as a great mental health checkpoint for all participants and highlighted the importance of self care.
Faculty Pecha Kucha
Faculty from all three programs in the O’More College of Architecture and Design presented in “PechaKucha” format (20 slides for 20 seconds each in a fast-paced storytelling opportunity) about purpose and calling in the design disciplines. Professors Kelly Gore (interiors), Tom Lowing (architecture) and Shannon Pennington (fashion) presented their ideas about living lives of intention and meaning in these creative fields.
Virtual Reality and Democratization of Experience
Emerging technologies like Virtual and Augmented Reality will transform your future life, industry and career. Assistant Professor of Media Studies Nathan Adam presented this session entirely from within a virtual reality headset with his intel on how the world’s largest companies are building entirely new ways to democratize content, production, performance and payments in a metaverse of next generation experiences for creators and consumers. He opened discussion about how to aim your career to reach exciting new revenue streams and bigger audiences than ever before.
‘Wellness Around the World’ Event Kicks off Inauguration Celebration
The first event in the lineup of Dr. Greg Jones’ official Inauguration Celebration festivities was “Wellness Around the World” on November 3, an event focused on each of Belmont’s nine Be Well BU dimensions of wellness.
Developed by 2nd Year Masters of Sports Administration students and Be Well BU program graduate assistants Kailei Foltmer and Sara Klang, the event set the tone for the festivities and placed an emphasis on care of the whole person, reminding the Belmont community that they are valued and supported in all areas of wellness. These include their spiritual, intellectual, environmental, interpersonal, cultural, physical, occupational, financial and emotional areas of wellness.
The event included an hour-long yoga session and nine tables for attendees to visit that represented each dimension. Members of the program’s “Well Board” devised an activity to showcase that area of wellness at each table. At the Interpersonal table, students traded “Dad jokes” to make each other laugh. At the Emotional table, students painted rocks. And at the Spiritual table, students posted prayer requests.
“What we hoped the students and staff took from the event is that a focus on holistic wellness is important for success,” explained Dr. Adam Fleegor, assistant professor in Sport Administration. “We should take time each day to consider these areas of wellness and how they impact each other and ourselves.”
Belmont Musical Theatre coordinator and faculty member Nancy Allen is playing Emma Goldman in the musical “Ragtime” at the Nashville Repertory Theatre. The production features a 36-member cast and examines the different experiences of Americans at the turn of the century, set to a beautiful score by Flaherty and Ahrens.
The production will run November 11 -14 in TPAC’s Polk Theatre. Tickets can be bought on the TPAC website.
