Experiential and Artistic Opportunities in the Creative Arts
Learning about and creating art, in all of its varied forms, requires engaging all different kinds of art in experiential ways. At Stetson, the Creative Arts Department has a variety of endowments which were established by some very generous benefactors. These, along with other resources in and beyond the department, provide rich and extraordinary opportunities for our creative students.
In 2021, Stetson University received a $16 million gift from the estate of Ms. Antoinette LaValle. Part of this money established an endowment to support full-tuition scholarships for students majoring in the Creative Arts, including Studio Art, Digital Arts, Museum and Curatorial Studies, or Theatre Arts. LaValle Scholar-Artists applicants need to demonstrate a passion for honing their talent in a liberal arts setting, with application materials establishing that the applicant has tremendous potential to interpret the world around them and to communicate that interpretation through their chosen field.
First-time in college or transfer students majoring in any of the Creative Arts who are awarded the LaValle Scholarship are eligible for up to four years of this full-tuition scholarship.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
To apply for a LaValle Scholarship, you must apply to Stetson University under the Early Decision (November 1), Early Action (November 15), Rolling Decision plan, or be a current student. Students may only apply to one of the arts disciplines (Studio Art, Digital Arts, Museum and Curatorial Studies, or Theatre Arts), and the LaValle Scholarship requires you to major in one of these artistic majors.
The deadline to apply for the LaValle Scholarship is in December.
To apply, please submit the following materials, dependent upon the intended area of study:
- Studio Art: Artist Statement and Portfolio
- Digital Arts: Artist Statement and Portfolio
- Museum and Curatorial Studies: Video of Exhibition Review or Exhibition Tour
- Theatre Arts: Artist Statement and Portfolio (for technical theatre/design) or Audition Recording (for performance)
Note: Artist Statements should be 1-2 pages in length, and portfolios should include at least two examples of finished work. All application materials must be submitted electronically.
The LaValle Scholarship is one of Stetson University's Premier Programs.
QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about applying to Stetson University, please contact the Office of Admission at [email protected].
If you have questions about the Creative Arts Department, please contact us directly, at [email protected].
In 2021, Stetson University received a $16 million gift from the estate of Ms. Antoinette LaValle. Part of this money was designated as an endowment to support the learning, scholarly work, and creative practice of current students in the Creative Arts Department. This means that the original amount will sit untouched as it generates income that can be awarded to students as small grants of up to $2000 per student. This money can be used to cover costs associated with senior projects or similar scholarly and creative work. Faculty can also apply for LaValle funding to support experiential learning opportunities in their classes.
CURRENT STUDENTS:
To receive LaValle funding, you must apply! Your faculty mentor can help you with editing your proposal, but you must take the initiative to get the process started. Click here to begin for the 2024-25 Student LaValle Fund Application
FACULTY:
Ann West Hall was a studio artist who graduated from Stetson with a BA in Studio Art. Through her generous estate planning, upon her death Stetson University received funds to establish several endowments to support the arts at Stetson.
VISITING ARTIST FUND
One of the three Ann West Hall endowments supports bringing visiting artists to campus (either in person of virtually) to enrich the arts curriculum. Faculty across the Creative Arts brings in many practicing artists to campus to give artist talks, demonstrations, student studio visits and critiques, and presentations. Many of these opportunities are open not only to students in class but also to the greater Stetson community.
PURCHASE AWARDS
Another of the three Ann West Hall endowments supports purchasing student art for accession into the Stetson University Permanent Art Collection.
There are two student exhibitions every year, hosted by the Hand Art Center. In the second half of the fall semester, the Hand Art Center sponsors the Juried Student Art Exhibition which is open to all students at Stetson. The Creative Arts Department faculty are able to use funds from this AWH endowment to purchase art from this all-student show.
In the spring semester, the Hand Art Center worked with the senior project faculty in Studio Art and Digital Arts to host the senior exhibition. The senior exhibition has grown such that the student's work is showcased on several sites around campus in addition to the galleries in the Hand Art Center. The Creative Arts Department faculty are able to use funds from this AWH endowment to purchase art from the senior show.
PROGRAM FUND
The third Ann West Hall endowment is used to support general program opportunities within the Creative Arts Department. Most recently, this fund supports several seniors visiting Art Basel Miami Beach in December of each year. Going to Art Basel allows seniors to get a chance to experience one of the largest contemporary art expositions in the world, exposing them to current artists and a variety of galleries and museums with programming specific to the Art Basel event.
Click here for the 2024 Art Basel Application - applications are due by 11:59 pm on November 1, 2024.
Purpose: The College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Office awards undergraduate students modest supplemental grants to help support their scholarly and creative activities, such as work associated with their senior projects or similar scholarly and creative endeavors by seniors; joint proposals are welcome.
Amount of awards: The Dean's Fund awards no set amount, but $500 should be considered a large award. The amount awarded depends, in part, on the nature, purpose, and amount of the request. Students are expected to contribute to their own professional development and are expected to assume 1/3 of the costs associated with their request. The department of the student's major should also contribute at least 1/3 of the costs. If possible, the student should seek funding from other sources, such as a Stetson Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) grant or an honor society. The Dean's Fund will support no more than one proposal per academic year for each student.
Timing of awards: Grants are awarded on a rolling basis. Typically, applicants receive notification within three weeks from when the student's faculty mentor completes the faculty mentor evaluation form. Dean's Funding approval must be obtained prior to any proposed purchases. Any funds awarded will be distributed to the student as a reimbursement of actual expenses for approved expenditures with proper documentation (e.g., original, itemized receipts) after the student has submitted the appropriate documentation.
The FIEA Undergraduate Summer Research Experience fosters collaboration between intellectually motivated Stetson students and the University of Central Florida's Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy graduate game-development program.
If you are interested in studying and immersing yourself in any aspect of game-development, interactive entertainment or simulation, you should consider this experience. It is designed to provide Stetson students with access to the facilities, curriculum, faculty and students found at FIEA's downtown Orlando campus. These facilities include FIEA's motion capture studio, recording studio, sound stage, concept rooms, VR/AR labs and game room.
Selected students are exposed to the latest game-development processes for producers, artists and programmers and are expected to pursue a self-designed research project (similar in format and scope to Stetson University's ;SURE program). Some of the potential areas that this research project could explore include real-time modeling and animation, audio and sound engineering, virtual reality, storytelling, mobile programming, production management, and general game design. The student will have a coordinator as faculty mentor to oversee and assist in any observational studies.
The Hand Art Center is Stetson's art museum. Located on the Palm Court, nestled between Sampson Hall and the duPont-Ball Library, the Hand Art Center is home to the University's permanent art collection and extraordinary collection of works by Oscar Bluemner, the Hand Art Center houses two student exhibitions each year, including an all student exhibit in the fall and the senior exhibition in the spring. There is a Bluemner exhibit each semester, and the other gallery spaces include a variety of exhibits throughout the year, and coupled with an array of programming, the Hand Art Center hosts a wide array of cultural credit opportunities for current students. The Hand Art Center is staffed by a full-time director and a student staff, allowing students the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of museum operations.
Stetson University's Hand Art Center is home to the University's extensive collection of works by Oscar Bluemner. Donated by the artist's daughter, Vera Bluemner Kouba, Stetson University holds over 1000 pieces in our extraordinary Bluemner Collection. The curator of the collection is Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva, Associate Professor of Art History. The collection itself, the Hand Art Center, and other close museums (including, but not limited to, the University Archives, the Gillespie Museum on campus, the Museum of Art DeLand, and the African American Museum of the Arts in DeLand) provide unique, hands-on opportunities for our Museum and Curatorial Studies students to learn about collection management and museum operations.
Stetson Showcase is a celebration of achievement that was established to foster an appreciation for academic excellence at Stetson University. Student presenters share their research through presentations, portfolios, posters, readings, music and theater performances, art shows, and multimedia work. They present their programs in professional settings for audiences that include judges, faculty, fellow students and interested members of the community.
All Stetson students are eligible to take part in the Stetson Showcase. Any classroom project/paper, summer internship results, senior project, recital performance, artwork, short story, poetry or other academic topic is eligible for presentation.
The Stetson Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) is a signature program that fosters excellence in research and creative activity. The centerpiece of the program is an eight-week research-intensive experience where each student works on an individual project under the mentorship of a Stetson University faculty member. In addition to the summer experience, students present their research findings and outcomes at various venues throughout the subsequent year. The overarching goal of the program is to develop informed graduates equipped with skills and dispositions to tackle complex challenges. Each year undergraduate scholars are selected through a university-wide competition to work with a faculty mentor on a summer research project.