SEU Arts and Humanities

Dean's Message

At St. Edward's University, the arts and humanities are as varied as the community we serve and includes majors from Philosophy to Acting and Interactive Games Studies. Our mission is to cultivate creative, independent, and accomplished citizens. We foster reflection, creativity, and highly developed skills that transfer to the professional world. Our students are trained to be problem-solving critical thinkers whose nimbleness of mind will make them successful in the multiple career paths in which they will engage during their lifetimes.
We provide many opportunities to Arts and Humanities students inside and outside the classroom: they present and display their work at exhibits and special symposia, publish two award-winning campus journals, produce and perform innovative and classic plays, examine arguments and ethics in debates, and interact with renowned writers. Through projects and research, our committed and talented faculty support and mentor our students as they hone their artistic and scholarly pursuits.
Once our students graduate, their skills and knowledge take them far beyond our Austin campus, even as they maintain a strong connection to the Hilltop and to the alumni family.

Student Success

Jacqueline Flores ’18 had wanted to be an actor ever since she could talk. She successfully auditioned for the BFA in Acting at St. Edward’s, but a job at the Mary Moody Northen Theatre on campus opened her eyes to the administrative side of theatre. As house manager, she was in charge of concessions, audience safety, seating and sales — and she loved it.
The summer after her sophomore year, Flores did similar work as an intern at Jacob’s Pillow, the country’s longest-running international dance festival in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts. To support her internship, Flores applied for, and won, a Summer Academic Excellence Award, a grant earmarked for St. Edward’s students taking on ambitious travels, research or internships.
The application process introduced her to Caroline Morris, who administers the awards for the university — and who became her mentor. After the internship, Morris asked her: What do you want to do now? Flores successfully applied for an internship at the Public Theater in New York City — where the musical Hamilton got its start — focused on producing Shakespeare in underrepresented communities. Flores says Morris’ encouragement has given her confidence to expand her ambitions, which include applying for a Fulbright, a highly selective fellowship sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

Faculty Accolades

The Butterfly Project was a large-scale installation designed and created by visual studies faculty and students at St. Edward's. The display was honored with a Leadership in History award given by the American Association for State and Local History. The award was granted to the Bullock State History Museum, where The Butterfly Project was installed in late 2016 in connection with an exhibition on Nazi-era propaganda. The installation was inspired by a 1942 poem called "The Butterfly" that was written by a child imprisoned in the Terezin ghetto-camp. Schoolchildren from across Texas created more than 5,000 butterflies, each one representing a commitment to take a stand against intolerance, that were assembled as part of the installation. The art project was launched in concert with an educational program encouraging children and families to talk about intolerance, morality, bullying and hate speech. This project was led by faculty mentors Associate Professor of Art Alex Robinson and Professor of Photocommunications Bill Kennedy. Art major Ana Michelle de Santiago '18 created the original design. More than 20 visual studies students worked on the final project. After being exhibited at the Bullock State History Museum, The Butterfly Project hung in the St. Edward's University Munday Library during Spring 2017. One panel now hangs in the John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Building-North.

Alumni Making a Difference

Meet School of Arts & Humanities alumni, Steve Shadowen '80 and Bob Hilliard '80. They argued in front of the Supreme Court on behalf of a 15-year-old Mexican citizen who was shot by a US Border Patrol agent.
“I think Bob and I both came out of the university with a real appreciation for the ability to write and to think critically, and together with a passion for social justice, that’s the anchor of a Holy Cross education,” says Shadowen.
“When you’re in your late 50s you call it a passion for social justice, but when you’re in your early 20s, you call it a passion for raising hell,” Hilliard quips. “Our education at St. Edward’s gave us permission to learn who we were and what was important to us.”
Read more about their next steps as they pursue justice for the Hernandez family.

Homecoming 2018

On February 24th the School of Arts and Humanities welcomed alumni, parents and students to the school’s annual homecoming showcase event--Arts & Humanities on the Hilltop. We served root beer floats at the tailgate, offered wine and cheese during the Art Stroll at the Fine Arts Gallery, and featured an abundance of art and culture at the Munday Library: Alumna Keynote Speaker, Brooke Lewis ’14, reporter at the Houston Chronicle; book readings by Carrie Fountain and Ev Lunning; Library Archive Tribute to the 45th Anniversary of the Mary Moody Northen Theatre; and a 10-minute play written, directed and performed by theater arts students. A good time was definitely had by all!

Spring 2018 Events

January

Fine Arts Gallery Student Juried Exhibition : Jan. 18-Feb. 1
Fine Arts Gallery Opening Reception for Student Juried Exhibition: Jan. 18, 6-8pm

February

Fine Arts Gallery Graphic Design Senior Exhibition: Feb. 9-March 1
Fine Arts Gallery Opening Reception for Graphic Design Senior Exhibition: Feb.9, 6-8pm
Center for Ethics and Leadership Speaker Series: Alumni Robert Hilliard and Steve Shadowen on "What Happened After Their Supreme Court Argument": Feb. 13, 4:30-6pm at Jones Auditorium
Mary Moody Northen Theatre Production of Romeo and Juliet: Feb. 15- 25
Arts and Humanities on the Hilltop/ Homecoming Showcase: Feb. 24

March

Marcia Kinsey Visiting Writers Series: Tarfia Faizullah: March 6, 6-7:30pm at Carter Auditorium
Fine Arts Gallery Photocommunications Senior Exhibition: March 9-April 12
Fine Arts Gallery Opening Reception for Photocommunications Senior Exhibition: March 9, 6-8pm
Center for Ethics and Leadership Fusion Discussion: Not Leadership Material? Good. The World Needs Followers: March 19, 12-1pm at Fleck 305
The Most Reverend John McCarthy Lecture Series: Natalia Imperatori-Lee, Ph.D. on Latinx Catholicism and the Future of the Church in the United States (March 22, 5pm, Jones Auditorium)

April

Center for Ethics and Leadership Speaker Series: Attorney Suzy Prucka on Is the criminal justice system irreparably broken? April 4, 4:30pm at Fleck 305
Marcia Kinsey Visiting Writers Series Sarah Manguso: April 11, 6-7:30pm at Carter Auditorium
Mary Moody Northen Theatere Production of Violet: April 12-22
Center for Ethics and Leadership Fusion Discussion: The Gamer's Dilemma--Are we comfortable with children killing an average of 100,000 people in video games by the age of 18? April 13, 12-1pm at Fleck 305
SOURCE--a symposium giving outstanding student researchers, artists, and designers a chance to showcase their most insightful and impressive work (April 13, Mabee Ballroom, 9am-3pm)
Fine Arts Gallery Art Senior Exhibition: April 20-May 13
Fine Arts Gallery Opening Reception for Art Senior Exhibition: April 20, 6-8pm
Center for Ethics and Leadership and the Charles Koch Foundation Debate on Safe Spaces and Trigger Warnings April 25, 11:30am, Jones Auditorium