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Message from the President
Hello! I’m Ellen Meyer, president of Watkins College of Art, Design & Film and I’m delighted to welcome you to our website. Founded in 1885, Watkins has a long and proud tradition of education in the arts. Today, the College offers four-year, baccalaureate degree programs in film, fine arts, graphic design, interior design and photography.
We are a vibrant community of artists, designers, filmmakers and educators with a diverse student body of 400 individuals from all over the country and world. We believe in a strong academic foundation and a studio-based curriculum that encourages individual and collaborative exploration.
We also believe that to become truly effective thinkers and creators, artists, designers and filmmakers should understand the forces that shape our world today from history, literature, science and technology to popular culture, globalization and ecology. Approximately two thirds of a student’s time is spent in the studio and one third is spent in the classroom focused upon the liberal arts. Within each environment — the studio and the classroom — students are challenged to synthesize new information, ask questions and seek solutions.
Faculty are practicing, award-winning professionals who, along with the administration and staff, are dedicated to giving students the best possible learning experience. We will help you develop your work and guide you every step of the way from your chosen course of study to internships and your professional career. Because of our small size, you will know your faculty well, and they will know you and your unique talents. You will be inspired to reach your highest potential within a stimulating, student-centered environment.
At Watkins, you will live, study, eat and breathe art and design within the context of our state-of-the-art facility, located on a thirteen-acre urban campus at the edge of a lake in the heart of Nashville. A beautiful city that appreciates art in all its forms, Nashville is home to more than 150 visual and performing arts organizations that are easily accessible from campus — and we will encourage you to connect to the world outside at every opportunity.
It is an exciting time to be an artist, designer or filmmaker, and Watkins College of Art, Design & Film is an extraordinary place to learn, dream and create your future.
Ellen L. Meyer
We are a vibrant community of artists, designers, filmmakers and educators with a diverse student body of 400 individuals from all over the country and world. We believe in a strong academic foundation and a studio-based curriculum that encourages individual and collaborative exploration.We also believe that to become truly effective thinkers and creators, artists, designers and filmmakers should understand the forces that shape our world today from history, literature, science and technology to popular culture, globalization and ecology. Approximately two thirds of a student’s time is spent in the studio and one third is spent in the classroom focused upon the liberal arts. Within each environment — the studio and the classroom — students are challenged to synthesize new information, ask questions and seek solutions.
Faculty are practicing, award-winning professionals who, along with the administration and staff, are dedicated to giving students the best possible learning experience. We will help you develop your work and guide you every step of the way from your chosen course of study to internships and your professional career. Because of our small size, you will know your faculty well, and they will know you and your unique talents. You will be inspired to reach your highest potential within a stimulating, student-centered environment.
At Watkins, you will live, study, eat and breathe art and design within the context of our state-of-the-art facility, located on a thirteen-acre urban campus at the edge of a lake in the heart of Nashville. A beautiful city that appreciates art in all its forms, Nashville is home to more than 150 visual and performing arts organizations that are easily accessible from campus — and we will encourage you to connect to the world outside at every opportunity.
It is an exciting time to be an artist, designer or filmmaker, and Watkins College of Art, Design & Film is an extraordinary place to learn, dream and create your future.
Ellen L. Meyer