News & Events

This Friday, July 30th, join us as we recognize the students who have completed the 2010 Pre-College Program. Paintings, drawings and sculpture will be on display in the Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Gallery on campus from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

College officials announced on Thursday, June 24, that the Commission on Colleges of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS-COC) has granted initial regional
accreditation to Watkins College of Art, Design & Film.

Watkins began this process in early 2007. An Application for Membership and Compliance
Certification were prepared and submitted, and peer review committees from SACS-COC
have made two separate site visits to the campus. The purpose of these visits was to review
the College’s compliance with the standards of the Commission, as specified in the document
Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement. Following a careful review
of the submitted documents and the reports of the various committees, the SACS-COC Board of
Trustees, at its June 24th meeting, granted initial accreditation status to the College.
“We are very proud of this accomplishment,” says Ellen L Meyer, President of the College. “We
recognize that this distinction carries with it the responsibility to continue to maintain the highest
quality in all our educational programs and services.”

Watkins College of Art, Design & Film offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film, Fine
Art, Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Photography; the Bachelor of Arts degree in Art, and
the Certificate in Film. The Community Education programs of the institution have provided
educational opportunities for Nashville residents for many years. All degree programs are
nationally accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), and
the BFA program in Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation
 (CIDA).

“The ultimate beneficiaries of this rigorous accreditation process will be our Watkins students –
past, present, and future,” says John M Sullivan, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean
of the Faculty. “When evaluating credentials, employers and graduate schools often look for
applicants who have earned their degree from a regionally accredited institution.”

SACS is one of the six regional accrediting organizations recognized by the United States
Department of Education and accredits schools, colleges, and universities in the eleven
Southern states and in Latin America. Information about SACS accreditation and concerning
the accreditation status of Watkins College of Art, Design & Film may be obtained from their
website at www.sacscoc.org. The Watkins website can be accessed at www.watkins.edu.
 

  

Watkins College of Art, Design & Film is pleased to welcome Dave Hickey to Nashville as the commencement speaker at the 2010 college graduation ceremony on May 15, 2010. Mr. Hickey is one of the most preeminent art critics writing today.

Dave Hickey is a free-lance writer of fiction and cultural criticism. He is presently Professor of Modern Letters at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Mr. Hickey has written for most major cultural publications in the United States and abroad. These include The Rolling Stone, Art News, Art in America, Artforum, Interview, Harpers Magazine, Vanity Fair, Playboy, Nest, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times.

Highlights of his publications are as follows:

• The Invisible Dragon: Four Essays on Beauty (1993) published by Art Issues Press.
• The Invisible Dragon: Revised and Expanded (2008) published by University of Chicago Press.
• Air Guitar: Essays on Art and Democracy (1998) published by Art Issues Press.
• Stardumb (1999) published by Artspace Press. 

In 2009, Newsweek Magazine selected Air Guitar as one of the most important books of the 20th Century. Interviews with Mr. Hickey have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Bomb, New Art Examiner, Public Events, The Art Newspaper and many other magazines and journals. He has been interviewed as an authority for numerous televised and filmed documentaries.

Students at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film will host a two-day YART Festival on our campus at 2298 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. Stop by for food, entertainment, games and some wonderful art to purchase at festival prices!

Saturday, April 17th 8 am- 3 pm

Sunday, April 18th 1 pm- 5 pm

This event is free and open to the public!

For directions, contact the Watkins information desk at (615) 383-4848.

(poster designed by Watkins Graphic Design student)

  

Watkins College of Art, Design & Film is thrilled to receive the prestigious honor as the Nashville Film Festival’s 2010 Governor’s Award recipient in conjunction with the college’s 125th Anniversary.  Watkins will be presented this distinguished award from a representative of the Governor’s Office at the Nashville Film Festival on Saturday, April 17th. 

Kelly Bonadies- BFA Fine Art

"Now, More Than Ever!"

May 7th 6 pm- 9 pm at Open Lot

Artist Presentation:

Tuesday, May 4th from 6 pm- 8 pm

Room 608 (Small Theater) Watkins College of Art, Design & Film

Beth Gilmore-BFA Fine Art

 "Souvenir"

May 1st Downtown Presbyterian Church for 1st Saturday Art Crawl. Will travel to Belmont Mansion for extended showing.

Artist Presentation:

Tuesday, May 4th 6 pm-8 pm

Room 608 (Small Theater) Watkins College of Art, Design & Film

Opening Reception:

April 30th from 6 pm-9 pm

Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Gallery

Watkins College of Art, Design & Film 2298 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.

Show Dates:

April 30th- May 10th

Artist Presentations:

Amanda Nagy- BFA Photography

Friday, April 23rd 1 pm- 5 pm Room 500 (Main Theater) Watkins College of Art, Design & Film

Amy Eiben-BFA Fine Art

Tuesday, May 4th 6 pm- 8 pm Room 608 (Small Theater) Watkins College of Art, Design & Film

Opening Reception:

April 16th from 6 pm-9 pm

Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Gallery

Watkins College of Art, Design & Film 2298 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.

Show Dates:

April 16th - April 27th

Artist Presentations:

Adrienne Bailey-BFA Fine Art 

Tuesday, May 4th 6 pm- 8 pm Room 608 (Small Theater) Watkins College of Art, Design & Film

Max Shuster- BFA Photography

Friday, April 23rd 1 pm- 5 pm Room 500 (Main Theater) Watkins College of Art, Design & Film

Opening Reception:

April 2nd from 6 pm- 9 pm Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Gallery

Watkins College of Art, Design & Film 2298 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.

Show Dates:

April 2nd- 13th

Artist Presentations:

Sierra Mitchell- BFA Photography

John Henley- BFA Fine Art

April 23rd at 1 pm in Room 500 (Theater) Watkins College of Art, Design & Film