School of Art & Design Home

Welcome to The School of Art and Design

Greeting from the Dean:

 

I have always believed that creativity is the touchstone of the human experience. It is our inherent desire to express our humanness through art and to improve our lives through design, and to express our humanness through design and to improve our lives through art. Many agree that our global community is embracing the unique problem-solving skills that have been the hallmark of the creative process, making a degree in art and design far more valuable than ever before. At the School of Art and Design we provide a stimulating and inclusive environment that encourages the exchange of ideas and the intellectual and creative development of both students and faculty. We value the role of the artist and designer as an individual who can facilitate social/cultural change at a local and global level.

 

The words of Martha Graham, one of the 20th century’s truly creative artists, ring true. “There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.” The faculty at HPU is here to help you find that expression. For those wishing to cultivate and advance their creative and critical skills, we invite you to join one of our outstanding programs: Studio Art, Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Home Furnishings. Note: students in the Studio Art program may pursue a teaching certificate for those interested in Art Education.

 

John C. Turpin, Ph.D., FIDEC
Dean, School of Art and Design

 
 

If you would like additional information or have questions about our program, please contact Diane Stenersen at 336.888.6355 or artdesigninfo@highpoint.edu.

 
 

Mission Statement:

The mission of High Point University’s School of Art and Design is to:

  1. create a stimulating and inclusive environment that encourages the exchange of ideas and the intellectual and creative development of faculty and students;
  2. prepare globally aware students for continued growth in a diverse range of fields by instilling professional values and fostering the ability to engage in critical inquiry through a variety of creative methods;
  3. cultivate an appreciation for artistic expression, understanding of visual literacy, and awareness of design in the university and surrounding communities.

Core Values:
The School of Art and Design…

  • Values the role of the artist and designer as an individual who can facilitate social/cultural change at a local and global level.
  • Values the creative thought and expression of all people.
  • Values intellectual curiosity and the drive to independently pursue a question, thought or idea with passion and vigor.
  • Values collaborative working environments that inspire interdisciplinary exploration.
  • Values the centrality of experiential learning as a crucial component of the educational process.
Faculty
  • Dr. John Turpin, FIDEC - jturpin@highpoint.edu
    PhD – Arizona State University (Design, History, Theory and Criticism)

    Dr. Turpin is a Professor of Interior Design and Dean of the School of Art Design. He teaches the history of architecture and interiors and is actively involved in research that addresses the intersection of social values and material culture as it relates to the design of the built environment in late 19th and 20th century America. He is currently the co-editor of the scholarly journal Interiors: Design, Architecture and Culture that won the 2012 Best New Journal Award from the Council of Editors of Learned Journals. In 2011 he was named one of the top design educators by Design Intelligence magazine.
  • Dr. Jane Nichols - jnichols@highpoint.edu
    PhD – Prescott College (Sustainability Education)

    Dr. Nichols is Associate Professor and Department Chair of Home Furnishings and Interior Design. She brings over twenty years of commercial interior design expertise to the studio-classroom. Dr. Nichols practiced and taught at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and continues her research in organic, sustainable design. As a gerontologist, she also practices, presents and publishes on design for health and aging. She serves on the Journal of Sustainability Education’s Board, and has won several distinguished awards for Engaged Teaching and Service Learning.
  • Mr. Scott Raynor - sraynor@highpoint.edu
    MFA – University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Painting/Printmaking)

    Mr. Raynor is Assistant Professor and Chair of the Art Department. His creative efforts are primarily based in painting and drawing where he explores aspects of color theory through expressive line, texture and symbolic form. His work has been exhibited in juried shows both regionally and nationally.
  • Mr. Allan Beaver - abeaver@highpoint.edu
    AAS – School of Visual Arts and New York Tech

    Mr. Beaver is an Artist In Residence for the School of Art and Design. His impressive background includes Senior Designer at CBS Network, and Vice-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at Levine, Huntley, Schmidt and Beaver, a New York advertising agency. His current business venture is Beaver Reitzfeld, a creative consultancy. Mr. Beaver’s stellar career has yielded numerous recognitions, such as: voted one of the top 100 creative people in the USA; recipient of over 300 major advertising and design awards; and inductee into The New York Art Directors Club Hall Of Fame. He has judged advertising and graphic design shows throughout the United States.
  • Dr. Richard Bennington - rbenning@highpoint.edu
    MBA – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universit; Ed.D – University of Georgia

    Dr. Bennington is the Paul Broyhill Professor of Home Furnishings at High Point University. He teaches Fundamentals of Furnishings, Planning and Merchandising the Retail Home Furnishings Store, Home Furnishings Product Development and Presentation, Home Furnishings Sales Development and other courses. He is the author of Furniture Marketing, From Product Development to Distribution, (Fairchild Books). He holds the Certified Home Furnishings Representative (CHR) professional designation, is a member of the Awards Committee of the American Society of Furniture Designers, and is on the Board of Directors of the Bienenstock Furniture Library.
  • Mr. Adrian Boggs - aboggs@highpoint.edu
    MS – University of North Carolina at Greensboro

    Mr. Boggs is an instructor of art and design at High Point University, where he teaches introductory courses on both two- and three-dimensional design in addition to coursework focusing on design ideation and concept development. Adrian’s graduate research focused on design for sustainability, positive user/object relationships and the reclamation of waste materials from the furniture industry for use in value-added products. Mr. Boggs currently designs and builds commission furniture for local clients as well as design outlets in several states on the East Coast.
  • Ms. Maxine Campbell - mcampbel@highpoint.edu
    BFA and Masters credits – University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Fine Art and Painting)

    Ms. Campbell is the Director and Curator of High Point University’s Sechrest Art Gallery and Instructor in the School of Art and Design. Her professional design career includes having been a print textile designer for Burlington Industries and a product developer for Kathy Ireland Home. Ms. Campbell was a buyer and visual merchandiser for a contemporary San Francisco furniture store chain. She was also a consultant for Kinwai USA, developing their upholstery, doing their showroom design and set-up in High Point and Las Vegas, traveling extensively to China.
  • Ms. Janis Dougherty - jdougher@highpoint.edu
    MFA – Rochester Institute of Technology (Medical Illustration)

    Ms. Dougherty is an Instructor of Art within the School of Art and Design. She teaches several courses in graphic design including Introduction to Graphic Design and the History of Graphic Design. In addition to teaching, she maintains a body of work both commercial and personal. Her studio work explores collapsing and reconstructing space within the context of a narrative and in terms of lighting, form and spatial relationships. Ms. Dougherty combines traditional and digital media with a strong focus on color and texture to tell her stories.
  • Dr. Elizabeth Dull - edull@highpoint.edu
    PhD – Northwestern University (19th and 20th century Architectural History)

    Dr. Dull is an Associate Professor of Interior Design. She teaches a variety of introductory and upper level courses and is an NCIDQ certificate holder. Dr. Dull’s current research combines her interests in historic preservation with an investigation of furniture factories and textile mills.
  • Dr. Cherl Harrison - charriso@highpoint.edu
    BFA – Ringling School of Art; Ed. D. – University of North Carolina, Greensboro

    Ms. Harrison is an Associate Professor of Art and has been at HPU since 1987. She has a concentration in Fine Art Photography, Drawing and the History of Photography. Currently, she is researching Arnold Doren’s influence in North Carolina as a teacher/photographer/collector whose dedication to the principles of Minor White and Ralph Hattersley were creatively re-imagined by hundreds of students. Ms. Harrison exhibits photographs annually on topics that usually deal with youth culture and/or the roles of women.
  • Mr. Brandon Jones - bjones2@highpoint.edu
    M.S. – University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Interior Architecture: Interior Product Design)

    Mr. Jones is an instructor of Interior Design in the School of Art and Design. He teaches Interior Detailing, Global Issues in the Built Environment, Senior Seminar, Lighting and Color Design, Professional Practices, and Portfolio Design. He completed a degree in art, specializing in sculpture, and a professional degree in architecture, and then worked seven years in the architectural field. He believes design only goes so far in theory or on paper; for it to truly evolve it must be built. When not teaching, Mr. Jones enjoys designing and building objects that blur the line between functional furniture and sculpture.
  • Mr. John Linn - jlinn@highpoint.edu
    MArch – University of Michigan

    Mr. Linn is an Instructor of Interior Design in the School of Art & Design. He teaches a variety of studio courses with technical and design content. His local architectural practice has specialized in design for historic and residential properties.
  • Ms. Karen Maness - kmaness@highpoint.edu
    MFA – University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Painting and New Media)

    Ms. Maness is an Instructor of Art. She teaches Drawing, Fundamentals of Design, Digital Art and Design, and Material Girls: Women in Contemporary Art. She is proficient in painting, drawing, printmaking, and installation art. Her work explores the intersection of female gender roles and expectations with rural landscapes and traditions.
  • Ms. Cathy Hillenbrand-Nowicki - cnowicki@highpoint.edu
    MS – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Interior Design)

    Ms. Nowicki is an Assistant Professor of Interior Design and owner of MasterPlan Interior Design & Consulting, Inc. She has been an active Interior Design practitioner since 1993, concentrating on commercial design with special emphasis on salesmanship, ergonomics in the workplace, and in the specification of contract office furniture / systems furniture, finishes, and equipment. She teaches a variety of courses within the curriculum, is a member of IDEC, WithIt, and IIDA, and is involved with facilitating student participation in the High Point International Furniture Market.
  • Dr. Anna Piperato - apiperat@highpoint.edu
    PhD – University of Manchester, England (Art History)

    Dr. Piperato is an Assistant Professor of Art History in the School of Art and Design. She teaches the Survey of Western Art, Italian Renaissance Art, and first-year seminars that focus on the role of art in society. Her specialty is 14th- to 17th-c. Italian art with an emphasis on female sanctity; she is currently researching the resurgence of popularity of Saint Catherine of Siena in post-Tridentine Italian art.
  • Mr. Bruce Shores - bshores@highpoint.edu
    MFA – University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Painting)

    Mr. Shores is an Instructor of Art in the Art Department where he teaches drawing, life drawing and painting. At UNC-G he studied with Walter Barker, Andrew Martin and Peter Agostini at UNC-G. He has been working as an artist for over thirty years, during which time he won numerous awards and exhibited his work nationally. His work is represented in many private and corporate collections. He is known for his landscape paintings, still life paintings and nudes. He works primarily in oil, but also works in conte crayon, charcoal and graphite.
  • Ms. Benita VanWinkle - bvanwink@highpoint.edu
    MFA – Southern Illinois University (Cinema and Photography)

    Ms. VanWinkle is the Art Education Coordinator and an Instructor of Art in the School of Art and Design. She is a professional photographer and has taught photography, bookbinding and multi-media art throughout the southeast for over 30 years. Special photographic interests include documentary photography of vintage movie theaters. You are welcome to check out her website at: busybstudio.com.
  • Ms. Andrea Wheless - awheless@highpoint.edu
    MFA – University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Sculpture, Ceramics, Art History)

    Ms. Wheless is a Professor of Art in the School of Art and Design. She teaches sculpture, ceramics, and three-dimensional design and is actively involved in portrait sculpture art. Ms. Wheless has exhibited in juried shows regionally, nationally and internationally.