FHSU Schmidt Foundation Center for Art and Design

07/27/2026

"Lambent" MFA Thesis in Graphic Design Exhibition by Maria Neale will have an opening reception this Friday, July 31, from 6 to 8 PM! We hope you can join us to view and celebrate Maria's incredible work!

07/27/2026

Recently, one of our Ceramics MFA graduate students, Stacia Hollmann, was accepted to show her work in the upcoming juried exhibition Fiber Iterations!

August 3-28, 2026
Opening Reception August 6, 4-6 pm

"Fiber Iterations is the Textile Art Gallery NYC’s new annual juried exhibition series, celebrating the breadth, creativity, and expressive possibilities of contemporary fiber art. Building on the gallery’s year-round commitment to presenting exceptional contemporary art in textile media, the exhibition brings together a compelling selection of artists and approaches from across the field.
Selected from nearly 300 submissions, the exhibition brings together the work of 53 artists. Juror Petra Fallaux described the submissions as “second to none,” recognizing the creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation represented throughout the exhibition.
The selected works range from sculptural and conceptual approaches to pieces rooted in traditional techniques and re-imagined through contemporary practice. Together, they push the boundaries of fiber art while engaging with materiality, sustainability, identity, and storytelling through textile forms. The result is an exhibition that demonstrates the remarkable breadth, innovation, and expressive possibilities of artists working in textile media.
Above artwork: Patricia Dahlman, Unconstitutional Arrest of Garrison Gibson in Minnesota"

Congratulations, Stacia!

https://www.textileartnyc.com/fiber-iterations

07/17/2026

Only one short month until we have our Art and Design tigers 🐯 back within these walls! 🎨🖼️

07/09/2026

Where steel meets sculpture: FHSU graduate student forges artwork

07/04/2026

Congratulations PJ! We are so incredibly proud of you and are ecstatic to continue working alongside you to spread the love of the arts. 🎨

Welcome Our Executive Director!

At the end of May, the Board of Directors at the Grassroots Art Center at Lucas, KS hired a new executive director. Percy Stauffer, who recently graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Master's degree in Drawing has become the new vision leader and director of staff for the art center.

Percy said, "I have visited Lucas several times over the years and had fallen in love from afar. I was even more excited to interview for this position since I have dedicated my life to the arts. I grew up north of Glen Elder, so I'm passionate about North Central Kansas being my roots. I love being able to meet new people every day and share all the fun facts! When people say Kansas is a flyover state it hurts my heart a little because we have so much to offer, especially here in Lucas at the Grassroots Arts Center. The shock, amazement, disbelief, wonder, and curiosity I see in visitors is unmatched, which makes every day exciting. I am so honored to be welcomed into such a supportive and unique community, and I'm excited to contribute to Lucas' legacy of being the best place to adventure in Kansas!"

Look at and follow the Grassroots Art Center's page for innovative new programming that will occur under Percy's leadership.

06/22/2026

FHSU Art and Design is proud to announce the newest member of our creative family. Please join us in welcoming Justin Price as our Assistant Professor of Painting!

Justin’s work centers on the human body, experiences, and the nature of being. “Given that our body’s interactions with our environment provide a mostly unconscious basis for our sense of what is real, what human world is possible when we each claim creative occupancy of our body, mindfully engaging with how we move through and meditate personal and public space? What gets illuminated in the moment-to-moment continuum between human thought and our sensory intelligence? Finding balance through binaries, my work explores issues of part to whole, integration and dislocation, presence and absence, subject and world, image and object, dimensionality, illusion, sustainability, and inspired creation through consumption-an engagement that provokes the viewer toward experiential outcomes in beingness.”

We have been delighted to get to know Justin over the past few months, and both faculty and students alike are brimming with excitement to welcome him to campus this coming August. Justin’s kind demeanor, impressive artistic intelligence, and amazing teaching ability have been nothing short of wonderful to experience.

Thank you for choosing Fort Hays, Justin!

06/13/2026

What a wonderful experience for our interior design students!

05/27/2026

Rylie Hazelton, recent MFA grad, has accepted a job at Bracker's Good Earth Clays!

Rylie earned this position by building her knowledge, skills, and network, working for Brackers in the summer, and contributing to their business. She shares their values and is a trained professional artist. Her successes in the Ceramica Clay Club and designation as Student Leader of the Year in 2025 should directly transfer to this job.

Rylie is a living example of FHSU undergraduate and graduate success.

We are thrilled that Rylie has this opportunity to be a vital link in Ceramics culture, and we are so proud of our recent graduate for sharing their skills and passions! Congratulations, Rylie!!

05/26/2026

Join us this Friday evening, May 29th, between 6:00 and 8:00 PM for a wonderful display of art by Taylor Lynn Wiens for her MFA Thesis Exhibition in the Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art and Patricia A. Schmidt Gallery!

Opening reception happening this Friday evening, "Not For A Profit" MFA Thesis Exhibition in Ceramics by Taylor Lynn Wiens! We hope to see you all this Friday evening, May 29th, between 6:00 and 8:00 PM!!

05/13/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 student office workers! We are so proud of your hard work and we will miss you dearly! RIP Will and Seth 🪦🪦✨