Welcome
Introduction
Dr. Lin Hightower, Kennesaw State University professor, Atlanta, USA holds two terminal degrees, a Masters of Fine Arts in Textiles and a Doctorate in Art Education, focus in arts administration, and has 15+ years in higher education administration and teaching. She has served as an artist art product designer for low-income artisans in Turkey, Nepal, India, Thailand, Egypt, Morocco and Peru, where her product designs expand artisans’ sales markets while preserving their indigenous art techniques and cultural heritage. She also conducts art/business workshops for artists and art entrepreneurs in US and abroad. She has a long history of “Art for Positive Social Change” work that is interwoven in her teaching, presentations and published papers. Her students have designed 22 websites for nonprofits around the globe, which have gleaned donations and supporters. Dr. Hightower has received numerous awards to support her work in employing the arts to create a more equitable world community. She recently received a 2016 Fulbright to Thailand Mahasarakham University and received a 2014 Fulbright Scholar Award to Nepal to work with Katmandu University. At both universities her work focused on art and business students to develop 1) art product design skills and entrepreneurial work with art collectives and 2) her research on indigenous arts and symbols and success characteristics of art collectives. In addition, she received a 2013 Fulbright Specialist Award with Mahasarakham University, Thailand to work on three initiatives: to create product designs for artisans, to teach textile software to preserve historical patterns and to design a textile museum space. In addition Lin Hightower works as a contemporary artist in fiber, mixed media and installation work. More Information about Dr. Hightower, and her work can be found at http://www.LinHightower.com and http://www.facebook.com/linhightowerjourneys. See her media coverage by BBC and Nepalese national TV.
Contact Lin about her availability for teaching, your projects, or speaking engagements.
Additional Bio Information
She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Georgia State University and an Art Education Doctorate from the University of Georgia. (Dissertation Topic Professional Business Practices in the Arts). She served as the Chair of the Visual Arts at Kennesaw State University, GA, as the Associate Director and professor of the School of Art and Design and School American Crafts at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. In addition she has served as Chair of the art departments at Mississippi State University, MS and Shorter College, GA. She founded Ariel Gallery, an artist-partnership gallery in downtown Atlanta, GA (open fifteen years), as well as founding the Spruill Center Gallery, Dunwoody, GA (still open). She has run and supervised several university galleries during her years in administration. Currently she teaches full-time and teaches Professional Practices for Artists, Two-Dimensional Design and Web Design for Nonprofit Organizations around the Globe with KSU. She has worked as a textile and mixed media artist, as well as an artist/ designer and has had work exhibitions and is in collections in the USA and abroad. Most recent exhibition was in Mode Textile Biennial, Antalya, Turkey, Green Textiles, Textile piece, juried.
Artist Statement
I am committed to employing art for positive social change to address the inequities of the human condition in our world community, particularly low-income artisans who preserve traditional visual arts. Arts for transformative social, educational and economic change is a part of my daily life. I employ the People-Profit-Planet economic model. This model recommends: fair and beneficial business practices toward people; communities and regions, sound environmental practices; and creating organization value to ensure sustainability.
Goals
She addresses three goals: 1) to work as an artist/art product designer for low-income artisan groups to increase their sales and preserve their indigenous arts techniques and imagery; 2) to continue to continue to lead KSU students in website design for nonprofits in developing and emerging countries; and 3) to share her ethnographic research in peer-reviewed presentations and publications about the visual arts being employed to transform society. All three areas are currently underway.
Dr. Lin Hightower, Kennesaw State University professor, Atlanta, USA holds two terminal degrees, a Masters of Fine Arts in Textiles and a Doctorate in Art Education, focus in arts administration, and has 15+ years in higher education administration and teaching. She has served as an artist art product designer for low-income artisans in Turkey, Nepal, India, Thailand, Egypt, Morocco and Peru, where her product designs expand artisans’ sales markets while preserving their indigenous art techniques and cultural heritage. She also conducts art/business workshops for artists and art entrepreneurs in US and abroad. She has a long history of “Art for Positive Social Change” work that is interwoven in her teaching, presentations and published papers. Her students have designed 22 websites for nonprofits around the globe, which have gleaned donations and supporters. Dr. Hightower has received numerous awards to support her work in employing the arts to create a more equitable world community. She recently received a 2016 Fulbright to Thailand Mahasarakham University and received a 2014 Fulbright Scholar Award to Nepal to work with Katmandu University. At both universities her work focused on art and business students to develop 1) art product design skills and entrepreneurial work with art collectives and 2) her research on indigenous arts and symbols and success characteristics of art collectives. In addition, she received a 2013 Fulbright Specialist Award with Mahasarakham University, Thailand to work on three initiatives: to create product designs for artisans, to teach textile software to preserve historical patterns and to design a textile museum space. In addition Lin Hightower works as a contemporary artist in fiber, mixed media and installation work. More Information about Dr. Hightower, and her work can be found at http://www.LinHightower.com and http://www.facebook.com/linhightowerjourneys. See her media coverage by BBC and Nepalese national TV.
Contact Lin about her availability for teaching, your projects, or speaking engagements.
Additional Bio Information
She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Georgia State University and an Art Education Doctorate from the University of Georgia. (Dissertation Topic Professional Business Practices in the Arts). She served as the Chair of the Visual Arts at Kennesaw State University, GA, as the Associate Director and professor of the School of Art and Design and School American Crafts at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. In addition she has served as Chair of the art departments at Mississippi State University, MS and Shorter College, GA. She founded Ariel Gallery, an artist-partnership gallery in downtown Atlanta, GA (open fifteen years), as well as founding the Spruill Center Gallery, Dunwoody, GA (still open). She has run and supervised several university galleries during her years in administration. Currently she teaches full-time and teaches Professional Practices for Artists, Two-Dimensional Design and Web Design for Nonprofit Organizations around the Globe with KSU. She has worked as a textile and mixed media artist, as well as an artist/ designer and has had work exhibitions and is in collections in the USA and abroad. Most recent exhibition was in Mode Textile Biennial, Antalya, Turkey, Green Textiles, Textile piece, juried.
Artist Statement
I am committed to employing art for positive social change to address the inequities of the human condition in our world community, particularly low-income artisans who preserve traditional visual arts. Arts for transformative social, educational and economic change is a part of my daily life. I employ the People-Profit-Planet economic model. This model recommends: fair and beneficial business practices toward people; communities and regions, sound environmental practices; and creating organization value to ensure sustainability.
Goals
She addresses three goals: 1) to work as an artist/art product designer for low-income artisan groups to increase their sales and preserve their indigenous arts techniques and imagery; 2) to continue to continue to lead KSU students in website design for nonprofits in developing and emerging countries; and 3) to share her ethnographic research in peer-reviewed presentations and publications about the visual arts being employed to transform society. All three areas are currently underway.
Power Point on the Design & Art Work and Teaching of Dr. Lin Hightower
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