Art students earn grad school acceptance

Three University of North Georgia (UNG) seniors who have studied art and art history extensively have already been accepted to graduate school at prestigious research universities.  

Roxie Fricton, a senior from Dawsonville, Georgia, and Stephanie McBride, a senior from Canton, Georgia, customized their education by pursuing a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies. A degree in interdisciplinary studies allows students to choose their concentrations of study. 

Fricton has been accepted into the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design at Georgia State University to pursue her Master of Fine Arts in Textiles and has received the Winnie Chandler Art and Design Scholarship from Georgia State. McBride has been accepted to the Master of Library and Information Science programs at Louisiana State University, the University of Alabama and the University of Tennessee.  

Reagan Smith, a senior from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in history, has been accepted into the University of Georgia's Master of Historic Preservation program.  

Fricton also recently participated in a Sonya Clark exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Along with Johanna Norry, a lecturer of studio art, she assisted with "Reconstruction Exercise," where they helped visitors weave a recreation of the Truce Flag from the Civil War.    

For Fricton, her concentrations in social sciences and visual arts within her degree program allowed her a new path once she switched from sociology after an introduction to textiles course sparked her interest in the art form. She said the flexibility of the interdisciplinary studies program made her feel like she was earning much more than a degree. 

"Why not take advantage of the chance for exploration during this time?" Fricton said. "I have never grown so much in my life, and I really don't think it would have been possible if I hadn't chosen this degree and taken advantage of it." 

Norry appreciates Fricton's initiative and openness to learning new things. 

"She didn't just participate or learn. She was a leader in the classroom. She was making the most ambitious work. She never dials it in," Norry said. "She is always pushing herself to learn more and do more. She is always trying to make something she can be proud of and that is important."  

Norry is particularly proud that Fricton is receiving the 2024 Gender Studies Council Award for two painted warp weavings that she made during Norry's "Gender is Material" class.  

"It is stunning work, and I am so glad she is being recognized," Norry said. 

McBride and Smith have partnered with Dr. Ana Pozzi Harris and Dr. Elissa Ferguson on a research project exploring the history of the Choice Street Historic Church in Dahlonega, Georgia, a building now owned by UNG. A UNG Presidential Incentive Award has funded the project.  

The students will present on what they have learned in a 5 p.m. April 2 event titled "Lives Intertwined: North Georgia College and the Choice Street Historic Church" in room 382 of the Library Technology Center at UNG's Dahlonega Campus. Emily Bowen, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in visual arts with a graphic design concentration, is creating the visual design for the presentation.  

Smith focused on the architecture and McBride on the social fabric of the church. 

"It helped us grow in our research and investigation abilities," Smith said. "I found that I want to work with historic structures." 

McBride said Jeff Morehead, a UNG senior lecturer of art history, "ignited my passion for art history and what I could do with that." Then, partnering with Pozzi Harris and Ferguson allowed even further growth. Morehead and Pozzi Harris also connected McBride with Allison Galloup, associate professor and Special Collections and digital initiatives librarian, who is in the field McBride hopes to enter. McBride previously thought about transferring because UNG didn't offer an art history degree, but the interdisciplinary studies program allowed her to craft a degree that met her needs and fed her passion. 

"My well-rounded degree is what helped me get into graduate school," McBride said. "Without these professors supporting me, I don't think I would have been able to make it this far." 

Pozzi Harris, a senior lecturer of visual arts, commended McBride and Smith's church research work as it is helping create something valuable for UNG that also pushes them toward their future aspirations. 

"In normal class setting, there's not enough time to delve so deeply into a topic," Pozzi Harris said. "When it comes to graduate school, a project like this sets our students apart." 

Ferguson, a lecturer of visual arts, said the project was part of the broader theme of educational customization for McBride and Smith. 

"They're able to use what they did on this project to achieve different goals," Ferguson said. "They're able to leverage this to do what they really wanted."