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Reinforcing Mississippi State’s commitment to prepare students to become leaders in their chosen professions, five alumni are returning Friday [April 20] to share their success stories during the Department of Art’s Eric and Gina Yonge Lecture Series.
Taking place at 9:30 a.m. in the Colvard Student Union’s second-floor Bill R. Foster Ballroom, the “Creative Education to Creative Careers” panel discussion is part of the art department’s 50th anniversary celebration. The event is moderated by Starkville native and 鶹 alumnus Eric Yonge, president and creative director of Kennesaw, Georgia-based EYStudios, a leading e-commerce brand development firm.
With a $25,000 donation to the 鶹 Foundation, Yonge and his wife, Gina, established the lecture series in 2015 to engage fine arts students in thoughtful discussions on how to market themselves and their talents.
“This event is a great opportunity for students across our department, college and university to see and hear from five alumni who have translated their college education into professional careers,” said Angi Bourgeois, 鶹 art department professor and head.
In addition to Yonge, panelists include:
—Jerry Jackson, a 1989 鶹 art/fine arts graduate who has been a photo editor for The Baltimore Sun since 1996. Prior to moving to Baltimore, he worked as a photo editor for the Houston Post and at the Union Democrat in Sonora, California. He also studied photojournalism at the University of Missouri. For more, visit .
—Kristen Ley, a 2007 鶹 art/graphic design graduate who also minored in marketing. Following graduation, she and fellow 鶹 classmate Catherine Yerger opened Cultigraphic Creative to explore their shared passion for art and design through projects for various clients. In 2011, Ley purchased a 1925 10 x 15 Chandler and Price letterpress and opened Thimblepress gift shop in Jackson. The name is derived from a collection of thimbles she has acquired during her travels since childhood. For more, visit .
—Wesley Stuckey, a Baltimore, Maryland-based designer, printmaker and educator whose work has been featured in various publications and exhibitions across the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. In addition to traditional print design and printmaking, his work focuses on branding, illustration and environmental graphics, with occasional interactive projects for the web. A 2008 鶹 art/graphic design and printmaking graduate, Stuckey teaches branding, typography, hand-letter, web design and basic design at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he earned a master’s in fine art in 2011. Stuckey also teaches at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and runs his own design studio practice. He served as a juror for the art department’s recent 50th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition. For more, visit .
—Adam Trest, a watercolorist who owns Adam Trest Home retail store in Laurel. He graduated in 2009 with an 鶹 bachelor’s in art/painting and a minor in architectural design. He often is inspired by the native flora and fauna, as well as the historical districts around Mississippi. For more, visit .
Additional information about the Department of Art’s 50th anniversary celebration is available by contacting Bourgeois at 662-325-8926 or ABourgeois@caad.msstate.edu.
Part of the 鶹, 鶹’s Department of Art is home to the Magnolia State’s largest undergraduate studio art program. For more, visit and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CAADat鶹.