Barrett named as interim chair for SHSU Art Department

Wayne Barrett, DMA,  has been selected to serve as interim chair for the Art Department by the College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication at Sam Houston State University .

Barrett, who’s been a member of the SHSU faculty for 20 years as an associate professor of music and an advisor for the Music Department, was chosen to fill the temporary position after an announcement in January that the Art Department chair Tony Shipp would be stepping down.

Shipp teaches sculpture classes and has been the department chair for six years, during which he started the Workshop in Art Studio and History (W.A.S.H.) program, hired faculty members and further developed the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation and Graphic Design.

"[Shipp] decided he…wanted to spend more time focusing on his sculpting and teaching,” Barrett said.

There are goals with deadlines that Barrett said he hopes the department will achieve with his help.

“There is a new core curriculum, and we need to make sure we get all of the art courses needed included into this curriculum before the October deadline,” Barrett said.

Scott Plugge, Ph.D., Director of the School of Music, was the chair of the search committee looking to fill Shipp’s spot.

The search for a new chair for the Art Department was stopped last February,” Plugge said. “It was decided to have an interim chair while the art department did another search this year.”

The Art Department is seeking accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and Barrett has experience with the accreditation process.

There are 12 NASAD accredited universities in Texas, including Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas Tech University and University of Texas at Austin.

NASAD sets national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials. Institutional memberships can only be gained through the peer review process of accreditation.

NASAD will make an institutional visit to the Art Department next fall.

“I want to help to get everything done that we possibly can before the visit,” Barrett said.

Pursuing accreditation is not the only reason Barrett was selected to fill this position.

“Barrett was chosen because he has administrative experience and there were no candidates within the art department,” Plugge said.

Barrett is making the conversion over to the Art Department easier than others may have.

“I already live here in Huntsville and already know staff members,” Barrett said. “[Shipp] has been a great help in this transition.”