Visual Arts

By developing engaged artists, we investigate and critique contemporary social landscapes. Thanks to the diverse interests and expertise of our faculty, our program is robust with a variety of possible specialties and themes: spatial discourse, social justice actions, aesthetic and public performance, cross-boundary collaborations and innovative communication. Our strength is in our wide range of backgrounds, our creative diversity and in the vitality of our cultural investigation. Here students are inspired to master techniques and employ them toward the visually new and challenging.

The Arts are pervasive in all our lives and impart meaning to all experiences. Our goal is to foster student learning and to assist students in becoming better problem solvers, as well as, more effective critical thinkers. We want to challenge students and enhance their self-confidence, so that they grow personally and artistically. We strive to create an enjoyable, positive environment for a child to grow in their understanding and appreciation of art, as well as their creativity.
 
The goal of the Visual Arts program is to develop in students a familiarity with creative visual expression, moving beyond speaking and writing. Through different media and materials, we seek to introduce students to the vast potential of the visual arts as a means of self-expression and to engage their imagination and curiosity in giving their ideas aesthetic form. Our classes are designed to foster independent and flexible thinking, as well as discipline, risk-taking and perseverance. We ask students to reflect inward, to demonstrate commitment, curiosity and craft in creating their work, and to be courageous and trust the process of experimentation. Students may develop a rich and deep level of inquiry in each class, as all the classes relate to each other, and also by advancing in a medium by taking a class more than once. Classes include outside readings, sketchbook and writing assignments, a research project, visiting artists and field trips.

We believe that visual art is a universal tool for communication, and is a fundamental component of the human spirit. With this in mind, the goal of the Visual Arts program is to foster student familiarity with creative expression through a variety of different media and materials. Our classes are designed to promote independent thinking, risk taking, and strives to bridge social, economic and cultural boundaries through specific discourse, personal inquiry, and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

List of 9 members.

  • Photo of Trent Boysen

    Trent Boysen 

    HS Art Teacher; Co-Chair Arts Department
    (615) 321-8000
    Southern Illinois University at Carbondale - BA
    Started at USN: 1998
  • Photo of Delia Seigenthaler

    Delia Seigenthaler 

    High School Art Teacher
    (615) 321-8000
    The School of the Art Institute of Chicago - MFA
    Started at USN: 2001
  • Photo of Stephen Douglas

    Stephen Douglas 

    Lower School Art
    (615) 321-8022
    Princeton U - B.A.
    university of the arts - masters
    Started at USN: 1996
  • Photo of Emily Holt

    Emily Holt 

    Middle School and High School Art Teacher
    (615) 321-8000
    Middle Tennessee State University - B.F.A.
    University of North Carolina - M.F.A.
    Started at USN: 2003
  • Photo of Andrew King

    Andrew King 

    Middle School and High School Art Teacher
    615-321-8000
    The Academy of Art University - MA
    Sewanee: The University of the South - BFA
    Started at USN: 2017
  • Photo of Christopher Cheney

    Christopher Cheney 

    High School Art Teacher
    6153218000
    Started at USN: 2020
  • Photo of Kimberly Manz

    Kimberly Manz 

    Middle School Digital Photography Teacher
    Started at USN: 2007
  • Photo of Steve Smail

    Steve Smail 

    Website Manager, HS Geology and Filmmaking, Mountain Bike Team Head Coach
    (615) 324-1448
    The College of Wooster - B.A., Geology
    Vanderbilt University - M.S. Geology/Paleontology
    Started at USN: 1997
  • Photo of Daniel Furbish

    Daniel Furbish 

    Part-time Middle School Art Teacher
    Loyola University - BFA
    Started at USN: 2022
In the tradition of pioneer educator John Dewey, the USN Visual Arts faculty is devoted to a curriculum that emphasizes the student rather than subject matter, where the learning process is as essential as the lesson, and where curiosity and imagination are encouraged. Our studios are our laboratories.

University School of Nashville

2000 Edgehill Avenue   Nashville, TN 37212     615/321-8000     Contact Us