Assistant Professor of Art & Design
Tessa Davidson is an Assistant Professor of Art and Design at Harding University. She graduated from Harding in 2006 with a Bachelor of Art in Art Education. She received a Master of Education at Harding, a Master of Art in Art History from UALR, and a Master of Fine Arts from the New Hampshire Institute of Art. Tessa and her husband, T.J., have two daughters, Eden and Hannah. Alongside her teaching career, she maintains a professional studio practice and enjoys biblical studies, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Artist Statement:
My work combines contemporary and traditional media including performance, video, sound, and representational oil painting. I am inspired by historic forms of the human figure, particularly when the figure is integrated into sacred and contemplative spaces. Symbolic gestures, objects, and approaches of Medieval and Renaissance devotional art heavily influence my approach. My paintings, performances, and videos are infused with poetic elements to provide space for reflection. By echoing historical themes in contemporary veils, I aim to highlight humanity’s ongoing existential quest for hope, meaning and belief.
×
About Tessa Davidson, M.F.A.
Tessa Davidson is an Assistant Professor of Art and Design at Harding University. She graduated from Harding in 2006 with a Bachelor of Art in Art Education. She received a Master of Education at Harding, a Master of Art in Art History from UALR, and a Master of Fine Arts from the New Hampshire Institute of Art. Tessa and her husband, T.J., have two daughters, Eden and Hannah. Alongside her teaching career, she maintains a professional studio practice and enjoys biblical studies, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Artist Statement:
My work combines contemporary and traditional media including performance, video, sound, and representational oil painting. I am inspired by historic forms of the human figure, particularly when the figure is integrated into sacred and contemplative spaces. Symbolic gestures, objects, and approaches of Medieval and Renaissance devotional art heavily influence my approach. My paintings, performances, and videos are infused with poetic elements to provide space for reflection. By echoing historical themes in contemporary veils, I aim to highlight humanity’s ongoing existential quest for hope, meaning and belief.
| Present | Assistant Professor of Art & Design, Harding University ‐ Department of Art, Architecture & Design | |
|
|
||
Disciplines
Professional Service and Affiliations
| 2018 - 2023 | Artist, Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Art | 2018 | Member, Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art | 2018 | Member, Culture Shock Art Collective | 2016 | Member, Christians in the Visual Arts |
Courses
- Art History survey courses
- Supervised Teaching
- Teaching Art
- Advanced Drawing
- Advanced Painting
- Fine Arts Profession
- Visual Aesthetics
- Art Appreciation
| 2015 - 2018 | MFA, Visual Art, New Hampshire Institute of Art Manchester, NH | |
|
|
||
| 2009 - 2014 | MA, Art History, University of Arkansas in Little Rock Little Rock, AR | |
|
|
||
| 2007 - 2009 | M.Ed, Secondary Art Education, Harding University | |
|
|
||
| 2003 - 2006 | BA, Art Education, Harding University | |
|
|
||