PEOPLE
CO-CURATORS
Anna Carnes ’19 is Gallery Manager of the Dalton Gallery and Manager of the Permanent Collection. Since 2019, Anna has developed exhibitions that directly engage with the conversations happening on campus about the challenges of our times. In 2020 she created and curated an original exhibition of young emerging talent, &yet, with community partners. This biannual show has awarded to date $9,000 to emerging artists. She is curating Patterns in Space.
Katherine Smith is Professor of Visual Practices in the Department of Creative Arts, where she teaches modern and contemporary art and theory. She joined the faculty of the former Department of Art and Art History in 2003. Her research and teaching have moved between postwar and contemporary art and architectural history, criticism and theory, including her book The Accidental Possibilities of the City: Claes Oldenburg’s Urbanism in Postwar America and her essay on Denise Scott Brown; her area of focus is the moment of transition between modern and postmodern, exactly when Dana was designed and built. Her current research projects focus on Atlanta in the 1960s, including the unrealized Atlanta Gateway Park.
Katherine has participated in training with Re:wild Your Campus, and founded Re:wild Agnes in 2023. She has been raising awareness about the effects of and alternatives to herbicides/pesticides and leading transformations of local landscapes toward more biodynamic practices, recently at Oakhurst Elementary/City Schools of Decatur.
Nell Ruby is Professor of Visual Practices in the Department of Creative Arts, and an active visual artist. She has been teaching at Agnes Scott since 1996. Ruby was one of six elected faculty on the original task team to invent SUMMIT, which embeds experiences into the curriculum that ensure every graduate is equipped to be an impactful leader in a global world. She is the founder of The Center for Digital and Visual Literacy, a peer support center for digital technology and visual approaches to persuasive communication. Nell is a professional graphic designer, a builder, a sculptor, a drafter and a new genre and mixed media artist. She comes to her projects with infectious enthusiasm.
CAMPUS
Molly Embree is Director of STEM Mentored Research at our Science Center for Women. With four undergraduate students, Molly began a pilot project in 2021 to evaluate campus soil health, investigate historical land use, and gather data to inform the college’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2037. She and (now alumna) Kennedy Harris ’23 initiated the Soil Regeneration Project in 2022 to restore a rapidly eroding campus field and to demonstrate the speed of ecosystem recovery when land is managed using regenerative principles. Molly advocates for all re:wilding efforts on campus, as regenerating the biodiversity and health of urban soils is an essential strategy to achieve climate resilience. Molly advises on soil sampling, regenerative practices, and supports interdisciplinary research to inspire learning and ethical action.
Casey Long is Head of Research and Instruction Services for McCain Library and the primary library liaison for the Department of Creative Arts. Since 2009, Casey has worked with units in the Department of Creative Arts to purchase and maintain a collection of print and electronic materials used by students to research works in the college’s permanent art collection and exhibitions in the Dalton Gallery. Casey has advised on the development and maintenance of the Dana Art Library & Reading Room.
Tina Pippin, Wallace M. Alston Professor of Bible and Religion, has a deep and sustained commitment to religious studies and social justice. A recent recipient of a Teaching Social Justice and Community Engagement grant (2024-26) from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, she is teaching Religion and Ecology (fall 2024) and developing her project “Ecopedagogy, Religion, and Place-Based Civic Engagement” about engaging students in an intersectional, ecopedagogical approach with hands-on experiences that connect local campus sustainability initiatives and broader urban environmental justice issues, with the community partner, Trellis Horticultural Therapy Alliance in practicums at an organic garden for women felons at a transitional center, and also at an on-campus wellness and meditation garden. Tina and Rachel Cochran from Trellis offered a workshop in September 2024 in support of the Dana Gardens.
Yves-Rose Porcena is Vice President of Equity and Inclusion, currently overseeing the College’s Mellon Foundation grant (“Transformed Future: Every Person by Name”), now in its third year; it supports “historical research, documentation, and the creation of a curriculum that integrates the racial history of the college and of Decatur, Georgia.”
Kimberly Reeves ’12 is Executive Director, Center for Sustainability. Kimberly is working with us to secure additional funding streams and implement future changes to the garden.She leads a collaborative and engaging Center to develop leaders who strengthen community, protect our natural environment and address social challenges of our time. Her Graduate Assistantship at UGA was in the Center for Community Design & Preservation where she supported the Georgia FindIt! project and coordinated community charrettes for the Athens-Clarke Co. Center for Hard to Recycle Materials.
Hanna Sloth ’24 is the sustainability fellow in the Center for Sustainability. Hanna is working with the project as a reference on transitioning the garden spaces to contain native and pollinator friendly plants
Lauran Whitworth is Assistant Professor and Chair of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Co-Director of the Environmental and Sustainability Studies minor. Lauran is an interdisciplinary scholar who combines her training in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with her extensive background in Art History and Film and Media Studies. Her research interests include feminist and queer theory, LGBTQ+ media studies, ecocriticism, and disability studies. Her current book project, Environmental Eros: Picturing Feminist, Queer, and Trans Ecologies, examines the environmental ethics and aesthetics of 1970s ecological feminisms, the Radical Faerie movement, and several contemporary environmental groups. Her scholarship has appeared in Feminist Theory, Intersections, and CAA Reviews. She will be curricular integration and interdisciplinary programming lead.
Corey Wilson, Facilities Manager, is working with us to support our removal of invasive plants and our introduction of organic and regenerative practices to our care for the outdoor areas within Dana.
People for Pollinators works to inform and educate Agnes Scott students about pollinators and sustainability.
STUDENTS
Dylan Bulford ’25, Psychology/Creative Arts (he/him), is a multidisciplinary artist with interests in almost all disciplines and media, including drawing, digital design, art history, printmaking, stained glass, and sculpture. He plans to utilize his Creative Arts background in Expressive Art Therapy later in his career.
Madison Coppedge ’26, Creative Arts/Visual Practices, is interested in historic site preservation and is currently involved in two classes–Topics in Visual Practices and Three-Dimensional Thinking–supporting the Building on Dana project.
Anna Cover ’27 plans to major in Creative Art/Visual Practices. She has worked at the High Museum of Art and is currently working at a local art school for kids. She hopes to go into the museum field after graduation and is excited to have the opportunity to learn about and gain experience researching and preparing an exhibition for our gallery.
August Fisk ’25, Art History, has experience in archival and carpentry work and currently has an internship with Agnes Scott College’s McCain Library. August hopes to go to grad school to pursue a combined degree of a Master’s in Library and Information Science and a Master’s in Art History, so that he can work at an art research institute.
Lydia Holland ’25, self-designed major in Film and Visual Media and a minor in English, is a peer tutor at the Center for Writing Speaking and the co-president of the Student Film Productions organization on campus. Through this project, she hopes to combine her love for film, history, and space to capture the spirit of Agnes Scott’s artistic legacy.
Alyna “AJ” Johnson ’26 (they/them), Creative Arts/Visual Practices major, works as a freelance artist accepting commissions. They are particularly interested in this project because of its collaborative and interdisciplinary nature and for the experiences of preparing the exhibition, envisioning and making Dana a better version of itself, and building up the community for visual art at Agnes Scott.
Paige Kelly ’26 is a Chemistry major and Creative Arts/Visual Practices minor working towards a career as a historic preservationist.
Molly Jean Kilcrease ‘27, Creative Arts/Visual Practices and Religious Studies, is in Topics in Visual Practices: Building on Dana, with specific interest in historical architecture and restoration.
Jasper Potts ’25, Studio Art major with minors in English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, is interested in interdisciplinary work and how people interact with art and constructed spaces. She works as a peer tutor in the Agnes Scott Center for Writing and Speaking.
Jada Richardson ’25 is studying Studio Art and German. She’s involved around campus as a peer tutor at the Center for Digital and Visual Literacy, a peer advisor for first-year students, an ambassador for student-alumni relations, and the co-president of ASC’s longest running publication, AURORA, the literary arts magazine. She’s really interested in DIY publications and exploring photography – as well as potentially bringing the college’s darkroom back to life!
Jordan Schrage ’26 is a Creative Arts/Visual Practices student. Her conceptual art project “No Guns Allowed on The Premises” was published in The Journal of Intersectionality by Pluto Journals in the spring 2023. Jordan is in two of the Building on Dana courses: Three-Dimensional Thinking and Topics in Visual Practices: Building on Dana. She has been involved with Dana’s invasive plant removal days, the Ruscha photography project, and hopes to return the Dana dark room to working condition.
Tallulah Stroud ’26 is studying Creative Arts: Visual Practices and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Tallulah is taking 3 of the 4 classes connected to Building on Dana, seeking to support the project’s mission of inclusion and accessibility. She has also taken the role of administrative assistant to the Visual Practices faculty, providing additional support to the co-leaders of the Building on Dana project.
Alumnae
Becky Bivens ’07, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History, Sweet Briar College, was Kirk Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Creative Arts and Collection Manager until August 2024. She earned her Ph.D. in art history from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on mid-20th-century American abstract art and criticism as well as aesthetic theory. Her expertise has been invaluable in our development of the Dana Library & Reading Room.
Eliza Crofts ’22 is an artist, educator, and forager whose work explores connections between creativity and ecology. Crofts teaches foraging classes and community workshops on topics such as nature-based art, ecosystem exploration, uses for wild plants and fungi, and Queer mycology. Their professional background includes work in gardens, farms, and museums. They are leading the transformations of the garden and courtyards.
Susan Kidd ’78 is an independent writer and climate activist, who has deep devotion to and experience with both historic preservation and environmental sustainability. She served for 14 years as founding Executive Director of the Center for Sustainability, Agnes Scott College, having previously worked at the Georgia Conservancy and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. She served in three positions over 12 years in the southern regional office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, serving as regional director from 1987-1996. Recently Kidd received these two awards: Inaugural winner of Southface Energy Institute’s Luminary Award which “recognizes individuals whose intrepid and inclusive work on the sustainability of buildings and infrastructure is lighting the way to a healthier environment for all” and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Mary Gregory Jewett Award, which is “reserved to recognize those whose dedication and service to the field of historic preservation in the State of Georgia are extraordinary.”
Marcia Knight ’73 graduated with a degree in Fine Arts & Art History from Agnes Scott College, and earned an additional degree in Interior Design from the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas. She worked as a Senior Associate, Interior Designer with Nix, Mann & Associates, Nix Mann Viehman, and Perkins & Will, with a focus on the integration of interior design with architectural design. Project scopes ranged from renovations to new additions for corporate, commercial, and institutional projects in the United States and in the Middle East. She considers herself fortunate to have served as the Project Interior Designer for the renovation of the Anna Young Alumnae House, championing the effort with the College’s team, including Susan Kidd ’78 as the college’s Executive Director of the Center for Sustainability and Contractor, Gay Construction, for this building to become the first LEED Certified building on the Agnes Scott campus. Having passed the examinations of the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications, she is a registered Interior Designer in the State of Georgia and has also earned her LEED accreditation. Retiring from Perkins & Will, after 33 years, she continues to practice Interior Design, establishing her firm Marcia K. Knight Interior Designs, LLC with her daughter, Lauren Kemper Orr.
Grace Payne ’23 was the Sustainability Fellow (2021-23) in the Center for Sustainability. Their work focused on climate action, justice and sustainability programs and initiatives that move the College toward carbon neutrality and zero waste, supports sustainability-related student groups, and engages the campus community. Grace began assessing the conditions of the garden in August 2023.
Lindsey Walsworth ’05 is an architectural historian and cultural resources specialist with 13 years’ experience working with state, federal and private clients across the United States. She has presented at the Association for Preservation Technology and State of the Coast conferences, as well as by invitation at the Historic New Orleans Collection and Preservation Resource Center. Research interests include coastal resource preservation, climate change, and preservation public policy. Lindsey delivered a guest lecture on the history of historic preservation in the US for fall courses.
THROUGHOUT ATLANTA (AND BEYOND)
Allison Ericson, Urban Naturalist, City of Decatur is advising us about and volunteering on our transformations of the greenspaces in and around Dana.
Christina E. Crawford, PhD, MArch, is Masse-Martin NEH Professor of Art History and Associate Professor of Architectural History in the Art History Department, Emory University. Her recent courses and current research project focus on Atlanta architecture and urbanism in the twentieth century. She has offered critical guidance on resources in and on Atlanta’s built environment. She delivered the first lecture, “Interior Architecture,” on John Portman and postwar urbanism in Atlanta.
Peter Helfrich is president of the Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association. A backyard beekeeper for 13 years and a native bee enthusiast, he currently chairs City of Decatur’s Bee City USA® committee, helping to ensure his community continues to meet numerous criteria related to pollinator conservation. In 2023, he was named a City of Decatur Hometown Hero for his work on behalf of pollinators, and in 2024 he was honored as the Georgia Beekeepers Association’s Beekeeper of the Year.
Jess Jones, Associate Professor of Textiles, Welch School of Art and Design, Georgia State University and Affiliate Faculty with the Institute of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Jones’ work in textiles includes topoquilts, windquilts, graffiti quilts and weeping quilts. She is co-author (with Susan Richmond) of Lost Weavings Atlanta: a Report which explores the history of corporate weaving commissions in Atlanta, including textiles commissioned for John Portman’s Marriot Marquis, Atlanta
Heather Ligler, PhD, AIA is an architect, design researcher, and faculty of the School of Architecture at Florida Atlantic University, where she is an Assistant Professor & Foundations Coordinator. Her work engages discourses in shape grammars, rule-based design, and history/theory to question how computational methods reframe our capacity to formalize design logic, theorize design narratives of the present-past, and catalyze design futures. Her ongoing research investigates the evolution of John Portman’s architectural language from his 1964 Atlanta residence, Entelechy I, to his emblematic mega-projects for atrium hotels and mixed-use urban developments all over the world. She delivered a guest lecture “On Space Within Space: The Language of Entelechy I” for fall courses.
Daniel Parson has been Farmer/Educator at the campus farm at Oxford College of Emory University since 2014, producing food for the dining halls, CSA, and Emory and Oxford Farmers Market while serving as a resource for student education and research. Before his move to Oxford, GA, he managed Gaia Gardens in Decatur and a student organic farm at Clemson University from which he holds a BS in Biological Sciences and an MS in Plant and Environmental Sceince. In addition to growing produce, Daniel has presented workshops on various organic topics to many state and regional groups, including the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Southern SAWG and Georgia Organics. Daniel received the 2009 Georgia Organics Land Steward of the Year Award and in 2008 was listed on Mother Nature Network’s 40 farmers under 40. Also, he served on the Georgia Organics board from 2006-2008 and the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association board from 2012-2014.
Susan Richmond is Associate Professor of Art History and Interim Associate Dean of the College of the Arts at Georgia State University. Her research focuses on the modern and contemporary era, with a specific emphasis on feminist practices and the social and material histories of US art, craft, and visual culture since 1945. She is the author of Lynda Benglis: Beyond Process (London: I.B. Tauris Press, 2013) and has published in Art History, American Art, Arts, Journal of Modern Craft, Feminist Studies, Art Journal, and Camera Obscura. With Jess Jones, associate professor of textiles at GSU, she is working on a digital mapping project entitled “Lost Weavings of Atlanta.”
Leslie Sharp is Dean of Libraries, Georgia Institute of Technology. She teaches historic preservation in the College of Design, where she formerly served as the assistant dean of Academic Affairs and Outreach. Leslie led a project with Georgia Tech students (2015) to develop an application for including Dana in the current National Register of Historic Places district for the campus and adjacent neighborhood. Their research and writing about, and her ongoing involvement with our building, including guidance on this project, provide critical context and support for the current project.
Portman Archives (Paige Adair, Rebecca Brown, Katie Twomey) have been so helpful with photographs and other materials about the building. Their images helped us see that several walls of the building were originally cobalt blue. Visit the Dana Library & Reading Room to see the one we have repainted, close to the original color.
Portman Architects has been involved in advising and envisioning current and future needs for the Dana Fine Arts Building. Their approach is based on sharing and preserving the integrity of Portman’s original designs while accommodating current needs, honoring the architect’s belief that his projects are living buildings.