Felician University has its first ever Artist-in-Residence. 

Brooklyn artist Scott Reeds was officially named to the post in 2019. Reeds has taught printmaking at Felician since 2017 and has been teaching a course in color concepts for two semesters. In 2019 he was named the University’s first ever Artist-in-Residence.

Scott Reeds and Wide Body

Artist-in-residence posts are common for museums and some institutions of higher learning. Reeds says, for Felician, a University well known and admired for its Education and Nursing programs, having an Artist-in-Residence, “makes it possible for students to not only make personal connections to art, but also make it a broader base of their learning experience.” 

Reeds brings extensive teaching credentials to Felician, having taught or lectured at Parsons School of Design in New York City, Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and Adelphi University among other institutions of higher learning. Reeds has an expansive record of solo and group exhibitions from coast to coast. In addition, he is the recipient of several awards, most recently the 2019 Adolph and Ester Gottlieb Foundation, Individual Support Grant. 

Reeds has already curated two art exhibitions at Felician including Outside In in 2017, and Thisness & Whatness in 2019. Both exhibitions featured art by New York and New Jersey artists including Felician Graphic Design Associate Professor Melissa MacAlpin. 

Reeds says the post will further integrate art education into the University by having a dialogue with the larger art community of both New Jersey and New York. Speaking at the closing ceremony for the Thisness & Whatness exhibition Felician President Anne Prisco said, “What we experienced makes my soul sing. I am so grateful there are people like you in the world who choose to spend time thinking deeply about these things, and then share it with the rest of us.” 

The decision to have an Artist-in-Residence at Felician was made collaboratively by University President Dr. Anne Prisco, the V.P. of 

Academic Affairs, Dr. Sylvia McGeary, and the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Dr George Abaunza. 

For Dr. Abaunza, who has personal interests in the nature of aesthetics and has taught Philosophy of Art for many years said, “Adding an Artist-in-Residence who works with a University-wide vision allows our students and surrounding communities to experience the arts and recognize their significance in ways that go beyond our course offerings within the School of Arts & Sciences. The more aesthetic experiences had, the richer and fuller is life.”

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About Felician University

Felician University engages over 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult students through programs in Arts & Sciences, Business, Nursing, and Education. Universal Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Felician University’s education is ranked 3rd best return on investment for private colleges in New Jersey 2018 by the PayScale.com College ROI Report and is ranked #1 safest college campus in the state by niche.com.