Fresno Pacific University - Rebecca McMillen

Art Program Director

Nachtigall Hall, Room 102A
Telephone: 559-453-2365
FAX: 559-453-5558
Email: rebecca.mcmillen@fresno.edu

What programs do you teach in?

Education

B.A., art history and theory, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, 2001
M.A., art administration, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, 2001
Ph.D., art education, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, ABD 2009

Scholarly interests

My current research focuses on museum art education, in particular, community art outreach programs. I am also interested in how museums strive to remain relevant and accessible to a broad spectrum of society. I have co-authored several articles with my husband, such as the legal aspects of sport sculpture, sport celebrity portraits and the art of sport law.

Publications

"The Legal Aspects of Sport Sculpture," with J.D. McMillen, in Willamette Sports Law Journal, Spring 2005
"Artists and Athletes: Balancing the First Amendment and the Right of Publicity in Sport Celebrity Portraits," with J.D. McMillen, in Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, Summer 2004
"The Art of Sport Law," with J.D. McMillen, in Sport & Recreation Law Association Newsletter, March 2004
"The Bedroom," a Student and Teacher Programs brochure published by the Department of Museum Education, Art Institute of Chicago, September 2001
"Word," in Artwrite Magazine, June 1999 (under maiden name, Atkinson, R.S.)

Honors and awards

Artists and Author's Award, Bowling Green State University: recognized for outstanding achievement of research for "Artists and Athletes: Balancing the First Amendment and the Right of Publicity in Sport Celebrity Portraits," with J.D. McMillen, in Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, Summer 2004

Professional experiences

I have been the director of the art program at Fresno Pacific University for one year. During this time, I wrote the proposal for the new art major which has been approved and gives students the opportunity to now major in art. I also teach a number of courses in the art department and am currently developing several new courses such as Art and Religion and World Art.
I have been a guest lecturer for FPU freshman JCC courses where I presented the topic, "Images of Christ" and discussed the changing and varied imaged of Christ through history. In addition, I have guest lectured at Azusa Pacific's Sierra Semester at Bass Lake Campus where I taught classes on art of the Baroque, Rococo and Romantic eras.
I have written several articles and presented "The Art of Sport Law" at the 2004 Sport & Recreation Law Association conference where I discussed the history of sport art.
I have developed and taught several online art history courses at previous universities and am currently teaching an online version of Art Appreciation for FPU degree completion students. I use web-centric platforms, such as Blackboard, in my face-to-face courses.
During my first semester as faculty member and director of the art program, I juried the FPU fall 2007 student art exhibit.

Professional affiliations

Recommended resources

Books:
The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich, published by Phaidon Press Ltd, London, 1995
How Art Made the World: A Journey to the Origins of Human Creativity by N. Spivey, published by Basic Books, New York, 2005
Fresno Arts community website:
http://my.fresnoarts.net/

Other information

Art is very much a part of our everyday life. I strive to make art real, relevant and fun to students. I aim to engage students in discussions on art to challenge their preconceived notions of what art is, so that they can walk away with a richer, broader, experience of art and art history.