Posting Date: June 25, 2012
Meet Judi Murphy: A passion for the arts
By Shira Kerce
 |
Judi Murphy Photo by Tracie Hinnant |
After 17 years spent working in technical support, Judi Murphy was ready for a change. Now an art history major in Kennesaw State’s Department of Visual Arts, Judi is finally pursuing her lifelong passion for art. “I finally realized that I was too ‘right-brained’ for the work that I was doing, so I knew it was time to pursue art,” Judi recalls.
Judi decided to return to school after learning that in the state of Georgia senior citizens over the age of 62 can attend a public university for free, provided they are working toward a degree. The opportunity was too great for Judi to pass up. “I have really enjoy being at KSU,” Judi says, “and everyone is very warm and friendly.” Even though she was worried about the age gap between herself and her fellow students, Judi says feels very welcomed and most of her fellow students treat her as a peer.
Though she began her KSU career as a photography concentration, she recently decided to switch her focus to her other passion, art history. She describes her professors in the visual arts department as “really great teachers and great enlighteners. They always explore new ways to excite the minds of their students and new ways to do the same things and teach the same concepts.”
 |
Artwork by Judi Murphy |
Judi’s advisor, Associate Professor Diana McClintock, has had an especially positive effect on Judi. “She is very enthusiastic, very positive and always interesting,” Judi says. McClintock is equally impressed with Judi. “Judi is one of the most highly motivated and capable students that I have ever worked with. She brings a fresh creativity to her work in art history that enables her to tackle challenging assignments with flair.”
Judi has taken full advantage of her time at KSU by participating in various aspects of KSU’s art community. She is a member of the Art History Club and has received several recognitions for her artwork. She placed third in the 29th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition for one of her photographs and she received a STARS student award for an education abroad program in Montepulciano, Italy.
After graduation, Judi hopes to pursue a master’s degree in Latin American art history studies at Tulane University. She has traveled extensively throughout the world and has an impressive collection of photographs from her time in Cuba, Peru, Columbia, Italy and Tahiti. She hopes to continue traveling and to develop a collection of photographs that is more anthropological in nature.