Engaging the Fine Arts Audience

For many Texas Performing Arts student employees, Tim Rogers is a familiar face around campus. As Assistant Director of Student Engagement at TPA, Tim is their go-to guy for all fun activities within the organization: Hook ’em Arts, AmBASSadors, student employment, and The Loft.

This very talented and very busy employee has also taken on a new professional venture---teaching. In the spring of 2019, Tim will teach a class on campus within the College of Fine Arts. The course, Engaging with the Arts from the Audience, offers students an opportunity to fulfill a fine arts requirement or an elective while gaining a deeper understanding of the arts.

“I hope to show my students the impact of all types of art and how unfamiliar artwork can be rewarding,” said Tim. “I want to help them learn new ways to appreciate the arts.”

The class will give students the opportunity to blend their academic time with the performing arts, exposing them to these world-class experiences on campus that they may otherwise miss. Students will learn about the history and context of fine arts performances in Texas Performing Arts Essential Series Season as well as other mediums of art like sculpture, digital art, and gallery artwork while exploring the impact it leaves on our culture.

“All art comes out of an expression of culture and, whether we are participating or viewing that art, understanding where it came from can enrich our experience,” said Tim. 

Although this spring will mark his second class, Tim has been making strides towards creating this fusion of academics and live performances for some time.

“When I initially joined the team in 2013, I had an interest in eventually teaching,” said Tim. “I researched Student Engagement programs at peer institutions and took note of ways that we might fill in the gaps.”

Over the course of his six-year tenure, the UT alumnus (Master of Music, 2008) has been working with Texas Performing Arts Director and Associate Dean Kathy Panoff and the Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts, Andrew Dell’Antonio to develop this course and provide the best performing arts experience to our students.

And although a student’s time on campus is generally brief in the grand scheme of their professional careers, Tim knows that this is the best time in their lives to explore all that the fine arts has to offer.

“Like the fine arts, the population of students is constantly changing. The average student is on campus for four years and then moves on to the next part of their life,” said Tim. “It’s exciting to see them grow personally and professionally over the years. I find that part of my job is very fulfilling.”