Rate My Professor Stacey Rathert

Stacey Rathert is an Instructional Associate Professor of Art, Sculpture in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Mississippi. Originally from Lancaster, Kansas, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art with an emphasis in Sculpture and a Bachelor of Science in Education in Art Education from Fort Hays State University in 2011. Rathert received her Master of Fine Arts in Art with an emphasis in Sculpture from the University of Mississippi in 2015, presenting her thesis exhibition "There’s No Place Like Home" at Gallery 130. Her research specializations encompass blacksmithing techniques for art nouveau-inspired floral sculptures and functional objects, soft sculpture and fabric manipulation as patterns for metal casting and mixed-media works, fabrication of large-scale public sculptures including installation and maintenance, and mold making and casting processes, particularly cast iron. Rathert creates artwork in varied scales that narrates exaggerated stories of personal and place identity rooted in rural upbringing, employing recognizable imagery from Midwestern landscapes and architecture, transformed through materials such as cast metals, forged and fabricated steel, reclaimed wood, dirt, fabrics, and found objects.

Rathert's career at the University of Mississippi began as Adjunct Instructor from 2015 to 2019, advancing to Visiting Assistant Professor from 2019 to 2022, Instructional Assistant Professor from 2022 to 2024, and promoted to Instructional Associate Professor in 2024. She served as Interim Sculpture Program Head in Fall 2020, overseeing facilities, materials, shop technician, instructional faculty, graduate assistants, and sculpture students. As Recruitment Committee Chair, she advises on B.A. and B.F.A. programs. Her courses include Art 101 Two-Dimensional Design, Art 103 Three-Dimensional Design, Art 331 Beginning Sculpture, Art 332 Intermediate Sculpture, Art 431 Advanced Sculpture, Art 531 Graduate Sculpture, Art 490 Independent Study, and Art 405 Pre-Thesis Forum. Major awards include Purchase Awards at St. Joseph Sculpture Walk (2024, 2018), First Place at Industry on Track (2021) and Out of the Box (2017), First Place at Fiber on the Square (2021), Featured Artist for The Medal for the Arts (2024), Graduate Achievement Award (2015), and Outstanding Studio Art Student Award (2014). Key exhibitions feature Yokna Sculpture Trail (2021-2023), Western Cast Iron Art Conference (2022), MSA Select (2023, 2022), St. Joseph Sculpture Walk (2023-2024, 2021-2022), and solo shows like "Birds with Wings and Sculptural Things" (2012). Selected bibliography includes Zoe Fitch's "Stacey Rathert: A Portal to Kansas in Mississippi" (2024).