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Contact: David West
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
9/15/98
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES - The second edition of a fine arts textbook, "Exploring the Arts," by Northwestern State University Associate Professor of Music Tony Smith has been published by Simon and Schuster. Smith, who has been a member of NSU's faculty for 22 years, is course coordinator for all on and off-campus sections of Fine Arts 1040, a basic introductory course in the arts that is a required part of NSU's undergraduate curriculum. The text is used in all fine arts classes.
The book's first edition which was published in 1995 and the latest edition represent compilations of portions from various arts textbooks published by Simon and Schuster and subsidiary companies including Prentice-Hall. Using Dennis J. Sporre's "Reality Through The Arts" as a core text, Smith has added portions of other textbooks covering theatre, visual art, music, dance and film.
"I wanted to reorganize my previous text so that each of the fine arts was discussed in a more compact organized fashion," said Smith. "I also added new color plates whose choices reflect the visual art we're discussing--everything from Tutankamun to Andy Warhol's 'Soup Cans.' In addition, a textbook has been created that sells for a substantially lower price than the first edition, something that was a major priority for me."
Besides coordinating and teaching Fine Arts 1040, Smith also teaches oboe, music history-literature and is serving as a guest lecturer in the Louisiana Scholars' College this fall for a course, "Music and Revolution."