Angela Leed, a Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate of IU South Bend, was a first-generation college student who has a passion for creativity and lifelong learning. She turned her creative energy into a career as a professor of art, with the Graphic Design program at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. Read more about this alumna and her time at IU South Bend below.
Why did you choose IU South Bend for your degree? Did your academic plan change/adjust once you started, or did you know all along what you wanted to do once you graduated?
I entered Indiana University South Bend as a first generation, full-time working student and exited a curious lifelong learner, heading to graduate school with a baby on the hip and a toddler in hand. I applied to IUSB because the university was a leader in the flex-scheduling work model we’ve now become accustomed to, while offering an excellent, accredited degree, and educational experience.
What was your experience like while you were a student here? Were there any particular memories or experiences during your time that have stuck with you on your career path after graduation? Any challenges you were able to overcome?
I have fond memories of my time as a student with IUSB. There is just something magical about those late-night lab sessions working alongside your fellow classmates that binds you together for life. The excellent guidance from my professors helped develop a strong work ethic and greatly influenced my creative aesthetic. Under the tutelage of Professor Anthony Droege, I learned about the passion of painting; from Professor Ronald Monsma, the seduction of the serpentine line; and from Professor Karen Ackoff, all wonderful things design.
My most prized take away from those undergraduate days is the skill set to think through a problem. Considering I received my graduate degree and started my own business right at the beginning of the Great Recession, this skill set has proven vital to my successes and ability to overcome obstacles.
What are you currently doing with your degree now? Or what type of work have you done since graduation?
Currently, I am a professor of art, with the Graphic Design program at Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida. Teaching at the college since 2010, I consider it a blessing to be surrounded by tremendously talented students and faculty. Additionally, I own and operate Angela Leed, Illustration + Design.
After graduating from Indiana University South Bend in 2006, I went on to earn my master’s degree in fine arts with Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. Before relocating to Florida, I moved my family back to Indiana and opened the Inspirative Gallery and Art Center, formerly located in Plymouth, Indiana.
What type of work motivates or inspires you? Are there any specific artists that have had a big influence on you or your work? What helps you keep your creative edge?
Anything raw and undefined - there is beauty in chaos. I’m deeply engaged with the tactility of the process regardless of the medium. I am as inspired viewing the sculptures of Leonardo Drew and Lee Bontecou as I am sitting under a full moon, listening to the Americana Blues singer, Ben Prestage, bang out a tribute to Dr. Isaiah Ross, on a guitar box. Creativity is best when used as a verb. And therein lies the formula for keeping a creative edge - just work every day.
You recently created drawings of our Titus mascot, which we’ll be debuting with your profile. What about the Titus drawing project moved you to become involved?
The timing was perfect. We were a couple of months into the COVID-19 Pandemic shutdown when IUSB called with an amazing creative challenge. Could a male and female version of the Titus mascot be reimagined in a coloring book format? Aware this was also the first opportunity to create an entire, full body, version of the figures, my imagination was sparking even before I hung up the phone. Upon a quick review of the delicious organic line opportunities awaiting in the mascot hair and helmet - I was all in.
