Herberger College of the Arts will welcome a new School of Art director on July 1, and she’s ready to digitally enhance art education at ASU.

Adriene Jenik, who comes to the Herberger College after 11 years at the University of California, San Diego, has been described as a “telecommunications media artist,” a concept she said includes the use of digital media within the creative process.

Jenik said she was excited about joining a “new digital culture” at ASU but realizes the challenge of staying committed to the cores of art education practice while not getting swept up with new technology.

“I want to take part in [the] larger college thinking about taking advantage of opportunities that exist [in the digital age] but continue to have integrity in our art-making practice,” Jenik said.

The contemporary art world is being reformed, she said, and right now is an opportune moment to look at what changes can be made in art education at ASU.

However, Jenik said she was also excited that the School of Art has strong “material practice” programs, such as metalwork, sculpture and painting.

Whatever path ASU’s art curriculum takes under her direction will be the result of discussions with faculty and students, Jenik said.

“I’m not a person who’s going to come in with my own ideas and expect everyone else to carry [them] out,” she said.

However, Jenik acknowledged that her digital media background will impact her decisions as director, and said that Herberger College likely expected this when they contacted her for the position.

“It would be silly to have searched for, and hired, a director with my expertise and not utilize it,” she said.

Bruce Ferguson, director of Future Arts Research at ASU, was on the search committee that hired Jenik. He said her background in digital art played a role in the committee’s decision. But Ferguson said Jenik’s broad vision of art was an equally important factor.

“One of the things we all liked about her is that she has a strong background in [digital media], but she doesn’t think about art in terms of that exclusively,” he said.

Ferguson said he expects Jenik’s energy and ability to collaborate well with others to positively influence the direction of art education at ASU.

“She’ll add to the program, but not at the expense of programs that already exist,” he said. “In that sense, she brings a very contemporary vision to the leadership of this school.”

Students within the School of Art seemed to feel that digital media deserves a place within art education, but anyone taking over the program’s reins should manage all of the disciplines it represents equally.

Kyle McMorris, an intermedia art junior, said he hoped hiring a new director would resurrect the school’s animation program, which was phased out a few years ago. He felt the School of Art should embrace digital media more, not less.

“This [hiring] could potentially be good for me, because from my experience, it seems like [there’s] not a lot of staff in the school of art that supports [digital media],” he said.

However, McMorris said he’s noticed faculty in the intermedia department making a move toward incorporating digital art and hopes such support continues with Jenik’s hiring.

Senior painting major Dianne Iyisan said she thought digital media’s place within the School of Art depends upon how it is approached. No medium should have more emphasis than any other, she said, because they all have the same essential goal.

“All arts are just an attempt to explain a person’s personality and what it means to be a human,” she said. “All means to that end should be appreciated.”

Reach the reporter at trabens@asu.edu.