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LSU Art History Professor Darius Spieth Edits New Grove Guide to the Art Market

Research, Publications, Art History, Art, Faculty, Publicity, Doctor of Design

Professor Darius Spieth. Image Credit: Jean-Claude Figenwald

LSU Professor of Art History Darius Spieth edited the newly published Grove Art Guide to the Art Market, a comprehensive exploration of the institutions, practices and economic forces that shape the global art world.

Published by Oxford University Press in 2026, the volume brings together 69 essays examining the art market from its historical foundations through developments in the 21st century. Designed as both a scholarly reference and an accessible introduction to the field, the guide addresses subjects including collecting, connoisseurship, appraisal and valuation, auctions, art law, cultural heritage and the economics of art.

The publication represents the culmination of Spieth’s longstanding work as subject editor for Art Markets, Law and Economics for the Grove Dictionary of Art, one of the field’s most authoritative reference resources.

By approaching art not only as a form of cultural expression but also as an object that is collected, exchanged, regulated and assigned value, the guide provides readers with a multidisciplinary framework for understanding the art market. Its essays connect art history with economics, law, museum studies and cultural policy, offering insight into the complex systems through which works of art circulate.

Grove Art Guide to the Art Market book cover

The volume also traces the development of art markets across periods and regions, examining the roles played by artists, collectors, dealers, auction houses, museums and other institutions. Alongside its historical scope, the book considers forces reshaping the contemporary art world, including globalization, evolving legal and ethical questions and new approaches to determining artistic and financial value.

Spieth is the San Diego Alumni Association Chapter Alumni Professor in the LSU School of Art. A specialist in modernism, Darius A. Spieth focuses his scholarship on the interrelationships between art, intellectual history, and economics. His research focuses on the history of art markets, particularly the relationship between art, economics and society in 18th- and 19th-century Europe.

His previous publications include Revolutionary Paris and the Market for Netherlandish Art, published by Brill in 2017. Spieth has also written and contributed to numerous exhibition catalogues and scholarly publications on topics ranging from European prints and historical art dealing to art-market valuation.

Through The Grove Art Guide to the Art Market, Spieth extends that expertise to a resource intended for students, scholars and professionals as well as readers seeking a deeper understanding of how the art world operates.

“Professor Spieth’s publication reflects the LSU College of Art & Design’s commitment to scholarship that crosses disciplinary boundaries and connects the study of art with broader cultural, historical and economic questions,” said Arne Flaten, Dean of the College of Art & Design. “It also offers an invaluable resource to students, connoisseurs, collectors and aficionados, at LSU and across the globe, for exploring the many systems that shape how art is created, disseminated, interpreted, valued, and preserved.”

The Grove Guide to the Art Market has already resonated internationally, as the most recent issue of La Grande Galerie, the official periodical of the Louvre Museum’s Friends Group (les Amis du Louvre), ran an interview by Sébastien Fumaroli with Professor Spieth, discussing the civilizational importance of art markets.

The Grove Art Guide to the Art Market is available through Oxford University Press and booksellers worldwide.

Read more about Spieth’s recent scholarship.

Read more about art history at LSU.

Read more about the LSU School of Art.

Alumni Spotlight: Amanda Farris

Art, Painting & Drawing, Alumni, Alumni Profiles,

Amanda Farris painting

From Studio Community to the Greenhouse: Painter Amanda Farris Grows Creative Practice in Baton Rouge

For LSU alumna and artist Amanda Farris, making art has never been something she simply decided to pursue—it has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Named Baton Rouge’s “Best Visual Artist” 2026 by 225 Magazine, Farris is pursuing an artistic practice deeply inspired by local nature.

“Dipping into Amanda Farris’s Louisiana-inspired paintings can be like staring long into a densely drenched bayou dream, with occasional glances of light breaking through some dark blanket and coloring the fingers of wild growth with more hopeful hues as the only possible guide through the leafy maze,” writes InRegister‘s The Creatives.

Originally from Baton Rouge, Farris grew up surrounded by creativity. Her mother crafted at the kitchen table, while her father spent time tinkering in his shop. At school, she continued to develop her creative instincts through art classes throughout her education in the East Baton Rouge Parish Public School System.

“Not to sound too cliché, but for as long as I can remember I have always been painting or drawing,” Farris said. “I grew up in a household where my mom was always crafting at the kitchen table, and my dad was tinkering on something in his shop, so I have always been encouraged to make things with my hands.”

That lifelong interest eventually led Farris to the LSU School of Art, where she found herself immersed in a community of artists that helped shape her understanding of what a life in art could look like.

Finding a Creative Community at LSU

Growing up in Louisiana, LSU was already familiar territory for Farris. But it was a visit to the School of Art that convinced her she had found the right place.

“I think part of the reason I wanted to go to LSU was because being raised in Louisiana, anything to do with LSU is part of the culture down here, so maybe a little bit of that was already ingrained in me and pulling me towards the campus,” she said. “But after touring the facilities at the LSU School of Art is when I really fell in love with the college.

“I had never seen that many creatives in one space together, and it really got me excited for my future in art.”

Black and white photo of Farris in LSU art studioFor Farris, some of her most meaningful LSU memories came from the studio. Whether working alongside classmates in the large, open studios of Foster Hall or creating in individual spaces in LSU’s new Barnes Odgen Art & Design Complex, she remembers an environment filled with energy, experimentation and camaraderie.

“I have so many fond memories of working in the studio late at night with my classmates,” she said. “There was always this buzzing energy that surrounded the studio. There was an undeniable sense of community between the growing artists.”

That community became especially important when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted campus life during her sophomore year. When students returned, Farris saw an opportunity to help rebuild the sense of connection she had valued so much.

LSU School of Art professor Kelli Kelley approached Farris about reviving Painter’s League, a student organization centered around painting. Farris and several classmates brought the group back to life, attracting both art and non-art major students and creating opportunities for students to reconnect through painting.

Painters League

Painters League art sale on campus.

“Painting was not dead!” Farris said.

The renewed organization led to group exhibitions and art markets that brought students together across the School of Art.

“It was really exciting to get art students and non-art students excited about painting again,” Farris said. “This then resulted in several group exhibitions and art markets that united everyone within the School of Art.”

Today, that sense of artistic community remains something Farris misses most about her time as a student.

Finding Her Footing After Graduation

Like many emerging artists, Farris discovered that the transition from art school to a professional creative life did not happen overnight.

Her path after graduation, however, gave her experiences that would ultimately prove valuable to her artistic career. Farris worked at Bengals & Bandits, an LSU merchandise shop, where she gained an unexpected education in entrepreneurship and small-business management.

“Working at a shop selling LSU merchandise didn’t have much to do with my art degree, but I learned so much from it on how to run a small business,” she said.

Her experience taught her about the many responsibilities that come with running a small business—from day-to-day operations to the variety of roles an owner must take on. Those lessons have since helped Farris manage her own website and develop the business side of her art practice.

For the past year, she has worked full time at LSU design alumni-led MIMOSA Handcrafted in its casting department. The position has given her another opportunity to work with her hands while surrounding herself with other creative people.

“It feels absolutely amazing to get to be surrounded by creative people and also work with my hands again,” Farris said.

While her career path has included work outside of traditional studio art, each experience has contributed something to her larger goal: becoming a full-time painter.

Amanda paintingInto the Greenhouse

Farris primarily works in oil on canvas, creating lush, vibrant paintings inspired by flora and the natural world.

Her paintings are saturated with color and dense with foliage. Plants from her own home often serve as starting points, but the finished compositions evolve beyond direct observation.

“I use a lot of my own plants in my home as references, but as the paintings develop through the process I stray away from a reference and use my memory to create the plants and the space they reside in,” she said.

Her process allows her paintings to move between fluidity and texture. She uses a variety of mediums to manipulate the landscapes, gradually building up layers of thick texture. Repetition also plays an important role.

“I like to use repetition in my work, so the veins of the leaves will often stand as a pattern rather than a detail to the form,” Farris said.

The result is work that moves beyond a straightforward depiction of plants. Flora becomes pattern, texture, memory and atmosphere, transforming the canvas into an immersive space.

That work will take center stage this fall when Farris presents her solo exhibition, Into The Greenhouse, at Kelwood Contemporary Art Gallery. The exhibition will run October 3–30, 2026, with an opening reception scheduled for Saturday, October 3, from 5–8 p.m.

Keep Making

For current LSU art students and young artists considering a future in painting, Farris has one central piece of advice:

“KEEP MAKING!”

She encourages students to create as much as possible—even when the work doesn’t turn out as planned.

“Make as much art as you can, even if it’s the worst thing you’ve ever made!” she said. “You won’t know what works and what doesn’t work for your creative process until you have tried new things.”

Experimentation, she says, is one of the greatest advantages of being an art student. LSU students have access to facilities, equipment and faculty expertise that can help them explore ideas and discover their own creative processes.

“Absorb everything like a sponge,” Farris said.

She also emphasizes the importance of maintaining relationships with fellow artists after graduation. Rather than viewing other artists as competition, she encourages emerging artists to continue supporting one another.

“The art world can be tough and your fellow artists should not be viewed as your competition after graduation but should remain as your peers,” she said. “There is no art scene if you don’t support other artists.”

For Farris, that sense of community that began in the LSU studios continues to inform the way she approaches her own career.

A Future in Painting

Amanda Farris by paintingFarris’ long-term goal is straightforward: keep painting and work toward becoming a full-time artist.

“I am in the studio everyday working towards that plan!” she said.

It is a goal that reflects both where she started and where she hopes to go. From childhood afternoons making things by hand, to late nights painting alongside classmates at LSU, to developing her own studio practice today, Farris continues to build a creative life one painting at a time.

Her advice to aspiring artists is also the philosophy guiding her own journey: keep experimenting, keep learning, keep supporting your peers—and most importantly, keep making.

For Farris, the next chapter is already taking shape—one lush, colorful canvas at a time.

Israt Jahan Receives Best Poster Presentation Award at LA-SEER’s 20 Years After Katrina: Louisiana’s Journey to Resilience Conference

Students, Research, Honors & Awards, Events, Doctor of Design,

Israt Jahan at LSU conference

Israt Jahan, a Doctor of Design student and teaching assistant in the School of Interior Design, received the Best Poster Presentation Award at the 2025 Louisiana Social, Environmental, and Economic Resilience (LA-SEER) Center Conference, “20 Years After Katrina: Louisiana’s Journey to Resilience.”

Held on August 29, 2025, at the LSU Dalton J. Woods Auditorium, the event commemorated the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history. The event was organized by the LA-SEER Center, in collaboration with the LSU AgCenter’s LA House Research & Education Center and the College of the Coast & Environment’s Coastal Environment Graduate Organization. The conference brought together academics, researchers, professionals, and community stakeholders to reflect on Louisiana’s ongoing journey of risk, recovery, and resilience.

Israt’s award-winning poster, “Multi-Scale Design Framework for Disaster-Resilient Communities in Coastal Louisiana,” presents an interdisciplinary framework that integrates architecture, disaster management, policy, and community-based design. The research introduces a three-tiered design approach including macro, mezzo, and micro—to support the development of safer, more sustainable, and culturally resilient coastal communities. By combining spatial planning, stakeholder collaboration, and resilience-based design principles, the framework offers practical strategies for addressing the growing environmental and social challenges facing Louisiana’s vulnerable coastal regions.

Building on this research, she plans to develop an online collaborative platform that connects residents, planners, policymakers, researchers, and designers to support knowledge sharing and evidence-based decision-making for disaster resilience in coastal Louisiana.

Israt Jahan“Growing up in Bangladesh taught me what resilience means. In Louisiana, I see that same spirit—and through design, I strive to connect these stories,” Israt said.

Israt holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Science in Disaster Management. In addition, she instructs in the LSU School of Interior Design, where she teaches ID 2770 – Color and Illumination I and ID 2410 – Interior Design Lab. Through her teaching, she encourages students to integrate creativity, environmental responsibility, technical knowledge, and human-centered design into the design process while preparing future designers to address complex challenges through innovative thinking.

Israt has also contributed as a researcher with LSU’s Coastal Ecosystem Design Studio (CEDS), where she has worked on interdisciplinary projects focused on nature-based solutions, living shorelines, coastal restoration, and climate adaptation along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Through collaborations with landscape architects, planners, ecologists, engineers, and local communities, she has gained valuable experience translating research into practical design strategies that strengthen ecological resilience while preserving cultural heritage and community identity.

Her ongoing doctoral research examines how thoughtfully designed public spaces can foster social integration, belonging, and resilience for climate-induced migrants and receiving communities. Ultimately, her work aims to develop evidence-based design guidelines that help communities become more inclusive, resilient, and better prepared for future climate challenges.

Receiving the Best Poster Presentation Award reflects Israt’s continued commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research that bridges design, resilience, and community engagement, she said. Through her research and teaching, she aims to help communities better prepare for and recover from climate-related challenges.

Alumni Spotlight: Gretchen Wilson

Landscape Architecture, Honors & Awards, Alumni, Alumni Profiles

Gretchen WilsonLSU alumna Gretchen Wilson, ASLA, PLA, principal and co-founder of Dig Studio, has been named to the 2026 Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), one of the highest honors in the landscape architecture profession.

Wilson is one of just 35 landscape architects nationwide selected for this year’s class of Fellows, a distinction recognizing exceptional contributions to landscape architecture and society through leadership, service, knowledge, and professional practice. Her selection comes at another milestone moment in her career as she prepares to serve as ASLA President.

“Landscape architecture has the power to bring people together, strengthen communities and help address some of the biggest challenges facing our cities and environment today,”  Wilson said. “I’m incredibly honored to be recognized by ASLA alongside so many talented leaders in the profession. This recognition reflects not only my work, but also the collaborative spirit of Dig Studio, our partners and the communities we’ve had the privilege to work alongside.”

For Wilson, whose work has focused on community-driven design, ecological resilience, and public spaces that connect people with nature, the honor reflects a professional journey that began in southeast Louisiana.

Finding Her Path

“My mother graduated in art and my father in forestry from LSU,” she said. “My aunt and brother also graduated from LSU and now my daughter is there studying horticulture. I moved to Colorado with my husband, Stephen, another LSU RRSLA graduate, in 1999 and we have lived and worked here ever since.”

Wilson’s path to landscape architecture was not a straight line. She grew up Hammond, Louisiana. After graduating from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, she enrolled at Georgia Tech to study environmental engineering.

“At the time, it was what counselors recommended for people with an aptitude for math and art,” she said. “After one year, I knew that was not for me, so I tried out film studies because of my love of film sets and stories.”

Everything changed during a visit to Baton Rouge.

“Then I came across Landscape Architecture Magazine by chance in a Barnes & Noble store in Baton Rouge and knew right away that this was my calling,” Wilson said. “It was a perfect way for me to blend my love of the natural world with my interest in art, culture, engineering, design, and storytelling.”

Once she discovered landscape architecture, choosing LSU was easy.

“Once I had chosen landscape architecture, I realized that LSU had the best undergraduate program in the country at the time, so it was a no brainer,” she said. “This was bolstered after meeting some of the professors at the time who later became like a second family.”

LSU RRSLA: “Like a Second Family”

Wilson credits her years at the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture with providing experiences and relationships that continue to shape her career decades later.

“Touring West Coast landscape architecture projects and offices with Max Conrad was one of my most memorable and formative experiences, especially getting to see different types of offices,” she said. “I was inspired by the fun, collaborative vibe at the office of Lawrence Halprin. Studying abroad in Manchester, UK, opened my eyes to a whole new world.”

She added that the LSU community remains one of her strongest professional foundations.

“The strong, supportive relationships I made with my classmates and professors have lasted until now and will last forever,” Wilson said. “I also loved plant classes and sketching on the LSU campus so much.”

After graduating, Wilson built a career that spanned private practice, entrepreneurship, and large-scale planning and design projects across the country.

“I did an internship my junior year at a small firm in North Carolina,” she said. “When I moved to Denver, I started working full time at DHM Design, then started my own business doing my own design and consulting with other firms when I had my first child.”

She later joined EDAW, where she worked on projects nationwide before the firm became part of AECOM.

In 2012, she left that firm to start Dig Studio with three partners, Wilson said. “Now we are a firm with three locations and 45 staff doing award-winning work across the western U.S.”

Among Wilson’s proudest achievements are not only awards and recognitions, but the communities and landscapes her work has helped shape.

Landscape Architecture: Transforming Communities

“I really love seeing the places I help design become experiences where people are connecting with nature and each other.”

She also points to her years of leadership within ASLA as a defining part of her professional journey.

“I am very proud of my involvement with ASLA over the years,” Wilson said. “I have gained so much from the relationships and knowledge I have gained through the organization.”

Her favorite project to date is one that embodies many of the values that have defined her career.

“My favorite project has to be the one we are finishing at the moment — Carpio-Sanguinette Park/Heron Pond Open Space in Denver,” she said. “This is the largest park of my career at over 80 acres and incorporates all of the aspects of design that I love — community engagement, stormwater quality, trails, play, gathering spaces, environmental education, and art.”

Inspiring the Next Generation of Designers

As Wilson prepares to take on the national leadership of ASLA in 2027, she also hopes to inspire the next generation of designers emerging from LSU.

“Learn how to successfully collaborate while you are in school,” she advised students. “It is such an invaluable tool in design and planning.”

She encourages students to embrace adaptability and creative problem solving.

“Practice starting over with new information and new ideas frequently,” Wilson said. “If you are good at listening, synthesizing what you hear into realistic solutions grounded in strong concepts, and envisioning your design, then AI cannot take your job away.”

She believes landscape architects bring an irreplaceable perspective to some of society’s most pressing challenges.

“Our work entails thinking not only about what a place will look like to begin with but also how it impacts the environment, its users, and how it will change over time,” she said.

For Wilson, the profession remains as exciting today as when she first discovered it in the pages of a magazine years ago.

“Landscape architecture is an awesome profession to be in,” she said. “Most days I am doing something different and learning something new about people, users, construction methods, materials, and more. It is not a dull job, and the rewards of watching people use the spaces we create never disappoint.”

As part of her work at Dig Studio, Wilson has led the design and planning of nationally recognized public spaces and community-focused projects, including Denver’s, City Park Nature Play, the City Park Living Land project, and Carpio-Sanguinette Park/Heron Pond open space. Her work integrates ecological restoration, play, mobility, public health, and green infrastructure to create spaces that serve both people and the natural systems surrounding them.

Beyond her design practice, Wilson has held numerous leadership roles within ASLA at both the state and national levels. She previously served as Colorado Chapter Secretary and Colorado Trustee and currently serves on the ASLA 2025 Executive Committee and the Annual Conference Education Advisory Committee. She has also led conversations around climate resilience, equity, and gender parity within the profession. She recently completed a Master of Science in Environmental Science with a specialization in water systems and ecosystems.

“The 2026 Class of ASLA Fellows represents the very best of our profession—leaders whose work strengthens communities, advances environmental stewardship and expands what landscape architecture can do for people and places,” said ASLA President Brad McCauley, FASLA, PLA. “Their careers reflect a deep commitment to design excellence, service, innovation and the power of our profession to create healthier, more equitable and more resilient communities. I am proud to celebrate these Fellows, their leadership and the lasting impact they continue to make.”

Wilson’s recognition as an ASLA Fellow and her upcoming service as the society’s president underscore the impact LSU alumni continue to make on the profession nationally and internationally, while serving as an inspiration for future generations of designers at the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, said Arne Flaten, Dean of the LSU College of Art & Design.

ASLA Fellows will be elevated during a special investiture ceremony at the 2026 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture, which will be held in Los Angeles, Calif., Sept. 16-18, 2026.

 

LSU Museum of Art Selected for National Smithsonian Initiative; Recognized for Excellence

Art & Design

Shaw Center for the Arts courtyardThe LSU Museum of Art has been selected as Louisiana’s participating institution in “50 for 50,” a landmark national initiative from the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Art Bridges Foundation. As one of only 51 museums—one representing each U.S. state and Puerto Rico—the LSU Museum of Art will receive long-term loans of significant American artworks from the Hirshhorn’s world-renowned collection. 

The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Art Bridges Foundation have chosen the 51 institutions that will participate in “50 for 50,” a national collection-sharing initiative coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary. The program will loan important American artworks from the Hirshhorn collection for three- to five-year periods to one museum in each U.S. state and Puerto Rico between 2026 and 2029. The program is the largest and most geographically extensive loan effort ever undertaken by an American museum, and it is free to participating organizations. The initiative supports the Hirshhorn’s and Art Bridges’ shared interest in expanding public access to significant works of American art spanning from the 19th century to the present day and from Modernism to contemporary art.

This extraordinary opportunity places the LSU Museum of Art among a distinguished group of museums across the country and reflects the museum‘s commitment to bringing exceptional works of art and meaningful cultural experiences to Louisiana.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for LSU, for the Baton Rouge community, and for the state more broadly,” said Arne Flaten, Dean of the College of Art & Design and LSU Museum of Art advisory board member. “The selection underscores the importance of the LSU Museum of Art, and heightens its strong reputation among so many distinguished institutions across the country.”

“LSU MOA has built a genuinely consultative partnership with the College of Art & Design leadership,  one that touches nearly every corner of our curatorial and education programming,” said Mark Tullos, Executive Director of the LSU MOA and LSU School of Art ’84 alumnus. “Dean Arne Flaten’s background in art history means we’re not just coordinating logistics, we’re engaging in meaningful dialogue about our exhibitions and mutually beneficial programs that serve students. It’s the kind of collaboration that lets a university museum and academic college grow stronger together.”

The LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) is also among the first museums in the nation to earn certification from the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG), recognizing the museum‘s commitment to excellence as an academic museum serving Louisiana State University and the broader community.

Located on the fifth floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge, LSU MOA comprises 13,000 square feet distributed among 14 galleries. In addition to holding one of the largest university-affiliated art collections in the South—over 6,000 works—the museum presents touring exhibitions of regional, American, and European painting, sculpture, decorative arts, works on paper, and photography. The museum also supports and hosts lectures and workshops by local and visiting artists and boasts a robust schedule of school and community programs open to the public.

The museum is a great resource for College of Art & Design students—gallery talks, receptions, art unveilings for new acquisitions, community programs, and exhibitions from renowned local, national, and international artists are just some of the events the Baton Rouge and LSU community has come to cherish and embrace. 

College-Museum collaborations include opportunities for LSU students to view art and artifacts, gain “behind the scenes” experiences, contribute to exhibitions and even exhibit their work in the museum, and even advance their research (such as Doctor of Design candidate Meredyth Yorek, who worked on an archive digitization project for museum visitors to access virtually as part of her doctoral thesis.) LSU art & design faculty exhibit their work and co-curate award-winning exhibitions as well. These opportunities will continue to grow in the future, Flaten said.

On a personal note, Tullos remembers his time as an LSU student fondly. “I spent five of the happiest years of my life as a student in CoAD!”

Visit lsumoa.org for more information about visiting hours, events, and current and upcoming exhibitions.

Steele Scholars Program Announced for the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture

Art & Design, Landscape Architecture, Honors & Awards, Alumni, Donors, Publicity

The LSU College of Art & Design announces the launch of the new Steele Scholars Program, a scholarship to support LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture students funded generously by LSU landscape architecture alumnus Johnny Steele.

“This kind of generosity truly changes lives,” said Arne Flaten, Dean of the College of Art & Design. “The Johnny Steele scholarship will support LSU landscape architecture students in pursuit of their dream careers, and further cement the program among the best in the country.”

“This gift is transformational for our students, our school, and the practice of landscape architecture,” said Brent Fortenberry, professor of landscape architecture and former interim director of the school. “We all are excited to see this program take shape.”

About Johnny Steele

Johnny SteeleJohnny Steele has earned a reputation as one of the profession’s premier landscape architects over a career spanning five decades. A native of Bunkie and Cottonport, Louisiana, Johnny received his undergraduate degree in 1973 from Louisiana State University. After a brief flirtation with law school, Johnny enrolled in the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, earning his Master of Landscape Architecture in 1976. Within weeks of graduating Johnny relocated to Houston, Texas to begin his professional career. 

During his time as a third-year landscape architecture student, Johnny began to collaborate with his friend and fellow LSU alum, Doug McDugald, on several design-build projects in Louisiana. These experiences were foundational for Johnny, providing him with a critical preview of the growing industry. At that time, landscape architecture firms offered design services almost exclusively. Having a professional enterprise that offered both design and installation services was so far removed from the industry standard that many looked down on it. 

Cognizant of this gap in the industry, Johnny and Doug decided to take advantage of the opportunity, and they formed McDugald-Steele Landscape Architects and Contractors, one of Houston’s first ever design-build companies. Timing was a boon for the nascent business, and McDugald-Steele grew quickly from landscaping fast food restaurants to large-scale corporate buildings and campuses before settling into the high-end residential space. By the mid 1980’s McDugald-Steele had a staff of 100 people, including designers, horticulturalists, maintenance specialists, and contractors. By the early 2000s, the company had become synonymous with quality landscape services, and competing firms had begun to crop up following the business model that Johnny established.

With the growing success of McDugald-Steele as a design-build firm, it became apparent that expanding into the wholesale nursery business was the next logical step into integrating landscape services for the Houston market. Seizing upon another overlooked opportunity, Johnny established a wholesale nursery in 1978 with another friend and Louisiana native, David Newton, eventually opening other branches around the Houston area and extending into Austin.

By 2000, Johnny decided to turn over the reins of operation at McDugald-Steele, his intention being to focus on the nursery side of the business. Although he remained tangentially involved in design projects for several years, it became clear that there remained a strong desire for Johnny’s unique talents in landscape design.  In 2009, support from a strong client base coalesced in the founding of a second design-build landscape architecture firm which was simply called Johnny Steele Design, Inc. Today, Johnny Steele Design remains one of Houston’s premiere landscape and design companies.

Johnny has always carried a strong passion for landscape architecture. Long before he achieved success in the profession, this passion led him to an LSU program that would become a foundational experience in his life and career. Between his first and second year at the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, Johnny took advantage of a study-abroad program for select students and faculty to travel abroad to study landscape architecture. On this European trip, Johnny would travel from Scotland, England, and France, to Spain, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Italy, and Russia, living in campus dorms and observing classes in landscape architecture wherever available. Having the benefit of traveling to some of Europe’s most significant landscape sites with a group of professors who were experts in the history and design of these places proved to be such a seminal opportunity that Johnny credits this trip with galvanizing his interest in pursuing a career as a landscape architect. Even at that early stage, two years before he would graduate, Johnny made a promise to himself that he would do his utmost to extend the same opportunity to future generations of landscape architecture students.

Although Houston has served as Johnny’s adoptive home for the last five decades, he has never strayed far from his Louisiana roots. Above all, Johnny credits the education he received at LSU with providing a foundation for his success in the field of landscape architecture. The creation of this scholarship fund is an acknowledgement of the lasting impact LSU has had on his career and reflects his desire to provide landscape architecture students with an opportunity that will inspire, challenge, and help realize a dream. 

“Good design is a patient search. This scholarship is intended to help continue that search and move it forward,” he said.

Celebrate Johnny Steele at the Houston Botanic Garden on Thursday, October 22, 2026.

About the Steele Scholars Program

The Steele Scholars Program provides one $50,000 award each year to support a fourth-year student in the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture who is preparing for a spring semester internship of significant professional value. One student will be selected annually. View application information.

About the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture

The Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture has established an international reputation as one of America’s leading and consistently top-ranked programs. Part of the LSU College of Art & Design, the school offers Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture programs. For more than 80 years, the program has produced landscape architects who practice all over the world and participate in the full spectrum of the discipline. For more information, visit landscape.lsu.edu.

Phillip Tebbutt Named Interim Director of the School of Interior Design

Art & Design, Interior Design, Faculty,
phillip tebbutt

Phillip Tebbutt

Phillip Tebbutt has been named the Interim Director of the School of Interior Design as of July 2026, following the retirement of former director Marsha Cuddeback.

Tebbutt, Associate Professor of Interior Design, is originally from Essex, United Kingdom. He spent five years in Scotland before the family moved to Hong Kong, where he spent formative years growing up. He attended British boarding school Dover College in Kent, UK and then the University of Brighton, at Sussex, UK, where he earned a BA Hons. in Architecture in 1983. He interned for a small architectural practice in London, David le Lay Architects. He completed a post-graduate diploma in architecture at the University of Westminster, London UK in 1987. He then began working for several notable firms as a consultant and freelance designer: Macmillan Scott, Abeta Interiors, Long Beach Interiors, Epstein Architects, Egal Yawetz Architects, Lee Colbeck Architects.

After a two-year hiatus traveling and working in Africa (he rode an overly large motorcycle from London to Cape Town, South Africa), Australia and the far east, he returned to London and set up his own firms Flip Designs and ICON-8. Working with renewed endeavors into design visualization and computer graphics, he worked with notable firms such as Newnham Borough Council Digital Archives, MLP Multimedia Inner Visions, Mark Guard Architects, Ove Arup Engineering and Architecture, and Barrett Lloyd Davis Associates.

In 1996 Tebbutt moved to the USA and started teaching at Louisiana State University. His aim has been to introduce computer drafting and visualization skills at all levels throughout the curriculum. The focus of his research is teaching design, with added affiliated skills and interests such as natural and artificial lighting of interiors and its digital representation, design and sustainability.

He is a registered licensed interior designer in the state Louisiana, having completed several private residences and some small commercial projects over the last ten years. Tebbutt served as Chair of the LSU Department of Interior Design for 2012-2013. Recent endeavors include exploring virtual reality as a teaching and design tool, and investigating and implementing other forms of augmented realities.

 

Kurt Culbertson Named Director of LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture

Art & Design, Landscape Architecture, Faculty,

Kurt CulbertsonLSU has named Kurt Culbertson, FASLA, FAICP, FCELA, an internationally recognized landscape architect, planner, educator, and LSU alumnus, as the new director of the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture. Culbertson begins his appointment on July 1, 2026.

A distinguished leader in the profession for more than five decades, Culbertson returns to his alma mater after an accomplished career spanning design practice, education, and international consulting. He will lead one of the nation’s premier landscape architecture programs, consistently ranked among the top programs in the field in the United States.

Culbertson earned his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from LSU before completing an MBA at Southern Methodist University and a PhD at Edinburgh College of Art. A Fulbright Scholar and Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), he is the former Chair and CEO of Design Workshop, where he guided the internationally recognized landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm for 33 years. During his career, he has led projects in 46 states and 23 countries, helping shape communities through innovative design and long-range planning.

“We are excited to welcome Kurt Culbertson back to LSU,” said Arne Flaten, Dean of the College of Art & Design. “He brings a wealth of experience, valuable industry connections, and the energy to carry the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture to the next level of exceptional success.”

Throughout his career, Culbertson has championed the role of landscape architecture in addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges, including climate resilience, sustainable development, community health, and cultural preservation. His work has earned numerous national and international honors, including the ASLA Medal and the 2026 ASLA Design Medal, two of the profession’s highest recognitions.

“I am honored to return to LSU, where my journey as a landscape architect began,” Culbertson said.

“The Robert S. Reich School of Landscape Architecture has long been a leader in design education, and I look forward to working with its exceptional faculty, students, alumni, and partners to build on that legacy. As envisioned by our founder, Robert S. Reich, the school prepares graduates to excel in practice, teaching, and research. At this moment, landscape architects have an essential role to play in addressing the environmental and social challenges facing our communities, while creating beautifully designed landscapes of enduring quality in Louisiana, across the nation, and around the world.”

Founded more than 80 years ago, the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture (RRSLA) has earned an international reputation for excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement. The school prepares students to address complex issues involving ecological systems, resilient communities, public space, and environmental stewardship through nationally recognized undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

As director, Culbertson will provide strategic leadership for the school’s academic programs, faculty, research initiatives, and partnerships while strengthening its role as a leader in landscape architecture education and practice.

Culbertson’s appointment comes at a time of continued momentum for the LSU RRSLA, whose students and faculty are advancing projects that improve communities throughout Louisiana while addressing critical issues such as coastal resilience, urban revitalization, and sustainable design. 

The College of Art & Design thanks Brent Fortenberry, Associate Dean of Research & Graduate Studies, who served as Interim Dean of RRSLA prior to Culbertson’s appointment.

Learn more about the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture.