The UCF College of Arts and Humanities announces the appointment of Dr. Keri Watson as director of the School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD).
Watson brings extensive experience in academic leadership, visual arts, and interdisciplinary scholarship to the role. Prior to this appointment, she has served as assistant director of the School of Visual Arts and Design, professor of art history, affiliated faculty member in the Texts and Technology Ph.D. program, and director of the Florida Prison Education Project.
Through her leadership at SVAD and the Florida Prison Education Project, Watson has supported interdisciplinary collaboration, expanded educational opportunities, and advanced engagement between the arts and broader communities.
Watson earned her Ph.D. in art history from Florida State University in 2010. Her research focuses on American art, visual culture, and the connections between art, history and public memory.
She is the author of Florida’s New Deal Parks and Post Office Murals (2024) and co-author of Visual and Performing Arts Collaborations in Higher Education: Transdisciplinary Practices (2023) with Julia Listengarten and This is America: Re-Viewing the Art of the United States (2023) with Keidra Daniels Navaroli. She also is co-editor of The Routledge Companion to Art and Disability (2022) with Timothy Hiles.
Watson’s scholarship has been recognized through a Fulbright Fellowship and support from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Midwest, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and the Society for the Preservation of American Modernists.
Watson sees this role as an opportunity to build on SVAD’s strengths while supporting faculty, students, and the school’s diverse creative disciplines.
“I’m honored to serve as director of the School of Visual Arts and Design and to build on the incredible work of our faculty, staff, alumni, and students,” said Watson. “SVAD is a place where creativity, scholarship, and innovation come together to prepare the next generation of artists, designers, and creative thinkers. I look forward to expanding opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, strengthening our connections with the community, and ensuring our students have the support and experiences they need to thrive at UCF and throughout their careers.”
Watson will lead SVAD’s continued growth across visual arts, art history, and design while supporting the school’s commitment to creative practice, research, and student success.