Visual artist David Stout to speak at APSU on Oct. 28
By: Dr. Andrea Spofford October 7, 2026
David Stout, a visual artist, composer, electronic instrumentalist and performance director. | Contributed photo
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s Department of Art + Design, with support from the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, will host composer, director, filmmaker, and visual artist David Stout for a free public lecture, At Home in the Uncanny Valley: The Play and Promise of a Latent Space, at 6 p.m. on Oct. 28 in the Sara & Mike Gotcher Theatre, Trahern Building Room 220.
From his early studies in drawing, painting, and performance, to his evolution as a video and sound artist, Stout discusses the relationships between sound, image, collaborative methods, and human potential enabled by emergent technologies. This presentation will include examples taken from his installations, performances, and recent award-winning films.
“I have been a fan and followed David’s work for many years,” said Barry Jones, a professor in the Department of Art + Design. “I’m thrilled he is coming to APSU and will share his amazing work with our students and community. I’m sure his talk will expand what our students see as possible for artists; sound, interactivity, programming, and other emergent technologies, as used in David’s work, can open up the world to us."
About the Artist
David Stout (MFA CalArts) is a visual artist, composer, electronic instrumentalist and performance director. His interdisciplinary approach includes studies across the traditional arts disciplines and an embrace of new and emerging technologies. Stout's award-winning works include live cinema, interactive video, electro-acoustic music and performances that integrate immersive projection as an extension of performer, audience and architecture. His recent projects examine the aesthetic possibilities for generative systems, artificial-life networks, and simulation environments. He is cofounder of the interactive media ensemble, NoiseFold, whose installations and performances have been exhibited worldwide, from Casablanca, Morocco to Marfa, Texas.
Stout is currently developing new work in electronic sound, visual music, audio-visual transcoding, virtual reality, and glassmaking. His recent foray into generative glass design includes the Artist in Residence (AIR) invitation at the Pilchuck Glass School and Artist in Residence at the Museum of Glass, where his work is in the museum’s permanent collection. Stout previously founded the MOV-iN Gallery for new media art and the Installation, Performance & Interactivity project (IPI) at the College of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He currently directs the Hybrid Arts Laboratory and coordinates the Initiative for Advance Research in Technology and the Arts (iARTA) at the University of North Texas, where he teaches Intermedia Performance and holds a joint professorship in music composition and studio art. Learn more about Stout’s work by visiting his website: https://davidstout.net/.
About the Department of Art + Design
Established in 1927, the Department of Art + Design is one of the original departments at Austin Peay State University. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the department offers studies in animation, art education, art history, ceramics, drawing, digital media, graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. The department is housed in the College of Arts and Letters and consists of 19 full-time faculty for approximately 350 students. Three on-campus galleries also support the art and design programs. In 2017, the department moved into a state-of-the-art building. The Department of Art + Design also houses the Goldsmith Press and Rare Type Collection, a remarkable collection of antique and vintage wooden letterforms. To learn more about the department, contact Scott Raymond, department chair, at raymonds@apsu.edu.
About the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts
Since 1985, the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or "seek-ah") has been providing students, the Clarksville community, and the Middle Tennessee region with engaging experiences through the Art + Design, Creative Writing, Music, and Theatre & Dance programs at APSU. CECA brings as many as 85 guest artists to Clarksville each year and presents up to 100 public arts and culture events annually, including concerts, exhibitions, artist lectures, master classes, artist residencies, and more. In addition, CECA provides the arts faculty at APSU with research opportunities to enhance their professional growth as well as numerous student scholarships each year to support APSU's own emerging artists. To learn more about the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts at APSU, contact Dr. Andrea Spofford at spofforda@apsu.edu.