Athens,AL – Shaun Everett Forester,an Athens State University graduate student poised to become the program’s first Master of Fine Arts in Integrative Art graduate in December 2025,credits the mentorship of Studio Art Head Jamie Adams as pivotal to his career transformation. Forester, originally from Arlington, Massachusetts, says Adams’ guidance steered him from a career as a line cook toward becoming a highly accredited professional artist.
Forester earned an associate degree from Calhoun Community College before completing his bachelor’s degree and enrolling in the MFA program at Athens State. He highlighted the quality of the University’s studio arts education, stating, “Though the original driving factor of this decision was financial, I can say with great certainty that the quality of studio arts education is second to none.”
The MFA program, Athens State’s first terminal degree in its 200-year history, recently received full accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) alongside the University’s Bachelor of Art and Bachelor of Fine Arts programs. This accreditation provides national recognition for Athens State art students’ credentials.
Forester plans to become a tenure-track professor of art, inspired by mentors like Adams and Program Director Pamela Keller. “The most good I can do in this field is to teach, thus, I am compelled to do so,” he said. “I am proud to be a force multiplier in the arts and, most importantly, give social and economic mobility to people working hard for a better life.”
Throughout his studies,Forester has also participated in national arts workshops and connected with artists across the country,opportunities he attributes to Athens State’s focus on community building and excellence.
