Posted on Friday, February 20, 2026
Associate Professor of Art and Design Carolyn Ford plans to give the LaGrange College 3D Journeys audience a bit of “Ooh La La” in her Feb. 23 lecture, “The Art of France.”
The 3D Journeys lecture and travel program is in its 16th year of offering local audiences an opportunity to “Discover, Discuss and Develop” through free lectures and optional travel. The current series focuses on the “charm and beauty” of France.
“Certainly the beauty of France is reflected in its art, making this a fascinating lecture topic. Whether you plan to travel or not, we encourage you to join us for an enriching and stimulating morning,” said Carolyn Wynens, a LaGrange College alum who co-chairs the volunteer 3D Journeys committee with Dr. Lauranne Buchanan.
This time last year, Professor Ford could not have imagined that she’d be a presenter for the 3D series. A shocking misfortune put her on the path to the podium.
Ford was happily settled in her 22nd year as an art professor at Limestone University in Gaffney, S.C. She had chaired the art department, managed the gallery and earned both tenure and a reputation as a gifted ceramicist. In late April, Limestone trustees, citing “insurmountable financial difficulties,” voted to close the university. Ford and more than 450 other college staff and faculty suddenly were unemployed.
“I was devastated,” said Ford, who was deeply involved in the Gaffney community, where she lived with her husband and dog in the historic district, near the historic campus, founded in 1845.
The opportunity to join the LaGrange College faculty was an answered prayer.
“I was hoping for a place to fall in love with again,” she said.
The beautiful campus, excellent art facilities and hospitable welcome impressed her from day one. Known for her energy and outgoing personality, Ford has embraced her new teaching responsibilities and thrown herself into the life of the college and community.
“I love to constantly mix and mingle,” said Ford. And she appreciates that LaGrange is small enough to “really get to know people.”
On her first visit to LaGrange, she was impressed to see the community is involved with the college.
“And since I’ve been here, I have found a booming arts community, with vibrancy and participation.”
The 3D Journeys program fits squarely into her belief system.
“Shouldn’t we all be forever learners?” she said.
It also jives with her lifelong interest in travel. A Tennessee native, she studied abroad while pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Middle Tennessee State and Master of Fine Arts at Washington State, where she earned a full scholarship. Her specialties are drawing and ceramics.
During her years at Limestone, Ford led multiple study abroad trips for students, once going so far as to make and sell mugs to help support the trip.
Ford loves that travel expands horizons and promotes appreciation of other cultures.
“But it also makes you appreciate home,” she said.
A lover of history, Ford often draws on “home” for her artwork. She uses folklore, regional slang and colloquialisms for inspiration and searches out “the origin story” of old sayings and customs, incorporating them in her work. Like a storyteller, she’s inclined to “enrich and embellish” and to infuse a bit of humor—sometimes nostalgic, sometimes spicy—in her art.
She hopes to do the same in her lecture.
“We will think about the entertainment aspect of art,” she said.
Self-described as adventurous and energetic, Ford is a producing artist whose works have been widely exhibited, including a current show of low relief ceramic pieces at the Dodd Center.
“I am a better mentor when I am creating work,” she said.
Category: Arts and Culture, College, Community
Keywords: Education, Travel
