By College of Arts and Sciences staff, Washington State University
The David G. Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities (Pollart Center) welcomes Associate Professor Joe Hedges from the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Art as its new associate director. Hedges’s predecessor is Chris Dickey who assumed the Pollart Center director role in January. Supported by the Office of Research, the associate director leads the working group on arts and humanities and facilitates the grant process for arts and humanities research and creative projects.
The Pollart Center fosters scholarship and creative exploration that transcends traditional academic boundaries, tackling pressing questions of humanity’s collective past, present, and future. Through dynamic events and programs centered in arts, music, and humanities, it creates meaningful opportunities for public engagement and the discovery of new ideas.
“I am excited to meet and support other artists, musicians, writers, and creators and celebrate all the incredible work that is happening at WSU and beyond,” said Hedges. “The Pollart Center’s potential to foster interdisciplinary collaboration through creative thinking is crucial in addressing contemporary challenges. I look forward to working with Chris, Sara, and our Coug community to help define what the practical arts of the twenty-first century might look like.”
The Pollart Center’s potential to foster interdisciplinary collaboration through creative thinking is crucial in addressing contemporary challenges.
Joe Hedges, associate director
Washington State University
David G. Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities
Joining WSU in 2015, Hedges teaches painting and intermedia art in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is also an exhibiting contemporary multimedia artist working with oil painting, new media, and installation art. As the founder of the Pullman Arts Foundation, Hedges has led multiple large-scale mural projects, including the multi-tribal artist Lee Sekaquaptewa’s mural at the Palouse Discovery Science Center (2021), the 100-foot Riverside mural honoring Pullman’s waterfront (2023), and the Charles R. Conner Museum “Moose Room Mural” painted with WSU student involvement (2025).
“I am delighted to see Joe Hedges in the associate director role. His experience as an artist and his commitment to community engagement makes him an asset to the Pollart Center as we plan for the future,” said Dickey. “Joe’s ‘can do’ spirit promotes a strong sense of collaboration among the Pollart Center leadership, and with that collaboration I believe Joe will effectively lead many of the upcoming Pollart Center’s initiatives.”
Hedges’s do-it-yourself ethos and collaborative spirit developed while a front man for the rock band, July For Kings. It also informs his approach to creative community building and education. He is the recipient of a GAP Grant from Artist Trust and was recently featured in Create! Magazine and New American Paintings.
Learn more about the David G. Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities.