Facilities & History

Morehead State University and its predecessor institution, the Morehead Normal School, went from one makeshift classroom to the beautiful campus we see today over more than 135 years. The Department of Communication, Media, Art & Design continues to provide the classroom space and facilities to produce nationally-ranked programs and successful graduates.

During the Morehead Normal School years, the then-named Department of Art was in the cramped confines of the Allie Young Hall basement. In the 1960s, art faculty Naomi Claypool and Thomas Don Young began pushing for an art building across University Boulevard from Thompson Hall. With the support of President Adron Doran, the Claypool-Young Art Building was completed in 1968. It was the first art building constructed at a state university in Kentucky.

In May 2018, MSU officially dedicated the Golding-Yang Art Gallery to honor the late Deeno Golding, his wife Yanya Yang, and brother-in-law Neng Yang.

Claypool-Young Art Building

The Claypool-Young Art Building is the center for undergraduate and graduate art and design students. The facility houses fully equipped art studios, multimedia classrooms, a 21-station Apple Macintosh computer lab, and an award-winning art gallery.

The distinctive architectural style of Claypool-Young stands out on campus. A unique feature of the building's architecture is its north-facing skylights. With most studios situated on the north side of the building, Morehead State students have the advantage of working in studios with the north light prized by artists and designers.

Each area of our programs requires special equipment and studio space specific to teaching that discipline. Teaching studio art requires welding, casting, woodworking equipment, ceramic wheels and kilns, printing presses, photo enlargers, easels, painting storage racks, special drawing tables, and more. Graphic design and computer art courses require state-of-the-art computers, software, tablets, scanners, printers, and digital imaging equipment. Art history students enjoy a large auditorium with the latest multimedia lecture equipment.

Morehead State University is also one of only two institutions in Kentucky utilizing a wood-fired kiln.

Breckinridge Hall

Breckinridge Hall is one of the oldest buildings on campus. It was built on the corner of University Boulevard in 1931 to provide Morehead State Normal School with a laboratory for teacher training.

Previously known to many as Breckinridge Training School and University Breckinridge School, MSU used the four-story building for 51 years as its laboratory for prospective teacher training that housed all 12 grades.

Today, Breckinridge Hall is home to MSU's communication and media programs. It also houses programs from the Department of Music, Theater & Dance and the Department of English & Modern Languages.

The award-winning National Public Radio affiliate, Morehead State Public Radio (MSPR), the student-run newspaper The Trail Blazer, and the campus television station MSU-TV also operate out of Breckinridge Hall.