Ernest Milsted was born in Houma, Louisiana. He earned a B.A. from Nicholls State University and an M.F.A. from the University of Notre Dame. At Notre Dame, he was awarded the Kaneb Center for Learning's Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher Award, and The Snite Museum of Art awarded him the Walter R. Beardsley Award for his thesis exhibition. Ernest began teaching art and printmaking at Southeastern in 2006. In 2016, he was promoted to the rank of Professor. He was named the Irene Pennington Endowed Professor in the Visual Arts from 2013 to 2016, and was awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Artistic Activity by Dr. John Crain in 2017. He was named a Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Communication at Loyola University in 2024.
Along with Professor Lily Brooks and in collaboration with the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Facility, Professor Milsted has developed the ART 3200 - Art & the Environment course.
Professor Milsted has given lectures and printmaking demonstrations at universities such as the University of Notre Dame, the University of Dallas, and the Savannah College of Art and Design, Brazosport College and the University of Arkansas. He has exhibited his creative research in regional, national, and international exhibitions.
Most importantly, he is grateful to get to work with students while creating art and trying to learn something new.
