While studying mathematics at The University of Texas at Dallas, Molly Harras BS’19 saw the value of a well-rounded educational experience.
Today, when she isn’t helping a client with data review needs, she is advancing the goals of her printmaking business: a skill she developed under the guidance of Lorraine Tady, associate professor of instruction at the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology at UT Dallas.
While at UT Dallas, she pursued a creative hobby that evolved into a passion project, offering a fulfilling challenge and a source of additional income.
Harras, who goes by Scout Ryman in her art career, moved from Shenandoah, Texas, to major in mathematics and minor in creative writing at UTD. Since graduating in 2019, she has built a career as a data analyst consultant, analyzing company data daily, evaluating findings, and organizing the information into clear, actionable reports.
“I love being able to solve data puzzles during working hours, then turn around and spend my free time creating with my hands,” Ryman said. “It’s extremely emotionally fulfilling. One of my dreams is to establish a routine of teaching others the art of printmaking.”
Ryman discovered printmaking in high school, drawing inspiration from the early 20th-century German art movement and the 1960s Chicano artists’ activist posters. She also found inspiration in Scott Avett, the lead singer of the folk-rock band The Avett Brothers and a block printing artist. When she arrived at UT Dallas, she learned about the campus printing presses and contacted Professor Tady.
“I spoke to her and told her I wasn’t an art major but was interested in the class,” she said. “During my time at UTD, I really valued the accessibility of the arts classes. All I had to do was send her an e-mail expressing why I wanted to take her class, and that was really, really nice. I would not be who I am today without those chances to take arts courses.”
Since Ryman already had block printing experience, she enrolled in one of Tady’s junior-level courses [JG1] as a freshman. In her junior year, she took an independent study course under Tady’s guidance, where she learned new techniques and executed her vision for a 4-foot-by-5-foot print.
For Tady, the skills she teaches at the Bass School extend far beyond mastering a craft. As a faculty member at UT Dallas, she has guided hundreds of art students and non-art majors through courses exploring a wide range of techniques. Throughout her teaching, she has witnessed how these practices positively impact her students’ lives.
“Immersive arts courses enhance one’s life,” Tady said. “Making things with your hands releases feel good chemicals in your brain. Careful observation of what we see in the world creates surprise and empathy. Inquisitive thinking strengthens our problem-solving skills. And making friends with uncertainty and play grows confidence.”
This spring, Tady will teach Typography Technology Image (ARTS 3363), Intermediate Painting (ARTS 3369), and Printmaking – Monotype & Relief Printing (ARTS 3373).
“We love students like Scout, who delve deeply into their artistic passion and take it beyond UTD in such a dynamic, life changing way!” Tady said.
Since graduating, Ryman has continued to create from home. She owns her printing press and has collaborated with Dallas–Fort Worth artists to sell and exhibit her work at local events, and at https://scoutryman.square.site/
“This culminated in my first solo gallery show in May on display at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. Truly, I could not have achieved this without my art education at UTD,” she said.
