David C. (“Kip”) Shawger, Jr. retired as Professor Emeritus of Theater Design at Ball State University in 2015. An award winning designer, his professional credits include scenery for American Entertainment Productions, Carnival Cruise Lines, Off-Broadway, Actors’ Theater of Indiana, Regional Theaters, and the PBS children’s television series The Adventures of Elmer and Friends. He has also been published in Theater Crafts Magazine and other leading theatrical journals, as well as the educational videos Where Do I Start? and How Do I Paint It? He is a past recipient of the University's Outstanding Creative Endeavor Award, Outstanding Faculty Service Award, College of Fine Arts Dean’s Teaching award and in 2001 he was presented the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center's Gold Medallion for excellence in theater. Shawger is a past National Chair of Design and Technology for the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival and served on the KCACTF National Executive Committee as member-at-large. He is also a member of the United States Institute for Theater Technology (USITT), the Association for Theater in Higher Education (ATHE) as well as the International Organization of Scenographers, Theater Architects and Technicians (OSTAT).  Dedicated to the education and training of young theater artists, his design students attend graduate programs and work in the professional theater and film industry from New York to Los Angeles.

Today, even though he’s retired, he continues to work as an Adjunct Professor Emeritus and serves as Ball State’s Theatre and Dance principle photographer. His theatrical photography has spread beyond Ball State. Kip has designed for and photographed many theatre and dance events for noted companies across the Mid-West including Actors Theatre of Indiana in Carmel, Indiana -- plus, Kip has been able to work with some really talented models in the glamour photography business…from runways, to advertising, to portraiture. In retirement, Kip continues to free-lance his theatrical scenic design work.

In addition to his theater endeavors, Kip is a passionate photographer and maintains a small, private photography studio in Muncie, Indiana. He is a member of Professional Photographers of America, the Indianapolis Professional Photographers Guild (member of the Board of Directors as Membership Director), and the Daguerre Club of Indiana. A winner of photographic awards, he principally centers his work on portraits and glamour photography.  In 2016, 2019 and 2020 he was presented a Top 10 Indiana Photographer Award by the Indiana State Fair and IPPG. His photographs have been published in magazines and have been exhibited online and in print juries.

Outside of his professional work, Kip is a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He enjoys traveling, golf, gardening, training and playing with his two dogs, and spending as many hours with his four grandsons as possible.