UT Printmaking Newsletter: Fall 2024
This annual newsletter celebrates the professional and life achievements of students, alumni, faculty, and staff from the UT School of Art’s Printmaking Program. We are proud of our record of creative activity, and grateful to have our graduate program recognized as 3rd among public universities by U.S. News and World Report. We hope that you enjoy this on-line edition and encourage our alumni to keep in touch.
Our big news is the hiring of J. Leigh Garcia, who joins our faculty as an associate professor after teaching at Kent State University since 2019 where she helped to host two MAPC Conferences.
Garcia received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her BFA from the University of North Texas. She has received numerous awards for her work including the Emerging Printmaker Award from Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI); New Faculty Outstanding Research and Scholarship Award from Kent State University; Gamblin Emerging Artist Award; and Arts Institute Sinaiko Frank Graduate Fellowship for a Woman in the Arts. Her work is included in over 15 permanent collections including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, WI; National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, IL; Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, TX; Zuckerman Museum of Art, Kennesaw, GA; and Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University. As a biracial Latina, a seventh-generation Texan of European descent on her mom’s side and granddaughter of Mexican immigrants on her dad’s, her work is informed by her ancestry. Major events in Texas history such as the Mexican-American War, Battle of the Alamo, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and Bracero Program have created a complex relationship between her two cultures: white Texans and mestizo Mexicans. Products of these historical events—particularly undocumented immigration and the racialization of Mexicans—are both the context and focus of her practice. In May, Leigh gave birth to her firstborn, Diego Lee Ryan. jleighgarcia.com
LEFT PHOTO: J. Leigh Garcia. RIGHT PHOTO: J. Leigh Garcia, “Más que Hoy,” PVC relief print, 22 x 15 inches, 2020
In March we mourned the passing of Richardson (Rick) Turner, Jr. who, along with his wife Marilyn, was a tremendous supporter of the UT Printmaking Program. He often worked in our studios on weekends, employing the assistance of our graduate students, to whom he also provided sage advice and counsel in matters of both art and life. Our program will be enriched for years through the establishment of the Rick and Marilyn Turner Printmaking Endowment. CLICK HERE to contribute.
To learn more about our activities, we encourage you to visit our UTKPRINT YouTube Channel, which includes technical demonstrations and lectures by our visiting artists, faculty, and students. This resource is not only an educational tool for our students, but currently has 690 subscribers. You can also hear broadcasts of many of our visiting artist lectures on the UTK School of Art Vimeo Channel. We are proud of our legacy of making and teaching, and encourage you to visit our webpage on the history of printmaking at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
This past year our Printmaking Showcase Gallery included an exhibition of prints and books by Eric Avery MD, who came to campus to in October for ten days to complete an ambitious print that addressed zoonotic diseases for a project funded through the UT Humanities Center as part of the university’s OneHealth Initiative. The print combined a large linocut with photo lithography, screenprint and chine collé. Other exhibitions in the Showcase Gallery this year included an exchange portfolio from the Frogman’s Printmaking Workshop and an exhibition of color intaglios by UTK alumna Heather Muise (MFA ’00).
Our linkage with the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw, Poland has been in place for more than 16 years. This year Chloe Wack and Anthony Huang, who had just completed their MFA shows, were able to spend a month in Poland as guest artists and we look forward to hosting two of their graduate students Łucja Bańkowska and Julia Błaszczyk in September.
Looking ahead, we are excited about our plans to host Baltimore-based printmaker Latoya Hobbs for a collaboration in September in conjunction with an exhibition by the group Black Women of Print at the UT Downtown Gallery. Tanekeya Word, founder of Black Women of Print, will also be part of a professional development workshop. In March we are hosting two artists from Pangrok Sulap, a printmaking cooperative from Borneo that will be in Knoxville for a week-long community-based project that will be featured at the 2025 Big Ears Festival. The UT Print Club has been active, with print sales and open house events, and we plan to have a strong presence at the SGC International Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico April 2-5, 2025. We hope you will consider attending as we will host our annual alumni reunion.
ALUMNI NEWS
B. J. Alumbaugh (MFA ‘16) operates Cryptic Press, pursuing letterpress projects and freelance design work. Two years ago, he acquired Retrospect Vintage Store on Central Ave. in Knoxville as a platform for bringing culture to the masses. He also continues to create experimental music, performing around the Southeast. bjalumbaugh.berta.me
Laura Atkins (BFA ‘96) works as director of marketing and sales at the Horticulture Lighting Group, based in Maynardville, Tennessee.
Bryan Baker (MFA ‘03) operates Stukenborg Press based in Grayson, GA near Atlanta. He is primarily using his presses for artwork, but still does packaging for a couple record labels, and some occasional event ephemera. He recently joined the board of directors at APS (Atlanta Printmakers Studio) where he has recently been teaching classes and workshops. @stukenborgpress
Gabrielle Barnhart (Buuck) (BFA ‘18) is the co-director of West Fifth Studios, located in Old North Knoxville.
Sukenya Best (MFA ‘07) completed her sixth-year as an “On the Road Coordinator” for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, traveling around the Commonwealth of Virginia with the Artmobile. sukenyabestartistry.com
Ali Bhimani (BFA ’20) graduated from a master’s degree in Muslim Society and Civilizations on full-scholarship from the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) based in London, UK with a joint degree in postgraduate studies for reflective teaching practice from University-College London (UCL). He is currently teaching 7-8th grade Religious Education in Atlanta, GA.
James Boychuk-Hunter (MFA ‘15) has taken a new position as the Technical Coordinator, Department of Art and Design, University of Alberta. Jamespbhunter.com
Craig Branum (BFA ‘10) was promoted at the Cooper Union where he is the Jamf Administrator, responsible for administering the software (Jamf Pro) used to manage the Macintosh computers. He also serves as a Senior Academic Support Technician managing the “Media Lab,” where much of the 2D printing takes place. This lab also provides access to computers, scanners, and other equipment for students to utilize. craigbranum.com
Zoe Brester-Pennings (MFA ’23) was an Artist-in-Residence in Printmaking last year at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, during which she maintained the printshop, taught community classes, introduced students to printmaking, and created a new body of work, resulting in her solo exhibition, “Horseplay: A Buck Wilde Sideshow.” Last year her work was included in the Winter Juried Show at the Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha and Commonwealth Gallery in Madison Wisconsin. She recently finished curating her first pink-themed print exchange, known as PINKMAKING, featuring artists from all over the country and hopes to make this an annual exchange. She has accepted a position as a Visiting Assistant Professor for the 2024-2025 academic year at the Cleveland Institute for the Arts, Cleveland, OH. zoebp.xyz
Deborahmae Broad (MFA ’80) retired from teaching at Minnesota State University, Moorhead, in 2003. She continues to make prints in a studio in a remodeled barn. deborahmaebroad.com
Danqi Cai (MFA ’23)completed the first year in a tenure-track position teaching foundations at the University of Arkansas. Highlights include participating in a themed portfolio exchange at the SGCI Conference in Providence, RI, and presenting two papers, one at the College Art Association Conference in Chicago, IL, and the other at the SECAC Conference in Richmond, VA. This year, she was named a Robert C. and Sandra Connor Endowed Faculty Fellowship by the University of Arkansas’s Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. She piloted a pedagogical collaboration with Dr. Joomi Lee from the Communication Department this spring and received a Student Success Grant to develop further. In July she was awarded a residency at the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory & Educational Foundation in Cleveland, OH. This summer, Danqi visited her husband Semih’s home country, Türkiye, for the first time. They held a reception. danqicai.com
Gino Castellanos (MFA ’24) has moved to West Palm Beach, Florida where he and his wife Helen bought a small house. He will be teaching printmaking, foundations and art appreciation at Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College. Gino will be working as co-chair in planning for the SGC International conference in Puerto Rico. https://ginocastellanos.com/fineart/
Deb Chaney (BFA ’01), a Tamarind Master Printer, lives and works in La Force, France and upstate New York, collaborating with artists printing alongside her husband, a fellow collaborative printer, Stéphane Guilbaud. They had multiple exhibitions this past year showing works printed throughout their careers as professional printers, as well as their own editions they publish as D&S Fine Art Editions. These include two in France at Artcurial in Paris and Chateau de Vogüe in Ardêche, and at Print Center New York as part of their Publisher Spotlight program. www.dsfinearteditions.com
Mary Climes (MFA ’21) completed the second-year of a tenure track position at the University of Wisconsin Stout. There she leads the Comics Concentration as one of the largest programs in the Studio Art department, she also teaches Advanced and Foundations drawing. This past summer Mary won the Blue Ribbon for Drawing at the Minnesota State Fair. www.maryclimes.com
Muriel Condon (MFA ’22) is now holding an education fellowship and exhibitions coordinator at the Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramics Arts in Helena, Montana. She has been teaching part-time at Helena College, and has been pursuing a continued collaboration with Lila Shull (MFA ‘19) with exhibitions in Kansas City and Iowa. Muriel was a panelist for the 2024 SGC International panel “Sloppy Print” discussing interdisciplinary print practice. https://www.murielcondon.com/
Eleanor Dickinson (MFA ’07) is an independent artist in Little Rock, Arkansas, creating works informed by her world travels, recently to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangkok. She teaches Mixed Media Printmaking at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art, and private lessons in her studio. https://eleanordickinson.org
Tim Dooley (MFA ‘98) is a Professor at theProfessor the University of Northern Iowa. Tim and his colleague, Aaron Wilson, create various collaborative projects involving printmaking and other media. https://moberggallery.com/artist/wilson-dooley/
Callie Farmer (BFA ‘10) is an instructor teaching printmaking, drawing, and art history at Fayetteville Technical Community College where she teaches Drawing, Printmaking and Art history courses. https://www.calliefarmerartist.com/
Helen Farmer (BFA ‘06) lives in Greenville, SC and devotes most of her time to raising three girls while being an avid gardener. She also has studio projects in the works. https://www.greenvillearts.com/arts-directory/helen-farmer-edwards/
Ben Fox-McCord (BFA ‘09) works at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville University Printing Services and continues to make art pursuing drawing and screenprinting. Along with his wife Natalie McLaurin, they are active parents to Clementine (age 5) and Bettie (age 3).
Robert Gaston (BFA ‘89) founded Gaston Design Inc. in 1996, producing high-quality dinosaur replica casts. His fabrication facility is in Fruita, CO, in the heart of the American Southwest’s Dinosaur Triangle. His work has been featured at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, and the Fernbank Museum in Atlanta. He organized Mexican Roots, an exhibition of Mexican masks for the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (May 4 – August 18, 2024), which is available to travel to other venues. www.gastondesign.com
Jessica Gatlin (MFA ‘17) completed the fifth-year as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. She taught summer at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg. https://jvgatlin.com/
Rich Gere (MFA ‘92) serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. This year he spearheaded the renovations and move for the department’s studio classrooms and operations. Recent exhibitions have included invitational and juried shows at MVA Gallery, Bethlehem PA; Callanwolde Center for the Arts, Atlanta GA; Gallery Marzen and Edgewood Galleries, Madison WI; Gallery Hohenthal und Bergen, Berlin Germany; Santa Fe Print Fair, Santa Fe NM ;and Artivism Biennale/ The Dream, Sorano Venezia, Italy. Current and upcoming exhibitions include; Parcarina Grabado, Quito, Ecuador; #Hashtag Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico; and Palazzo Pisani Revedin, Venice, Italy. UAB Profile
Gregory Graham (MFA ‘82) lives in MinneapolisMonneapolis, MN and is represented by Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis, MN where he was part of a group exhibition “ Pools, Parks & Landmarkss” held this summer. http://gregorygrahamart.com
James Greene (MFA ‘06) is a Customer Experience Librarian and Zine Librarian at the Jacksonville Public Library in Florida, specializing in crafting public arts programs and events. By night, he draws and self-publishes comic books. This summer the library hosted the third annual DCAZ (Duval Comics and Zines) Festival, featuring 75 tabling creators, a live RISO press jam, and a Lit Chat with graphic novelist Nate Powell. In 2023, James’ eldest son Elias, born in Knoxville during his studies, graduated from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville. He now studies sculpture and printmaking at the University of North Florida. https://www.james-greene-art.com/
Jennifer Haston (Leach) (MFA ‘05) resides in Nashville where she is the Visual Arts Coordinator for Friends Life Community, which provides opportunities for teenagers and adults with developmental disabilities. An avid gardener, she also leads gardening classes at FLC. She exhibited her work last year at Elephant Gallery in Nashville. @jennifer_haston
Justin Helton (BFA ‘07), owner of Status Serigraph, creates design and poster work for a variety of national and international clients in the music and entertainment industry, including officially licensed prints for clients like the Grateful Dead, South Park, Tom Segura, and Dave Matthews Band. https://statusserigraph.com/
Jace Hermanto (BFA ’23) has been awarded a graduate assistantship to Arizona State University where he is pursuing his MFA in Studio Art.
Mark Hosford (MFA ‘01) is a Professor of Art at Vanderbiltat the Vanderbilt University where he just concluded several years as department chair, and will have a year-long leave to pursue his creative work. Last year he exhibited his work as part of thepart the 2024 Screenprint Biennial at the Rensselar Polytechnic Institute. https://sugarboypress.com/
Jade Hoyer (MFA ’16) completed her second-year as an assistant professor teaching printmaking at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she’s she excited to begin research making paper from the local prairie. This school year Jade was an Artist Practitioner Fellow at the Center for Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown University, was awarded a grant through the Minnesota State Arts Board to complete a collaborative papermaking project with students at a local elementary school, and presented/ exhibited at the SECAC and SGCI conferences. https://www.jadehoyer.com
Anthony Huang (MFA ’24) finished his Poland residency at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Poland, where he had a two-person exhibition with fellow cohort member Chloe Wack (MFA ’24). He had an invitational one-person exhibition Flow at Link & Pin Gallery this January as a part of the 2024 PrintAustin event. In February, he led a group of eight UTK printmaking undergraduate and graduate studentsstudent to Arkansas State University where he presented a monotype workshop and public lecture. His work was selected in “Works on Paper” in Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences and he was interviewed by Miranda Metcalf for the podcast Hello, Print Friend for an episode for release this fall. In August he began as a full-time faculty member teaching printmaking and drawing at Dallas College in Dallas, Texas. anthonyhuangtn.com
Raluca Iancu (MFA ‘15), is an assistant professor teaching printmaking at Iowa State University. She returned to Japan this summer for another artist residency at Mi-LAB, at their new location in Echizen, Fukui. She is co-PI for a, $50,000 grant through Iowa State University Office of the Vice President for Research + The Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, Iowa State University to establish a papermaking studio and was also the recipient of the Polster Family Teaching Award, College of Design, Iowa State University. Raluca helped to organize the Start Something: Spectrum of Innovation Symposium through The Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, Iowa State University. Her work has been in exhibitions in Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Japan. ralu.ca
PHOTO: Raluca Iancu, “Overpasses,” mokuhanga, 12 x 12 inches, 2023
Gareth Jones (MFA ‘94) is a Senior Lecturer in Design Media at the Institute of Creativity and Innovation, which is a partnership between the University for the Creative Arts (United Kingdom) and Xiamen University, China.
Elizabeth Klimek (MFA ‘97) resides in Damascus, MD where she teaches art at the Damascus Christian Homeschool Co-op as well as keeping her current adjunct position for the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. Liz was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and has undergone treatment successfully. She currently makes prints, drawing and painting to give to fellow cancer patients. elizabethklimek.com
Yas Kumagai (BFA ‘93) is currently a senior manager at Art Front, Tokyo, where he has been working for the past 30 years. In addition to an exhibition program, Art Front provides comprehensive art consulting and related services. He recently helped to coordinate two of the largest art festivals in Asia, the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial in Niigata, Japan and the Setouchi Triennial held in Kagawa and Okayama, Japan. He has also been involved in the Tokyo Chapter of the UT Alumni Association.
Shaurya Kumar (MFA ‘07) is a professor in the department of printmedia at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Kumar is also currently the Chair of Faculty at SAIC, an elected five-year position voted by all full-time and part-time faculty. In this role, Kumar establishes and oversees programs for faculty development as teachers, as practitioners and as researchers. He develops systems and processes for mentoring all faculty, designs new faculty orientations, department chairs training and onboarding, promotion and tenure processes and overall directs all full-time faculty hiring procedures. Kumar also served as the Director of DEI for Academic Affairs for the last 1.5 years where he supervised the work of the DEI office and organized over 13 different talks, workshops and panels on various topics. Kumar’s work was included in the exhibition What is Seen and Unseen: Mapping South Asian American Art in Chicago at the South Asia Institute, Chicago, IL; and will be featured in upcoming art fairs in Delhi, Mumbai, Abu Dhabi and Dubai with Gallery Threshold. His work will also be featured in exhibitions Lost in Translation at Gallery Threshold in New Delhi, and Duchamp’s Legacy Unboxed: Exploring the Boite en Valise at Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai, India. shauryakumar.com
Lauren Kussro (MFA ‘06) is an Associate Professor of Art at the University of Houston-Clear Lake in Houston, Texas. laurenkussro.com
Noah Lagle (MFA ’23) is the manager of the studios, facilitator for adult programs, printmaking instructor, and currently launching a new Artist in Residence program at Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens, GA. This fall he will be teaching letterpress at the University of Georgia. noahlagle.com
Nancy (Becker) Laemlein (MFA ’81) retired from an academic career in the arts and then IT systems (University of Tennessee and University of Rochester) in 2016. Living in her native Finger Lakes, NY, she is an independent artist, now painting in gouache.
Emmy Lingscheit (MFA ‘12) is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Over the last year her work was exhibited in several group exhibitions, and she was an artist-in-residence at St. Michael’s Printshop in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Emmy and her partner Guen Montgomery (MFA ‘12) welcomed their daughter Louisa in November 2023, and she’s already a seasoned traveler. emmylingscheit.com
Chance Losher (BFA ’12) regularly sets up his art at concerts and festivals across the Midwest and Southeast regions of the USA. Some highlights include festivals at Red Rocks in Colorado and The Caverns in Tennessee, where he displays his art alongside some of his favorite bands as well as internationally renowned artists. You can also find his work in local art and craft markets in Knoxville. www.professorrainbow.com
Abigail Lucien (MFA ’17) is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Hunter College in New York City. They are represented by Deli Gallery in New York. Lucien received the 2023 Sondheim Award, was named to the 2021 Forbes “30 Under 30 list,” is a recipient of a 2023 Ruby’s Award, the 2021 VMFA Fellowship and the 2020 Harpo Emerging Artist Fellowship. @abigaillucien
PHOTO: Abigail Lucien, “A song of ascents’,” soap, enamel, chicken foot, beeswax, rebar. 2020
Tim Massey (BFA ‘85) having retired from SUNY Brockport, has spent the past year focused on completing major renovations of his woodshop and print studio in south Knox County. He was commissioned by to design and paint a community sign and has been screen printing t-shirts for a growing market. He participated in “Strike Proof,” a print exchange organized by Professor emeritus Peter Massing (Marshall University) which was presented at the 2024 Southern Graphics Conference in Providence, RI. Timothymassey.com
Daniel Maw (MFA ‘10) completed his 12th year of teaching at Laramie County Community College and his 3rd year as Director of the Esther and John Clay Fine Art Gallery. He lives in Ft. Collins, CO. danielmaw.com
Ashlee Mays (MFA ’20) is the Curatorial Director of the Museum of Infinite Outcomes. With the support of the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Art and Culture Alliance, the Museum has hosted ecologically focused art classes to the greater Knoxville community provided at a sliding scale. museumofinfiniteoutcomes.com
Jesse McAdams (BFA ’18) currently teaches at Pigeon Forge High School where his program is the beneficiary of funding from Dolly Parton.
Conor McGrann (MFA ‘21), resides in St. Paul, MN. H where he is the Digital Studio Arts Technician at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, where he maintains the printshop and photo-lab and facilitates the use of digital and analog interactions for faculty, staff, and students in the Art & Art History Department. cgmcgrann-editions.com
Sara Marie Miller (MFA ‘11) is living in Boulder, CO working as an artist, herbalist and postpartum doula. She teaches a couple workshops each month about art, plants and wellness and hosts a regular podcast called Thyme in the Studio. It’s a nourishing space for creatives and plant people and features lively interviews with artists, herbalists and assorted experts. You can connect with her on instagram @saramariestudio or visit her website www.aidazea.com
Emmett Merrill (MFA ’20) continues his partnership in the fine art printmaking studio, Grafik House, where he runs the lithography program. Last year, he participated in 14 group exhibitions across the country, as well as a one-person exhibition titled “Bye.” at Monaco USA in St. Louis. He organized a community arts event called Seeing Double that hosted 15 midwestern artists to display their work and hold public printmaking demonstrations. He was awarded a grant from the Regional Arts Commission to develop a Risograph program at Grafik House and also taught three weekend intensive lithography workshops throughout the year. In the Spring, he was invited to Fresno State University as a visiting artist to lecture and create a lithographic edition. This Summer, he taught lithography at Frogman’s Printmaking Workshops at the University of Iowa. He is also currently an adjunct instructor at Webster University where he teaches Drawing, Printmaking and Foundations. www.emmettmerrill.com
Emily Minnie (MFA ‘03) and Josh Minnie (MFA ‘04) co-own and operate The Pattern Farm, a wallpaper company based in Iowa City, IA that specializes in collaboration with artists and designers to create custom wallpapers for residential, commercial, and artist installations. thepatternfarm.com, www.emilyminnie.com.
Guen Montgomery (MFA ‘12) is an assistant professor of art at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana where she is active in mentoring graduate students, university service, and is teaching subjects ranging from printmaking to sculpture. guenmontgomery.com
Heather Muise (MFA ‘00) teaches printmaking at East Carolina University. In the past year, her work has been included in several national and international exhibitions, including Disrupting the Matrix, Elder Gallery, Charlotte, NC; and the Printmaking Showcase Gallery at UTK. Recently her work was included in the permanent collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia. heathermuise.com
Daniel Ogletree (MFA ‘14) teaches printmaking and drawing as a part-time instructor at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas and the College of Southern Nevada. He coordinates the art gallery at Clark County Wetlands Park. Annual highlights include an exhibit of paintings and drawings created “en plein air” during the park’s Art Day event and an exhibit showcasing its Artist in Residence program. Daniel and Kay Leigh Farley (MFA ‘16), now tenured at UNLV, celebrated their fifth year of marriage and look forward to welcoming a baby boy in September.www.danielogletree.com
Lindsey Orrin (BFA ’18) and her partner are Flamgu, traveling in a large, painted box truck to perform live painting at art and music festivals where they sell their work. This summer she was at festivals in Aspen and Breckenridge, CO. @flamgu
Jessica Owings-Crouch (MFA ‘04) resides in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her family. She runs an independent and occasionally collaborative venture, The State Park Press, a letterpress and fine art studio. thestatepark.com
Jen Poppen (BFA ’93) completed her MFA from the University of New Mexico following her studies at Tennessee. She is a mother, artist, and art educator in rural Ohio where she teaches K-5 art. Several of her illustrations were recently published in a children’s book and she has completed different murals in her rural community. @poppenjen
Dana Potter (MFA ‘20) begins a new position this fall as an Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Furman University in Greenville, SC, relocating from the University of Northern Iowa where she taught the past four years. Last year, Dana Potter was awarded an Iowa Arts Council Grant to support the creation of her new series, “Human in the Loop.” She exhibited this work as part of the three-person group show “Seeing is Believing” at CSPS in Cedar Rapids, IA, alongside printmakers Mary Claire Becker and Kathryn Combs. Potter presented on the panel “Playback” at the SGCI Conference in Providence, Rhode Island, and exhibited her screen-prints “Bits of Information” at the Lawrence Art Center’s juried exhibition “Celebrate Print” in Lawrence, KS. Additionally, she showcased a two-person collaborative exhibition, “Retrack,” at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA. Potter has been the program coordinator and graphic designer for Open Air Media Festival in Iowa City, IA, a projection, performance, and installation event. This year’s 5th annual festival drew record crowds and was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and Andy Warhol Foundation. She was a visiting artist at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, and the University of Indiana Bloomington, Bloomington, IN. danapotterart.com
Tatiana Potts (MFA ‘16) has accepted a tenure track position as an Assistant Professor of Printmaking and Book Arts at Western Carolina University. She continues to work with her students on children’s books in collaboration with Cherokee learners. They made four different books, an edition of ten each which she presented for a panel at the SECAC conference in Richmond, VA. Tatiana presented a one-person exhibition at Walter State Community College, Morristown, TN and participated in Absent/Present printmaking and book arts exhibition and conference at the Eugeniusz Geppert Art Academy in Wroclaw, Poland. She also showed her artist books at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, NC; The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts, Highlands, NC; and her paper installation at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA. tatianapotts.com
Lisa Renz (MFA ‘07) is living in Northern Virginia with her husband, Nathaniel, and homeschooling her son, Winston, while also continuing to make art. She also is starting to study with a death doula, a non-medical emotional support person at end of life. www.lisarenz.com
Katie Ries (MFA ’10) continues to teach, parent, and make work in Green Bay, Wisconsin where she teaches at St. Norbert College. This past fall Katie Ries and her collaborators presented about their project Really Big Prints at Wayzgoose, the annual print and design conference hosted by the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum. In the spring, she enjoyed a sabbatical and worked in a studio in the historic Bellin Building and was fortunate to study mokuhanga with Mary Brodbeck and risography with BearBear Studio. katieries.com
Clifton Riley (MFA ‘13) lives in Houston, Texas, where he works at RS Industrial Arts, a custom fabrication firm, and continues to make prints and drawings. cliftonriley.com
Bethany Robertson (BFA ‘10) is a lead designer for Google focusing on user interface (UI) design. brober.xyz
Jennifer Scheuer (MFA ‘14) completed fourth year as an assistant professor and seventh year at Purdue University. This summer Scheuer attended residencies at InCahoots Studio in Petaluma, CA, at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, CA, and the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland, OH. In the fall of 2023, their artwork was acquired by the Rourke Art Museum, in Moorhead, MN. Scheuer presented on the “Reading Between the Lines: Notes from the Archives” panel at the 2024 SGCI conference and organized the portfolio “Paper Toys.” This fall Scheuer will have a large solo exhibition at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN. Scheuer is co-organizing an exhibition with Mary Claire Becker titled “Plant Speak,” for the 2024 MAPC conference. jenniferscheuer.com
Sarah Shebaro (MFA ‘08) is a multidisciplinary artist, printmaking instructor, designer, illustrator, and DJ based in Knoxville, TN. sshebaro.com
Veronica Siehl (MFA ’10) is based in Chicago, IL where she practices as a UX/UI Product Designer. Outside of work Veronica enjoys loom weaving at the Chicago Weaving School, and engaging in various creative activities solo and in community with others. veronicasiehl.com vsiehl.com
Jason Shoemaker (MFA ‘11) is a web developer for Spadefoot Media based in Knoxville and continues to make art in his home studio. He and his wife, Lauren are parents to their one-year-old Zooey.
Roxanna Shohadaee (BFA ’11) is the founder of habRitual, which is an experiential production, interdisciplinary design and immersive art studio based in Emeryville, California. Clients have included the Burning Man Project, Planet Home and UC Irvine. habritual.studio
Lila Shull (MFA ‘19) is based in St. Paul, Minnesota, and recently was promoted to full-time faculty within the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. She is an active member of the Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis, where she has taught numerous printmaking workshops to community members throughout the past year. This past November, Lila and Muriel Condon (MFA ‘23) had a two-person exhibition at United Colors Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri, and are preparing another joint exhibition at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa at the beginning of 2025. She continues to exhibit nationally and has recently expanded her interests by combining quilting and papermaking into her studio practice. lilashull.com
PHOTO: Lila Shull, “A Shadow Breaking Off,” handmade paper, color pencil, laser cut plexiglass, and Lake Superior stone.
Hannah Skoonberg (MFA ‘14) completed her second year serving as department chair at the Santa Rosa Junior College. She had a print selected for an exhibition at the DeYoung Museum and she launched a new relief printing course. Hannah is currently working with the California Society of Printmakers to host the annual CSP members show at the Santa Rosa Junior College Art Gallery. skoonberg.com
Josh Smith (BFA ‘98) spent February in New Mexico making lithographs at the Tamarind Institute and in March completed a large wall painting in Shanghai for a new Supreme store. In May he had a one-person exhibition at Eva Presenhuber in Vienna, Austria and in June, he presented an exhibition at The Drawing Center in NYC with Frank Walter. Josh’s Instagram account currently has more than 12,000 followers: @joshiejosho
LEFT PHOTO: Josh Smith working on a lithograph at the Tamarind Institute. RIGHT PHOTO: Josh Smith “Looking out at the World,” oil on linen, 2024
Keely Snook (MFA ’16) is an Emmy winning designer, interdisciplinary artist, and freelance puppet builder. Based in New York, she is a member of IATSE (United Scenic Artists Local 829) and has worked on projects for organizations such as the Jim Henson Company (recently for the new Fraggle Rock series), The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Sesame Street, Coca-Cola, Avenue Q, Netflix, Apple TV, and Disney. Her work in puppetry grew out of her MFA thesis in Tennessee. keelysnook.com
Kelsey Stephenson (MFA ‘16) is an Assistant LecturerLecture in print and art foundations at the University of Alberta and has just started a term as President of the Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists (SNAP). This year she was awarded the Eldon + Anne Foote Edmonton Visual Arts Prize for 2024. This was given for an installation shown at the Art Gallery of St. Alberta. Kelsey also received the Townsend Wolfe Memorial Purchase Award at the 2024 Delta National Small Prints exhibition. Her work has been included in several group and juried exhibitions and she presented one person exhibitions at the Orléans Campus Gallery, Ottawa School of Art, Ottawa, ON, Canada, and Gallery 2, Grand Forks Art Gallery, Grand Forks, BC, Canada. kgere.ca
Jennifer Stoneking-Stewart (BFA ’05) teaches in Hamblen County, TN. She leads a successful AP Art and Design program at Morristown-Hamblen High School East. She lives in Talbott, TN.
Baxter Stults (MFA ’19) serves as the multimedia communications specialist for the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design, where he focuses on graphic design, photography, and videography for the college. baxterstults.com
Haley Takahashi (MFA ’23) teaches Foundations at Colorado State University and has a one-person exhibition at Loveland Artworks opening in September 2024.
Jason Terry (MFA ‘92) is a professor and coordinator of the art program at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. jasonterrystudio.com
Jessie Van der Laan (MFA ‘09) is an Associate Professor of Art and the Assistant Dean of Humanities at Walters State Community College. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband and two children. jessievanderlaan.com
Jeanne Voltura (MFA ‘96) has worked for the city of Las Vegas, Nevada for more than 20 years, and currently oversees the city’s gallery programs.
Chloe Wack (MFA ’24) recently finished her residency in the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Poland, where she had a two-person exhibition with fellow cohort member and recent graduate Anthony Huang (MFA ’24). She has accepted a position as lecturer at the UT School of Art for the 2024-2025 academic year, where she will be teaching in Foundations and Time-Based Arts/Cinema Studies. This summer Chloe will also be teaching a workshop on Adobe Basics at Relay Ridge, Knoxville’s community print shop. Chloe and her partner, Nick, have also further cemented their roots in Knoxville with the purchase of an investment property in their own neighborhood of Belle Morris, to serve as a reputable and affordable rental opportunity for graduate students. Chloewack.com
Crystal Wagner (MFA ‘08) has accepted a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Art position at Texas A&M International University in Laredo, TX. “Rhizome,” a large-scale interior/exterior installation and multidisciplinary art project was completed earlier this year there. Created from fabric made from recycled plastic bottles collected from the coast and ocean, the project explored the intersection of art, sustainability, and community outreach. The project involved musicians, contemporary dancers, and visual artists from both Texas A&M International University and the local community. As a next step, Crystal is working with Casa de Misericordia, which empowers survivors of domestic violence to create reusable tote bags from the fabric in the installation. You can hear an interview with Crystal about the project on Texas Standard Public Radio. This year Crystal has upcoming one-person exhibitions and installations at Mirus Gallery in Los Angeles, at Central Arkansas University, and in Belgrade, Serbia. crystalwagner.com
Ericka Walker (MFA ‘10), is an associate professor at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University. erickawalker.com
Johanna Winters (MFA ‘18) accepted a position as Assistant Professor in Creative Core at the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at Indiana University. She co-led a panel at the SGCI Conference in Providence, RI with Terry Conrad, titled “Playback,” that engaged with artists working across disciplines in print and sound to consider how looping audio, image, and action expand upon the iterative and collaborative nature of printmaking. She also collaborated on a performance and poetry salon in Bloomington Indiana, titled “Deep Play/Dark Play,” with two colleagues from the Eskenazi School. This summer she was awarded residencies at the Institute for Electronic Arts at Alfred University, and at KKV Grafik in Malmö, Sweden in partnership with the Women’s Studio Workshop. Her short film “HOWW TO WAYT” was screened at the Milwaukee Underground Film Festival (April 2024) and the Open Air Media Festival (June 2024). Johanna also was part of the collaborative duo “Haag Cykell,” an ongoing performance series with writer and artist Sarah Minor that explores modes of storytelling through shadow-theater and language. jojowinters.com
Erin Wohletz (MFA ‘21) is an assistant professor of art at the University of South Dakota. This year they were a visiting artist at Ohio University and California State University Stanislous. Their work was shown in a variety of exhibitions including Print Austin’s “5×5” exhibition. This summer Erin will participate in a residency at the Morgan Paper Conservatory. ewohletz.com
NEWS FROM THE PRINTSHOP
Elysia Mann (MFA ’17), our full-time shop technician presented her solo show “Long Long Game Game” at the Wilson Gallery in Georgetown, KY in October. She is a Resident Artist at Relay Ridge in North Knoxville where she teaches workshops and participates in curating exhibitions and other community arts programming. In June, she was invited to be a guest artist at Penland School of Craft. Her work recently won Best of Show in the Arts in the Airport exhibition at Tyson McGee Airport in Knoxville. sighsandlaughter.com
Our graduate students have remained active in the studio and were able to pursue their professional goals, with a strong presence at the SECAC conference in Richmond, VA; the MAPC Conference in Kent, OH; and the SGCI conference in Providence, RI. A delegation of graduate and undergraduate students were visiting artists at Arkansas State University in February 2024 in conjunction with the Delta National Small Print Exhibition organized by the Bradbury Art Museum, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR.
In 2023-2024 our graduate students presented 4 one-person exhibitions (not including MFA shows), 4 two-person exhibitions, and 78 group or juried exhibitions. The geographical reach of these activities encompasses 10 states, from California to New York, as well as Panama. Our students had prints selected for several prominent national juried competitions, including the With Precision: 11th Annual International Juried Print Exhibition Remarque Print Workshop & Gallery, Albuquerque, NM; Press Forward: PrintHouston BOX13, Houston, TX; and the The 2023 MGC National Print Exhibition Manhattan Graphics Center, New York, NY. Graduate student Gaby Hurtado-Ramos served her second year as a student member of the SGC International Board.
FACULTY NEWS
UT Printmaking faculty and staff presented their work for an exhibition titled RETRoSPECT, which was exhibited at the Pienkow Art Gallery, Knoxville, TN, September 1, 2023 – March 15, 2024. Pienkow Art Gallery has been a tremendous partner in featuring artists from Poland, and the show was a chance to share their work with the Knoxville community.
Beauvais Lyons completed his first year as Divisional Dean for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences. He exhibited his Circus Orbis project at Galactic Panther in Alexandria, Virginia, and presented one of his prints in the “Atlanta Print Biennial,” Kai Lin Art, Atlanta, GA. In October he gave a talk on “Integrating Visiting Artists and Teaching” for the session “Innovative Pedagogy in the Arts: A Discussion with Past Winners of the SECAC Award for Excellence in Teaching” at the SECAC Conference, Richmond, VA. In January he was a visiting artist at Furman University, Greenville, SC, and ininn February he presented a talk on “Melting the Chill: Art and Divisive Concept Laws” for the session “Art Censorships on Campus” at the CAA Conference in Chicago. Beauvais was a key-note speaker on “Art and Pranks,” for “Start Something: Spectrum of Innovation I+E Symposium,” College of Design, Iowa State University in April. He also wrote an article for The Conversation on “What is Vernacular Art? A Visual Artist Explains.” UTK Profile
Althea Murphy-Price chaired the printmaking search committee which included Koichi Yamamoto and is excited to hirehired Leigh Garcia, who will begin in spring of 2025. This fall Althea participated in the IFDPA New York Print Fair with the collective, Black Women of Print. An exciting experience and one that resulted in the acquisition of their print portfolio “Lore” into the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Among other exhibits, Althea was excited to participate in a group exhibit at the Magnin-A Gallery in Paris. Ida (11) and Emery (9) traveled to Paris with her visiting lots of major sites and seeing artworkart work! altheamurphyprice.com
Koichi Yamamoto has regularly taught workshops, this past year at Opificio Della Rosa, Montefiore Conca, Italy; Frogman’s Print & Paper Workshop, Iowa City, Iowa; and Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, Colorado. He also gave a kite making workshop at Double Dog Dear Studio, Kalaheo, Hawaii. In 2023 he visited La Machina lithography workshop in Oaxaca, Mexico with two graduate students, Gino Castellanos and Anthony Huang to make editions. Koichi also participated in theparticipated the “Mirror Mirror Canada -Japan” printmaking symposium in Kyoto, Japan in February 2024 and had a none-person exhibition at Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati. He was in numerous group exhibitions including:; “1st International Contemporary Engraving Prize” at Casa Falconieri, Gagliali, Italy; “Ten Years Out of Hand Exhibition” at The Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design Gallery, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA; “Disrupting the Matrix” at Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art, Charlotte, North Carolina; “Douro International Printmaking Biennial,” Portugal; “AAmA ORIENT International Exhibition,” Cluj-Napoca, Romania; and “Transmutation Spokane Print Fest,” Terrain Gallery, Spokane, Washington. In personal note, he was certified as level 1 kitesurfing assistant instructor in Cabarete, Dominican Republic and continued his studies in Tarifa, Spain to learn rescue techniques and develop safety training. yamamotoprintmakin.com @koichi_yamamoto
LEFT PHOTO: Anthony Huang, Koichi Yamamoto and Gino Castellanos are with Alan Altamirano (on left, known as Mk Kabrito), a Oaxacan printmaker and founder of Taller Gráfica La Chicharra (Cicada Graphic Workshop, est. 2014) and Taller Oaxaca Gráfico (Oaxaca Graphics Workshop, est. 2016). RIGHT PHOTO: Koichi Yamamoto and kite workshop at Double Dog Dear Studio.