Art & Art History Alumni

a grid of artwork documentation made by 91猎奇 alumni

For more than a century, the Department of Art and Art History at San Jos茅 State University has been a dynamic center for creative practice, critical inquiry, and cultural engagement. Our alumni include influential artists, designers, educators, and innovators whose work has shaped fields ranging from painting, sculpture, and art history to digital media, public art, and socially engaged practice. This legacy of experimentation includes the founding of the CADRE Laboratory for New Media in 1984 under Professor Emeritus Joel Slayton, establishing the nation鈥檚 first fine art program dedicated to computational media. Across generations, our graduates have earned major honors, fellowships, commissions, exhibitions, and placements in leading museums and collections. Their achievements reflect the department鈥檚 enduring commitment to craft, experimentation, and the transformative power of art.

Photographic portrait of textile designer Dorothy Liebes smiling, featuring intricate woven fabrics in the background.

Widely celebrated as "the mother of modern weaving," Liebes (1897鈥�1972) was one of the most influential textile designers of the 20th century. Her revolutionary approach to handcrafting vibrant, architectural textiles by blending metallic threads, bamboo, and plastics transformed interior design and industrial design alike. A pioneer of the "Liebes Look," her creations shaped everything from mid-century Hollywood film sets and luxury hotels to commercial airlines and mass-market fashion, cementing her legacy in American design history.

Archival studio portrait of fine artist and educator Helen B. Dooley.

An essential historical pillar of the department, Dooley achieved widespread regional acclaim as a fine artist before returning to 91猎奇 to spend years training future generations of visual creators. Her enduring commitment to creative mentorship lives on through the department鈥檚 Helen B. Dooley Endowment, a major scholarship that actively funds and supports promising graduate and undergraduate artists in the Department of Art & Art History.

Portrait of animator and Disney artist Mary Blair at work, surrounded by vibrant, colorful concept sketches.

An iconic animator, illustrator, and designer, Blair (1911鈥�1978) fundamentally modernized the aesthetic of American animation through her visionary work for The Walt Disney Company. Celebrated for her brilliant color theory and bold, stylized shapes, she served as the primary color stylist and concept artist behind timeless masterpieces including Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), and Peter Pan (1953). Honored as a Disney Legend, her enduring artistic legacy also includes defining the visual identity of the legendary It's a Small World theme park attraction and producing monumental mid-century ceramic murals that continue to inspire generations of visual artists.

Sculptor Robert Graham standing next to one of his monumental bronze figurative sculptures.

A world-renowned Los Angeles-based sculptor, Graham achieved historic acclaim for his mastery of the human figure and monumental bronze public art. His iconic civic commissions shaped the American landscape, most notably the Olympic Gateway for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Great Bronze Doors for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Ceramicist David Kuraoka working with clay in his studio, alongside large-scale pit-fired ceramic vessels.

Recognized as a "Living Treasure of Hawai'i," Kuraoka is an influential ceramicist and Professor Emeritus at San Francisco State University who bridges traditional Hawaiian cultural influences with contemporary large-scale sculpture. His massive, pit-fired ceramic vessels and sleek bronze works are held in prestigious permanent collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Honolulu Museum of Art.

Artist Peter Wayne Lewis posing in front of a large, vibrant abstract painting filled with lyrical brushstrokes.

An international abstract painter and Professor Emeritus of Painting at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), Lewis creates lyrical, deeply rhythmic canvases influenced by jazz, global migration, and theoretical physics. Exhibiting extensively across the US, Europe, and Asia, his monumental abstract works are housed in major institutional collections, including the National Gallery of Jamaica.

Tim Hawkinson standing alongside an intricate, kinetic sculpture constructed from complex mechanical parts and everyday objects.

Renowned for his complex, inventive sculptures and kinetic installations, Hawkinson re-engineers everyday materials into profound meditations on the human body and time. A true pioneer of scale and mechanics, his boundary-pushing work has been featured in the Venice Biennale and the subject of major solo exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Fiber artist Consuelo Jim茅nez Underwood with an immersive textile installation incorporating wire and woven patterns.

A celebrated fiber artist, weaver, and educator, Underwood physicalizes border politics, ecology, and Chicana identity by interweaving barbed wire and plastic with traditional threads. A recipient of the American Craft Council Gold Medal, her powerful textile installations are featured in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and LACMA.

Public sculptor Diana Pumpelly Bates standing outdoors in front of a monumental geometric metal public art installation.

A distinguished painter and large-scale public sculptor, Bates explores environmental ecosystems and geometric abstractions through the intersection of industrial metalwork and natural forms. She has left an enduring mark on the civic infrastructure of Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area through numerous highly visible public art commissions that seamlessly integrate art into community spaces.

Media artist Joe DeLappe during a tactical performance art intervention, using a custom-built treadmill setup.

A foundational pioneer of tactical digital media and electronic activism, DeLappe utilizes online gaming, net art, and interactive media to critique contemporary politics. He drew global critical acclaim for dead-in-iraq, an active, long-term performance piece inside the America's Army video game, and his work has been featured across The New York Times, The Atlantic, and international museums.

Professional portrait of art historian and museum curator Marla Novo inside a gallery setting.

A distinguished regional art historian and museum executive who serves as the Deputy Director and Interim Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH). Over a 25-year curatorial career, she has designed award-winning exhibitions and community-driven storytelling models focusing heavily on intersectional cultural heritage and regional historical narratives.

Ceramic sculptor Amber Aguirre with her highly detailed, narrative ceramic figurines and sculptures.

41st Hawai鈥檌 Craftsmen Statewide Juried Annual Exhibition, HI. The O'Neill Award of Excellence, 2008

Portrait of digital media artist and net pioneer Lisa Jevbratt, overlaid with abstract computer graphics data visualization.

Net art and information-visualization pioneer Lisa Jevbratt creates software, installations, and database-driven works that have been shown at venues including the Walker Art Center, the New Museum, and the Whitney Biennial. She is a professor at UC Santa Barbara.

An innovative new media creator listed in your records as Geri Wittig. She co-founded the tech-art collaborative C5 Corporation and leverages her fine art background as a Principal Global Web Producer at Adobe. Her local leadership includes serving as Board President for WORKS/San Jos茅 and sitting on the Mineta San Jos茅 International Airport Art Oversight Committee.

Tactical media designer Anne-Marie Schleiner working at a computer station coding digital game art.

Media artist, animator, and game hacktivist Anne-Marie Schleiner explores gaming culture, avatar identity, and tactical net art. Her anti-war game mod project Velvet-Strike was included in the 2004 Whitney Biennial, and she has exhibited at major new media venues.

Electronic artist Brett Stalbaum outdoors during a field data-mapping and conceptual art performance.

Digital artist and theorist Brett Stalbaum works across locative media, software art, and data-driven landscapes. A co-founder of the Electronic Disturbance Theater, he helped develop FloodNet and now teaches visual arts at UC San Diego.

MacArthur Fellow Titus Kaphar standing in his painting studio with cut and physically deconstructed historical canvases.

A MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, painter, sculptor, and filmmaker, Kaphar physically cuts, deconstructs, and re-orders classical European and American painting traditions to expose centuries of racial erasure in art history. His work has graced the cover of TIME magazine, sits in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA, and he is the co-founder of the revolutionary arts incubator NXTHVN.

Artist Masako Miki standing among her colorful, semi-abstract, and playful large-scale felted sculptures.

Internationally recognized artist Masako Miki creates felt sculptures, bronze public artworks, and installations inspired by Japanese Shinto animism and yokai folklore. Her work has been exhibited at BAMPFA, SFMOMA, and public art sites throughout Silicon Valley.. Recipient of the 2018 Inga Maren Otto Fellowship Award from Watermill Center in New York

Photographer Binh Danh examining an intricate leaf print utilizing his signature chlorophyll printing process.

An innovative photographer and Associate Professor of Art at 91猎奇, Danh gained international recognition for inventing a unique chlorophyll printing process that cures photographic images directly onto living plant leaves to explore collective memory and the immigrant experience. His haunting leaf prints and large-scale daguerreotypes are held in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Art and SFMOMA.

An internationally celebrated kinetic sculptor and former Silicon Valley mechanical engineer who blends computer programming, intricate factory automation, and custom electronics to critique surveillance and technology. A recipient of the Silicon Valley Artist Laureate honor, his interactive mechanical structures have been featured globally in exhibitions across Chicago, New York, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, and the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jos茅.

Photographer and installation artist Renee Billingslea posing with a historic conceptual photo display.

A critically acclaimed visual artist, documentary photographer, and storyteller whose powerful mixed-media installations confront systemic injustice, racial trauma, and historical white privilege. Widely exhibited both nationally and internationally, her monumental project documenting modern-day sites of all ten Japanese-American internment camps earned her a prominent Triton Museum solo exhibition and an institutional Arts Fellow honor. She serves as a full Teaching Professor of Photography at Santa Clara University.

Photographer Adrienne Pao with one of her monumental "Dress Tent" wearable architectural textile sculptures outdoors.

An internationally recognized fine art photographer and creative leader whose striking color compositions examine multiracial Hawaiian identity and critique the commercial exoticization of island culture. Best known for her monumental collaborative Dress Tents installation project with Professor Robin Lasser, her photography has been exhibited at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), and the Museum of the African Diaspora.

Abstract painter Emanuela Sintamarian standing in front of a complex, patterned contemporary painting.

A highly acclaimed Romanian-born painter and printmaker whose complex, maximalist abstract canvases layered with dense patterns evaluate societal abbreviations and spatial structures. Winner of the prestigious Fleishhacker Foundation Eureka Fellowship, she was a SECA SFMOMA History Art Award nominee and has held prominent solo museum exhibitions across San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Europe

Artist Justin Amrhein standing near a highly detailed, large-scale schematic drawing of conceptual industrial machinery.

A highly acclaimed New York-based contemporary artist celebrated for his large-scale, incredibly meticulous "schematic drawings" and intricate imaginary machine blueprints that critique environmentalism and industrial infrastructure. Recipient of a prestigious Facebook Open Arts residency, his work has been featured in The New Yorker, Artnews, and The Wall Street International, with major solo museum exhibitions globally, including Malta's National Museum of Art (MU呕A).

Interdisciplinary digital media artist Carlos Castellanos adjusting a bio-art technological installation.

A highly notable interdisciplinary research artist and digital pioneer who earned his MFA within the CADRE program before completing a PhD at Simon Fraser University. His innovative bio-art installations, data sonifications, and interactive cybernetic networks have been showcased at the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA), SIGGRAPH, and the Walker Art Center. He serves as an Associate Professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Visual artist and community arts educator Pilar Aguero-Esparza presenting a collection of mixed-media and leather work.

A prominent, internationally exhibited mixed-media fine artist specializing in Spatial Art. Her woven materials, leather-work, and color abstractions confront racial hierarchies and equity. A multi-award winner, she received a prestigious Fleishhacker Foundation Eureka Fellowship, a Center for Craft Teaching Artist Cohort Grant, and completed a Lucas Artist Fellowship at the Montalvo Arts Center.

Eco-artist and cultural producer Danielle Siembieda working on a creative project centered around sustainability.

Eco-art practitioner and creative strategist Danielle Siembieda works at the intersection of technology, bio-art, and environmental justice. She has held leadership roles with Leonardo/ISAST and the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, shaping regional creative economies.

Sound artist and electronic musician Scot Gresham-Lancaster interacting with modular synthesizers and audio gear.

An internationally celebrated pioneer in networked computer music, data sonification, and experimental sound art who completed an advanced MFA within the CADRE Laboratory for New Media. A founding member of the legendary electronic music collective The Hub, his ground-breaking bioacoustic installations, "cellphone operas," and satellite-driven sonic soundscapes have been showcased globally at Ars Electronica, the Venice Biennale, and the Boston Public Garden Lagoon. He serves as a Senior Lecturer in Sound Design and Technology at the University of Texas at Dallas.

A prominent Bay Area art historian, author, and higher-education lecturer specializing in classical architecture and modern museum histories. An active voice in pedagogical art research, she publishes on ancient monuments and serves as a long-standing Professor of Art History at Diablo Valley College.

Gallery director and visual artist Emily McEwan-Upright inside a contemporary fine art gallery space.

A prominent Bay Area arts executive, curator, and community champion who holds an MA in Art History. Her legacy includes founding 1202 Contemporary (a feminist-minded non-profit art gallery) and 6th Street Studios and Art Center in Gilroy, California. Her dynamic cultural advocacy provides affordable studio spaces, workshops, and high-visibility exhibition opportunities specifically tailored to support marginalized and underrepresented voices.

Professional portrait of art historian and San Francisco Public Library Senior Curator Megan Merritt.

Serving as the Senior Curator for the San Francisco Public Library, Merritt leverages her deep background in visual culture to oversee expansive, community-centered exhibitions and archival storytelling in the heart of the Bay Area. Her work bridges rigorous historical research with public accessibility, transforming civic spaces into vibrant hubs for contemporary art, diverse historical narratives, and cultural engagement.

Notable Alumni

BA Painting, 1919

Celebrated as 鈥渢he mother of modern weaving,鈥� Liebes transformed 20th-century textile and industrial design through experimental materials, bold color, and architectural fabrics. Her influence extended from Hollywood film sets and luxury hotels to airlines and mass-market fashion.

BA Studio Art, 1928

Dooley became an acclaimed regional artist and later returned to 91猎奇 as an influential educator. Her legacy continues through the Helen B. Dooley Endowment, which supports scholarships for Art & Art History students.

BFA Studio Art, 1931

A Disney Legend, Blair shaped the look of American animation through her color styling and concept art for Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and It鈥檚 a Small World. Her distinctive visual language continues to influence illustrators, animators, and designers.

BA Studio Art, 1963

Internationally known for monumental bronze sculpture, Graham created major civic works including the Olympic Gateway for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the Great Bronze Doors for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

MA Studio Art, 1971

Recognized as a 鈥淟iving Treasure of Hawai鈥榠,鈥� Kuraoka is a ceramicist, sculptor, and Professor Emeritus at San Francisco State University. His large-scale ceramic and bronze works are held in collections including SFMOMA and the Honolulu Museum of Art.

MA Painting, 1979

Lewis is an internationally exhibiting abstract painter and Professor Emeritus at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. His work, influenced by jazz, migration, and theoretical physics, appears in major collections including the National Gallery of Jamaica.

BFA Studio Art, 1984

Known for inventive kinetic sculptures and installations, Hawkinson transforms everyday materials into complex works about the body, time, and perception. His work has appeared in the Venice Biennale and in major solo exhibitions at the Whitney Museum and LACMA.

MFA Studio Art, 1987

An American Craft Council Gold Medal recipient, Underwood is a celebrated fiber artist whose work addresses borders, ecology, and Chicana identity. Her textile installations are held by institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and LACMA.

MFA Pictorial Arts, 1989

Bates is a painter and public sculptor whose work connects environmental systems, geometric abstraction, and industrial materials. Her public art commissions have contributed to civic spaces across Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area.

MFA Computers in Fine Arts, 1990

DeLappe is a pioneering digital media artist known for tactical media, online performance, and political critique. His project dead-in-iraq received international attention, and his work has been featured by major media outlets and museums worldwide.

MFA Pictorial Arts, 1991

Pace is a Bay Area photographer, filmmaker, and curator known for long-term documentary projects, including work in rural Burkina Faso. His photographs have appeared in international exhibitions and publications, and he has led regional arts organizations.

MFA Pictorial Arts, 1991

Payne is a Santa Cruz artist and master printmaker known for detailed etchings and miniature watercolors. Her work has been exhibited regionally, including at the Monterey Museum of Art, and she is active with the California Society of Printmakers.

MA Art, 1992

Aspell is a master artist, designer, and sculptor recognized for major ecclesiastical commissions, including sanctuary artwork for Pope John Paul II鈥檚 1987 visit to San Francisco. His career demonstrates the public reach of studio art training.

MFA Pictorial Arts, 1992

Caughey is a visual artist, author, and mental health advocate whose work explores neuroaesthetics, trauma, and healing. Her memoir, Mud Flower, received the Pencraft Award for Literary Excellence.

MFA Photography, 1993

Toolin is a conceptual new media artist, educator, and founding member of C5, an influential Silicon Valley art-and-technology collective. His data and locative media projects have been shown at the Whitney Biennial, Ars Electronica, and SJMA.

MFA Art, 1994

Alexander is a museum technology leader who has advanced digital engagement at the San Jose Museum of Art and Stanford University. His work includes pioneering mobile apps, podcasts, and handheld tours that expand access to exhibitions.

MFA Spatial Arts, 1994

Nakanishi is a jeweler, metalsmith, and educator known for intricate designs rooted in organic forms and Japanese craft traditions. A longtime Cabrillo College professor, she has researched and demonstrated the complex Mokume Gane metal forging process.

MFA Computers in Fine Arts, 1995

Challas is a digital and mixed-media artist shaped by 91猎奇鈥檚 CADRE Laboratory for New Media. He has served as an art professor and department chair at West Valley College while supporting regional arts through curating and board leadership.

MFA Computers in Fine Arts, 1995

Durie is a new media artist, producer, CADRE lecturer, and founding partner of C5 Corporation. His interactive systems and data visualizations have been presented at major venues including Ars Electronica and the Walker Art Center.

MFA Spatial Arts, 1995

Hude is a glass artist and sculptor known for refined Italian glassblowing techniques, including murrini and zanfirico caneworking. She operates a hot-glass studio and has completed residencies and fellowships at leading institutions including Pilchuck Glass School.

MFA Spatial Arts, 1995

Laffer is a tapestry weaver and spatial artist whose practice combines advanced weaving, architectural structure, and bas-relief forms. Her training includes the Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins in Paris, and she has supported local arts leadership through WORKS/San Jose.

MA Art History, 1995

Novo is an art historian and museum leader with a curatorial career focused on regional history, cultural heritage, and community storytelling. She has held senior leadership roles at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.

MFA Computers in Fine Arts, 1997

Jevbratt is a pioneer in net art, software art, and information visualization. Her work has been shown at the Walker Art Center, the New Museum, and the Whitney Biennial, and she is a professor at UC Santa Barbara.

MFA Computers in Fine Arts, 1997

Wittig is a new media creator and technology leader who co-founded C5 Corporation and now works as a Principal Global Web Producer at Adobe. Her career spans public art oversight, web production, and arts leadership with WORKS/San Jose.

MFA Computers in Fine Arts, 1998

Schleiner is a media artist and game hacktivist whose work examines gaming culture, avatar identity, and tactical net art. Her anti-war game mod Velvet-Strike was included in the 2004 Whitney Biennial.

MFA Spatial Arts, 1999

Mjurka is a Latvian-born ceramic artist and educator whose conceptual still lifes examine consumer culture and psychological need. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and she teaches ceramics at California State University, Fresno.

MFA Digital Media Art, 1999

Stalbaum works across locative media, software art, and data-driven landscapes. A co-founder of Electronic Disturbance Theater, he helped develop FloodNet and now teaches visual arts at UC San Diego.

MFA Spatial Arts, 1999

Zhou is a ceramic artist, author, curator, and key bridge between Chinese and American ceramic art communities. He has authored books on modern ceramics, held international visiting professorships, and served with the International Academy of Ceramics.

MFA Photography, 2000

Charney is a San Francisco-based photographer whose abstract images use water, light, and geometry to evoke painting. Her work is held in corporate and private collections and represented by galleries including Slate Contemporary and Foster/White Gallery.

MFA Pictorial Arts, 2000

Lazo is a painter, designer, and educator whose abstract and figurative work draws on biological patterns, color, and rhythm. She has supported community youth and women in the arts while teaching at Evergreen Valley College.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2000

Lee is a sculptor and bronze casting specialist who owns Bronze Works, an active Santa Cruz foundry. Public projects include the Capitola Wharf octopus fountain and historical markers, and Lee teaches art foundry techniques at UC Santa Cruz.

MFA Digital Media Art, 2000

Schuman is a sound and audio artist creating documentary soundscapes, experimental narratives, and hybrid fictions. Her work has aired internationally on public radio platforms, and she founded Earlid, an online platform dedicated to aural arts.

MFA Photography, 2000

Sotak is a performance and social practice artist whose interactive installations turn public spaces into sites of exchange. Her residencies and public projects include Scottsdale Public Art and Breckenridge Creative Arts, with presentations at regional museums.

BFA Pictorial Arts, 2001

A MacArthur Fellow, Kaphar is a painter, sculptor, and filmmaker whose work reexamines art history and racial erasure. His work has appeared on the cover of TIME, is held by the Met and MoMA, and helped launch NXTHVN.

MFA Art, 2001

Ahola-Young is a painter and research artist working at the intersection of plant physiology, cellular systems, and climate narratives. A recipient of an Idaho Commission on the Arts Fellowship, she teaches painting and drawing at Idaho State University.

MFA Art, 2001

May is a multimedia artist whose textile and installation works combine industrial, organic, and everyday materials. A Rydell Visual Arts Fellow and Silicon Valley Creates Artist Laureate, she has exhibited at regional institutions including SJMQT.

MFA Art, 2001

Miki creates felt sculptures, bronze public artworks, and installations inspired by Shinto animism and yokai folklore. Her work has been exhibited at BAMPFA, SFMOMA, and public art sites throughout Silicon Valley.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2001

Tieken Lopez works across installation, sculpture, earthworks, and live performance in natural environments. She founded Trails & Vistas, an eco-art performance hike series in the Sierra Nevada, and has received California Arts Council residency support.

MFA Photography, 2001

Tonningsen uses camera-less scanning and alternative printmaking to explore environmental fragility and consumer cycles. His work is in the Oakland Museum of California collection, and he has taught photography at Bay Area institutions.

BFA Photography 2002

Danh is an internationally recognized photographer and 91猎奇 faculty member known for chlorophyll printing, a process that develops images on leaves. His work exploring memory and migration is held by the National Gallery of Art and SFMOMA.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2002

Eckert is a kinetic sculptor whose programmed, mechanical works combine electronics, factory automation, and social critique. A Silicon Valley Artist Laureate, he has exhibited interactive projects across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

MFA Photography, 2002

Selter is a conceptual photographer whose biology and botany background informs images about ecological disruption and natural manipulation. Her narrative photographs have been featured in solo exhibitions in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2002

Zimmerman is a ceramic artist, scholar, and curator whose architectural vessels examine industrial decay and materiality. He has completed major residencies, exhibited internationally, and teaches fine art at the University of New Mexico.

MFA Photography, 2003

Billingslea is a visual artist and educator whose photography and mixed-media installations address systemic injustice, racial trauma, and historical memory. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and she teaches photography at Santa Clara University.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2003

Hager is a sculptor and installation artist known for large-scale steel and cast-iron works inspired by childhood objects, industrial forms, and public space. She is a sculpture professor at the University of North Florida.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2004

Dufala creates hand-built ceramic sculptures that mimic manufactured objects to critique industrial waste and perception. He has completed residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation and Red Lodge Clay Center and teaches studio art at Santa Ana College.

MFA Photography, 2004

Trefethen connects fine art, photography, interface design, and medical technology. He developed advanced photography curriculum and has received multiple CES Innovation Awards for medical device product design and marketing.

MFA Photography, 2005

David is a Bay Area painter known for light-filled realist images of urban infrastructure, hillsides, and open-water swimming. A Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant Award recipient, she is represented by Paul Thiebaud Gallery and LewAllen Galleries.

MFA Photography, 2005

Marcus is a documentary and portrait photographer with a three-decade career in editorial and performing arts imagery. Her project Transfigurations, on gender construction in transgender communities, received an Independent Publisher Book Award.

MFA Digital Media Art, 2005

Morgan is a CADRE alumnus, new media artist, and curator working with coded culture, simulation, and interactive systems. He directs Ars Virtua and has curated technology-based art projects for ISEA, 01SJ, and other international platforms.

MFA Photography, 2005

Pao is an internationally exhibited photographer whose vivid staged images examine multiracial Hawaiian identity and the commercialization of island culture. Her collaborative Dress Tents project has been shown at SFMOMA, the Mori Art Museum, and MoAD.

MFA Pictorial Arts, 2005

Sintamarian is a Romanian-born painter and printmaker whose layered abstractions have earned major recognition, including a Fleishhacker Foundation Eureka Fellowship and SECA SFMOMA award nomination. She has exhibited in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Europe.

MFA Pictorial Arts, 2005

Thorson is a painter, draftsperson, and educator known for large-format abstract works exploring movement, atmosphere, and the figure. She has exhibited at Santa Clara University and the Monterey Museum of Art and chairs Cabrillo College鈥檚 Art Department.

MFA Pictorial Arts, 2006

Amrhein is a New York-based artist known for large-scale schematic drawings and imaginary machine blueprints that examine environmental and industrial systems. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Artnews, and international museum exhibitions.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2006

Siegel is a ceramic sculptor whose hand-carved figurative work explores anatomy, anthropology, and human relationships with nature. A Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, she has presented internationally and received awards from major craft and ceramics biennales.

MFA Photography, 2006

Wilson is a photographer and educator whose sunlight scans and historic film negatives examine landscape, decay, and Western park geography. His work is held in museum collections, and he coordinates the Photography Program at Modesto Junior College.

MFA Photography, 2007

Bradshaw is a photographer and research artist whose conceptual projects examine social space, technology, and book structures. Her work has been shown at the San Jose ICA, and she teaches art history and photography at Oregon State University.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2007

A Joan Mitchell Fellow, Brilliant creates large-scale site-specific installations from everyday materials such as coffee stirrers and cup sleeves. His immersive woven environments have received museum commissions across the United States.

MFA Digital Media Art, 2007

Castellanos is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher working in bio-art, data sonification, and interactive cybernetic systems. A CADRE alumnus with a PhD from Simon Fraser University, he has exhibited at ISEA, SIGGRAPH, and the Walker Art Center.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2007

Church is a ceramicist and sculptor known for monumental wet-clay installations that crack and decay over time. An Archie Bray Foundation artist-in-residence, he also co-founded Grayling Ceramics, a successful functional pottery studio in Michigan.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2009

Aguero-Esparza is a mixed-media artist whose woven materials, leather, and color abstractions address racial hierarchies and equity. Her honors include a Fleishhacker Foundation Eureka Fellowship, Center for Craft grant, and Lucas Artist Fellowship.

MFA Digital Media Art, 2009

Asmuth is a transdisciplinary artist and technologist working with data, physics, marine science, and physical computing. A CADRE alumnus, he teaches digital and experimental media at the University of West Florida.

MFA Pictorial Arts, 2009

Karimi is an Iranian-American artist, researcher, and curator whose printmaking, painting, animation, and archival work examine gender, science, and systems of knowledge. She has received a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and served as a San Jose Creative Ambassador.

MFA Pictorial Arts, 2010

Eastburn creates hand-painted gouache and cel-vinyl works that critique digital noise through analog process. Her public commissions include POW! WOW!, and her work is held in corporate collections including Google and PayPal.

MFA Digital Media Art, 2010

Siembieda is an eco-art practitioner and creative strategist working at the intersection of technology, bio-art, and environmental justice. Her leadership roles with Leonardo/ISAST and the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs have shaped regional creative economies.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2011

Carrington is a sculptor, textile artist, and educator whose work addresses labor, class, and the American work ethic. A Silicon Valley Creates Emerging Artist Laureate, he has completed public art commissions and chairs Art and Art History at Santa Clara University.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2011

Hobart is a ceramic and flame-work glass artist whose multimedia sculptures combine architecture, paleontology, climate critique, and consumer culture. His work has been exhibited nationally and featured in art publications, and he teaches ceramics at Mendocino Art Center.

MFA Photography, 2013

Boissevain is an environmental photographer documenting human impact on ecosystems through aerial and macro-scale landscape imagery. Her San Francisco Bay salt pond project has been exhibited in solo presentations and featured in international photography publications.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2013

Escalante is a sculptor, metalsmith, and jeweler whose interactive installations examine social, environmental, and labor inequalities. She now teaches at 91猎奇 as Area Coordinator for Jewelry and Small Metals.

MFA Digital Media Art, 2013

Gresham-Lancaster is a pioneer in networked computer music, data sonification, and experimental sound art. A founding member of The Hub, he has presented work at Ars Electronica, the Venice Biennale, and other international venues.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2013

Lettieri creates installations from domestic objects and historical materials to investigate women鈥檚 work, memory, and community legacy. Her residencies include Montalvo Arts Center, and her work is held in museum collections.

MFA Photography, 2013

Opp is a photographer, bookbinder, and visual researcher examining architecture, landscape, spatial economics, and urban illusion. His projects have been exhibited across the West Coast, and he contributes as an arts writer and digital workflows consultant.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2013

Palmer creates surreal paintings and ceramic sculptures that explore psychology, memory, and dreamlike narrative. His work is represented by West Coast galleries and collected internationally.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2014

Landis creates intricate porcelain environments that examine migration, habitat displacement, and ecological change. Her ceramic installations have been commissioned for public projects and exhibited at the Triton Museum of Art and San Jose ICA.

MFA Photography, 2014

Sanders is a portrait photographer, author, and filmmaker known for documentary projects about military veterans. His book The Last Good War was published by Random House, and his photography has received International Photography Awards honors.

MFA Digital Media Art, 2015

Cortez is a Chicano multimedia artist, author, and designer whose public art, digital mapping, and archival projects celebrate lowrider culture and innovation. A San Jose Creative Ambassador, his work includes 408Innovates and youth electronics workshops.

MA Art History and Visual Culture, 2015

McEwan-Upright is an arts executive and curator who founded 1202 Contemporary and 6th Street Studios and Art Center in Gilroy. Her work expands access to studio space, exhibitions, workshops, and opportunities for underrepresented artists.

MFA Spatial Arts, 2015

Morey is a ceramic sculptor whose hand-sculpted porcelain figures merge humans with endangered plants and animals to address climate change and environmental disruption. Her work is held in public collections and featured internationally in major art publications and exhibitions.