Meet our Art School Faculty

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We are incredibly proud of our instructors, including those who have earned recognition both as artists and as teachers. With such a diverse and professional group, your experience in an Art School class is sure to be successful.
 
ALEXIS HUNTER is an identity-based, multidisciplinary artist currently living and working in Austin, TX. She earned a BFA from Texas State University in Studio Art-Painting, graduating summa cum laude. She has been selected for the third edition of Big Medium’s LINE Residency (2022) and vol. 2 of the George Washington Carver Museum's Small Black Museum Residency (2022). She is also the newest member of the ICOSA Collective. Alexis is the founder of Others, an ongoing publication project documenting the faces and stories of biracial individuals in central Texas. Her work explores self-image through racial identity, mental health, the female body, and the male gaze.

ALISSA NEAL is a sculptor, designer, extended media artist, and Masters in Fine Arts graduate from the University of Arizona. In 2012, she attended Savannah College of Art and Design where she received her Bachelors in Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Her work has been exhibited internationally in Hong Kong and Italy, and nationally in group shows such as “Deteriorating Preservation”, and “Human as Object”, in Tucson, Arizona, and “All or Nothing”, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also been published in Applied Arts Magazine in 2012 and Manifest Exhibition Annual in 2016.

ADRIENNE HODGE BFA in Visual Art Studies, University of Texas at Austin. Adrienne is an exhibiting contemporary artist and art educator who has been teaching in community arts programs, public schools, museums, and the corporate sector since 2010. Her art work explores the cinematic quality of life events, landscapes, and dreams. WEBSITE

ARFA KHAN BS in Arts & Entertainment Technologies and MA in Art Education, The University of Texas at Austin. Arfa is an artist from Houston, Texas who believes that children make the best artists. She loves illustration, digital art, and textile arts.

ARIEL SPIEGELMAN BFA in Printmaking, The University of Connecticut; MA in Art Education, The University of Texas at Austin. Ariel makes art to organize and restructure her surroundings in a charming and thoughtful way. She utilizes the structured yet random process of printmaking to escape from the chaos and reality of the world, while simultaneously creating her own curated version of it. WEBSITE

ARIEL WOOD MFA in Sculpture from the University of Texas at Austin, and BFA in printmaking and drawing from The University of Wisconsin at Madison. Ariel is a sculpture artist and Art Educator whose artistic practice explores the way plumbing and drainage can elicit notions of interconnectedness, liminality, and queerness. Ariel picks and parses out those aspects of the larger system that appear strange, silly, or sentimental. They have exhibited their work nationally and internationally in Wisconsin, Illinois, Texas, New York, and Florence, Italy. WEBSITE

BECCA BORRELLI is a nationally recognized illustrator, muralist, educator and speaker, based out of Austin, TX. Her digital drawings, original paintings, and intuitive art making courses are avenues to share a hopeful and playful representation of the world’s magical sides. Both her work and art classes invite viewers to reflect on the invisible and intuitive aspects of their lived spaces and experiences.

BELLA LEGOSI has been making pots for 9 years, mainly focusing on wheel-thrown pieces. Bella loves the technical side of pottery and glaze making, and strives to run a safe space for students to learn, explore, and have fun playing in the mud.

BETH BLAIR BFA in Painting, Indiana University; MFA in Painting, Pratt Institute. Blair has exhibited in group shows in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Atlanta.

CANDACE BRICENO BFA in Visual Arts Education, The University of Texas at Austin; MFA in Drawing and Painting, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Briceno was selected as one of the Austin Museum of Art’s “22 to Watch” in 2005. Her work has appeared in solo and group exhibitions in California, Florida, Texas, and Chicago. She has been part of the Art School faculty since 1998.

CAROLYN BROOKS BFA, University of North Texas; MFA, The University of Texas at Austin. Currently a school counselor in Eanes ISD, Brooks is a ceramic artist who works with fiber and paper and teaches creative self-exploration.

CASSY WEYANDT BS in Photography and Fine Art, East Texas State University. Weyandt has experience as a photographer at the Kimbell Art Museum and as a printmaker at the Photographic Archives Gallery in Dallas.

CHRISTIAN CHASE BFA in Sculpture, Rhode Island School of Design. Chase has been working with metal for over 30 years. In addition to sculpture, he has received commissions for furniture and lighting and has taught at the Austin Sculpture Academy.

CLAIR GASTON MFA, University of Houston. Gaston has taught at The Glassell Junior School and served as gallery teacher at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston. She has been a teaching fellow at UH. WEBSITE

DAVID THORNBERRY BFA and MFA in Painting, Kent State University. Thornberry has over twenty-seven years of experience teaching art in community programs across the country. His work has appeared in galleries throughout Austin.

DIANNE SONNENBERG is an internationally recognized mosaic and sculptural artist. She is a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists, and is a board member of the Texas Society of Sculptors and the Austin Mosaic Guild. She exhibits internationally, and was awarded the 2010 “Best Architectural Mosaic” at Mosaic Arts International in Chicago, IL. A sought-after instructor across the US and Canada, she has been an Art School faculty member since 2007. WEBSITE

ERIN SERRANO BFA in studio art, Texas State University; K-12 teaching certificate in art education. Serrano is a current elementary art teacher in Georgetown ISD. She has taught for various art programs such as sculpture for Totally Cool Totally Art and online art courses with ArtSpace. Her students have also exhibited work at the Mexic-Arte museum. Besides being an art teacher Serrano is also a painter and sculptor selling her work at markets and taking commissions.

ERIN SCHWINN is a teaching artist who currently lives and works in Delaware. She has a BFA in Painting from Virginia Commonwealth University and a MFA in Painting from the University of Texas at Austin. She teaches online art classes that cover painting, drawing and a variety of specialty approaches to picture making. In her own work she uses painting and drawing and everything in-between. Her pieces are covered in patterns and bold colors with wonky and distorted figures. "I want my pieces to surprise me, or make me laugh and so I create the misshapen and unusual."

HILLARY CUMBERWORTH is a born and raised Austinite who received her BA from Southwestern University. Storytelling is a key element to Hillary’s work, exploring the common threads of human connection both universal and individual. Cumberworth has spent much of her adult life living abroad in Dubai and across the United States in New York and Houston, teaching art and creating her own work along the way.

HR WRIGHT is a Austin-based potter, originally from Western New York. After studying Art Therapy in undergrad, she went on to work in disaster relief nonprofits before returning to the wheel. Her experience working in disaster zones, seeing the amount of loss and abundance of unnecessary items in a home, has influenced her own work by emphasizing the mantra “pottery with a purpose. WEBSITE

INGA MARIE CARMEL BA, The University of California, Berkeley; additional coursework at Sätergläntan in Sweden. Carmel serves on the board of the Weavers and Spinners Society of Austin and received a Certificate of Excellence in Handweaving through the Handweavers Guild of America in 2016. In 2009, her article about weaving with wire appeared in the August issue of Weavezine. Since 1994, Carmel has at various times taught garden design, knitting, weaving, and eTextiles at the Art School. WEBSITE

JAIME REYNOLDS has a BFA from Pratt Institute. Jaime is an Austin, Texas-based watercolor artist who offers artwork and workshops that encourage a deeper connection with your perfectly imperfect nature. Her work can be seen at Canopy East Austin open studios.
WEBSITE Instagram: @jaimereynolds_

JAN HEATON's contemporary watercolors reach for a sense of calm and tranquility. Art dealers in Austin, San Antonio, Marble Falls, and San Francisco represent her work. WEBSITE Instagram: @janheatonwatercolors

JEAN LEIDER has a BFA in Art in Visual Arts Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She worked as an Art Educator for seventeen years in Austin ISD. Jean has taught art out of the country in Bangkok, Thailand and in Canada where she worked as both a Gallery Educator and as administrator of a school visits printmaking program. Jean integrates collage, printmaking and book arts in her art practice. Jean contributed animation to the Rick Linklater film “Waking Life” and performs and releases music under the name Jean Caffeine.

JENNIE TUDOR GRAY BFA and All Level Teaching Certification, Texas State University–San Marcos. Gray is a professional multimedia artist and arts educator with over twenty years experience exhibiting her work and is passionate about community arts education as a method of social change. She has taught for various schools in Austin ISD, Round Rock ISD, Del Valle ISD, and was nominated Teacher of the Year by her peers in Pflugerville ISD. She has also taught with independent schools, various community and cultural arts centers such as the City of Austin's Dougherty Arts School, Mexican American Cultural Center, and the Elisabet Ney Museum. Gray worked for the Austin Museum of Art from 2003 to 2008 and has been a faculty member at Laguna Gloria since 2013.

JOANNA VAUGHN BFA Dayton (Ohio) Art Institute; M.Ed, The University of Texas at Austin. Vaughn has over 30 years teaching experience, including at the Austin Waldorf School, as an art specialist in Austin ISD, and recently with senior citizens in the Mobile Art program.

JOSE ESTRADA is a multi-disciplinary artist with an emphasis in ceramics and printmaking. He graduated with his BFA from Texas State University in 2020. His artwork explores the intertwining relationship of functional ceramics and sculpture, using loose lines and vibrant colors to bring his pieces to life. He draws inspiration from objects connected to childhood memories, aiming to evoke a sense of nostalgia and wonder in his audience. Jose’s goal is to inspire others through his unique artistic vision and encourage them to explore their own creativity.

KATE GIBBS Kate Gibbs has a lifelong passion for opening eyes, minds, and hearts through art. Kate is a museum educator, art historian, and teacher of creative arts engagement. She facilitates connections between people and art through her work with MINDPOP, The Contemporary Austin, and other local organizations. Kate has a MA in Art History and Museum Education, and previously worked at the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and Guggenheim Museum in NY. Outside of the arts, she teaches yoga in southwest Austin and volunteers in her community.

KATHERINE AMMAN VELLARD MA in Art Education, Louisiana Tech University; MFA in Painting/Drawing, Louisiana Tech University. Katherine is a native Louisiana artist and former professor of art at Louisiana Tech University. She has exhibited in 80 national and international exhibitions and has had 13 solo shows including an exhibition at Centre D’Arts Plastiques Albert Chanot in Clamart, France and “The Holy Mysteries” exhibition at St. John the Divine in New York City. In 2003, she was awarded the Artist Fellowship Award by the Louisiana Division of the Arts. WEBSITE

KATHERINE K. BRUPBACHER (she, her) BFA, Baylor University, Secondary Art Teaching Certification. Brupbacher has held a painting practice for over 20 years and exhibits her work throughout Central Texas. She finds refuge in both painting and nature. Her work is influenced by the Texas landscape, flora, and fauna. Brupbacher is a former high school art teacher and has been with The Contemporary Austin since 2019. In the classroom, she strives to facilitate a love of creating with her students. WEBSITE

KATIE CHANCE is an artist with a BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design. With a keen eye for detail and a love for watercolor, gouache, and ink, she has mastered a range of styles from bold and vibrant to soft and ethereal. Katie's artwork has been featured in solo and group exhibitions across the United States, including galleries in Provence, Atlanta, and Austin. Her work has also been recognized by respected publications such as Juxtapoz and Anthropologie, as well as the Austin Studio Tour.
Beyond her 10-year career as an artist, Katie is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and passion with others. She has a genuine interest in helping aspiring artists develop their skills and explore their creativity. Katie maintains a studio practice in South Austin. WEBSITE

KELLY CHAMBLISS BA, emphasis in Art History from Texas State University. Kelly Chambliss is an Austin based paper maker and certified art educator. With a background in art education in public schools and community art school settings, she currently specializes in eco-friendly handmade papers. She loves to explore new materials and more sustainable art practices with students. WEBSITE

LAURA GREEN BFA, University of North Texas. Green is certified as a Generalist and Special Ed educator. She is a teacher with AISD and has previous teaching experience at the Amon Carter museum, among other schools and institutions. She is the former Program Director at Art Center Waco.

LAURIE CARSWELL B.A. Theatrical Design, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Laurie is a former Art Educator who has opened her own studio in Austin where she cuts and tears papers to build dynamic art pieces rich with color and hidden visual treasures and stories. She strives for intricacy and movement in her work using scissors, glue and paper pieces cut from magazines, calendars and books. She loves sharing her unique "painting with paper" process with students of all ages and backgrounds. WEBSITE

LINDA MONTIGNANI MFA in Painting, American University. Montignani has taught at Maryland College of Art and Design and St. Edward’s University and is a founder of the Creative Arts Society in Austin. Her mixed media and collage paintings are exhibited both nationally and internationally.

LORIN BRYCE is an artist, teacher and photographer. She holds a BA in Ceramics and English from the University of Colorado and has taught art in the Austin area at the elementary and high school levels. She specializes in wheel-thrown functional pottery. WEBSITE Instagram: @lrbclay

MAGGIE EXNER BFA in Studio Art, Rhodes College; MA in Art Education, The University of Texas at Austin. Maggie is a visual artist, educator, and musician originally from Memphis, TN. She currently teaches art at Pflugerville HS, and has previously worked as an educator at the Austin School for the Performing and Visual Arts, UT Austin, Mother Falcon Music Lab, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum, and Creative Action. She has taught youth and adult classes at the Contemporary Art school for several years. In her teaching, Exner values contemporary art practices, student choice, and collaboration. In her studio practice, Exner specializes in mixed media illustration that blurs the lines between abstraction and representation. She likes to dabble in many mediums including drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, murals, and digital art.

MARK MITCHELL Studied at The University of Texas at Austin. Mitchell has illustrated twenty-five books for younger readers and his illustrations appear in such children’s magazines as Cricket, Cobblestone, Calliope, and Pockets. He is a contributing editor for the magazine Watercolor. WEBSITE

MONIDEEPA DAS MA in Visual Communication Design, Purdue University; MA in Art History, Stella Maris College, India. Monideepa has over twelve years of experience in advertising, graphic design, illustration, and art education.

PAT FALCONER BFA and BA, The University of Texas at Austin; MFA in Studio Art, Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Pat has shown work locally as well as internationally, and has also worked as a film animator. Pat has taught at the Art School for over 20 years and was a student here before deciding to major in art. She also taught art for UT informal classes. Recently Pat was awarded an Art Sparks Award for 2022.

PETER ABRAMI Peter Abrami is an artist working primarily in painting and drawing with an interest in exploring the connections between human perception, abstraction and cognitive recognition. He holds an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin (2015) and a BFA in painting from The University of South Florida (2010). Peter’s paintings and drawings have been exhibited in group and solo shows both nationally and internationally. His extensive teaching experiences include teaching a variety of courses at the highschool, pre-college and university level. Peter currently lives and works in Austin Texas. WEBSITE

PHILLIP WADE BFA, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; MFA, The University of Texas at Austin. Wade has been an exhibiting and teaching artist for twenty years. WEBSITE

RYAN SANDISON MONTGOMERY holds a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is a painter, awarded the People’s Choice Award by Mayor Adler, and has more than a decade of experience in window dressing and design. Montgomery has also studied at Ox-Bow School of Art and Artist’s Residency in Michigan and interned with the Guggenheim’s teaching artists program. In addition to being a visual artist, he is a writer, musician, and filmmaker. WEBSITE

SADIE BARLOW is originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, and attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville for
undergrad. She received a BFA in Art Education with a studio focus in painting and drawing. Sadie moved to San Antonio to
teach before deciding to pursue a Masters in Art Education at the University of Texas! She aims to foster love, support, respect, and joy within the art classroom.

SEBASTIAN J. STODDART BFA in Sculpture, SUNY Potsdam New York, MFA in Sculpture, Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Sebastian is a visual artist who teaches a variety of ages and is the Sculpture Technician at Texas State University. His most recent body of work “Manic Architectonics” explores themes involving psychology and architecture with a focus on interpersonal relationships. His artwork has been exhibited nationally and his large scale installations are in permanent collections in Florida, Texas, and New York.

SHANNON HOGARTY is a ceramic artist with 8 years of experience, originally from Long Island, New York. Combining traditional pottery techniques with contemporary digital designs, her work features unique surface decorations, vibrant glaze combinations, and atmospheric firing techniques. She enhances her practice by serving as a studio assistant and teacher, sharing her passion and expertise. Shannon's creations blend ancient and modern aesthetics, capturing the timeless magic of clay. WEBSITE Instagram: @shannon_ceramics

SHEILA FLEMING is a painter, sculptor, and photographer, who graduated from The University of Texas in Austin. She has taught Art at the Dougherty Arts Program, The
Umlauf Sculpture Garden,and the Contemporary Austin Art School at Laguna Gloria. Sheila has also been an art instructor at three private schools, and has shown her work in the Austin Art Tours. Her colorful acrylic paintings make you ask yourself a lot of questions. WEBSITE

SHELLEY WOOD has work in private and public collections. She has received two Cultural Contracts from the City of Austin as well as a Partners in the Arts and Humanities award. She continues to create and exhibit work while sharing her love for photography through teaching. Shelley teaches many avenues of photography at a variety of schools in Austin and privately. Her work has been published nationally and internationally. She has served as the Director of the DarkRoom Co-op since 1994. WEBSITE

STEPHANIE PERRY BFA in Art History and BA in Art Education, The University of Texas at Austin; National Board Certified Art Teacher - Early and Middle Childhood. As an experienced art educator teaching in Austin ISD for 25+ years, Perry loves working with children, exploring a variety of artistic media, and showing her work occasionally in local galleries.

SUE KEMP MS in Education from the University of North Texas. She is a signature member of Texas Watercolor Society,
Southwestern Watercolor Society and WFWS and has served as President of 2 art societies. Kemp has been a practicing award winning watercolor artist for over 35 years and her paintings have been published on posters and in seven books. She was the lead painting instructor on 5 trips to Europe. A native of Dallas, Sue taught briefly in public schools after graduation, then pursued other interests, including painting, and has been teaching at the Art School since 2002. WEBSITE

SUZIE GALLEHUGH has over twenty years design experience. Graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999 with a BBA in Marketing, she also holds an Associate's Degree in Fashion Design from the NYC Fashion Institute of Technology. She is the owner and designer of Suzanna Dai, a collection of high end beaded and embroidered fashion jewelry. Suzie’s designs have been carried in luxury department stores and boutiques worldwide including Neiman Marcus and Anthropologie, have been worn by tastemakers such as Michelle Obama, and have been featured as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things. Before starting her line, Suzie honed her skills at various companies in NYC, including: couturier Ralph Rucci, Alexander Doll Company, Jones New York Dress, Kim Seybert, and LOFT. WEBSITE.

SYDNEY GUZMAN (b.1997, McAllen, TX) earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from the LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art in the spring of 2023, following her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Texas State University in 2021. Guzman’s work has been exhibited nationally in museums and galleries, including The Peale Museum in Baltimore, MD, Spellerberg Projects in Lockhart, TX, and Ivester Contemporary in Austin, TX, where she will present a solo exhibition in April 2024. Currently based in Austin, Guzman is a lecturer in The School of Art and Design at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. Her practice focuses on creating immersive, layered works that draw connections between personal growth, cycles of nature, and the complexities of self-discovery. WEBSITE

SYDNEY YEAGER MFA, The University of Texas at Austin. An art educator since 1989, Yeager was a 1996 Mid-America Arts Alliance/National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Recipient and has previously exhibited at Laguna Gloria in Art in Progress: Body/Language in 1997. Her works are widely exhibited in Texas and across the country. WEBSITE

TEEL FLEMING grew up around artists and potters which instilled a great love and deep appreciation of pottery. She started taking classes with and assisting ceramicist Eric Jackson over a decade ago right here at Laguna Gloria! Teel hopes to inspire the next generation of artists the way she was inspired at a young age!

TIMOTHY MCCOOL is an Austin, Texas-based artist and educator. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, McCool received his Master’s of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University located in Boston and Medford, MA. McCool has exhibited his work at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Carroll & Sons Gallery, and Montserrat College of Art, among other locations. He has been the artist in residence at the Boston Center for the Arts, the Studios Program at MASS MoCA, and at the Arteles Creative Center in Finland. During his time in Boston, Timothy taught a variety of painting and drawing courses at Boston College, the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, and the Museum of Fine Arts. In Austin, Timothy co-founded the gallery Goodluckhavefun and regularly curates shows that highlight the work of local Austin artists. WEBSITE

TRICIA RUDOLPH is a Houston-born artist and art educator. Ms. Rudolph holds a dual Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Arts & Design and EC-12 Teacher Certification from the University of Houston - Clear Lake and is a former chef of 10+ years. She loves painting, ceramics, papier mâché, claymation, rock and roll, horror films and cartoons.