Faculty

Justin Boyd - Academic Director
Chair of Sculpture & Integrated Media

Justin holds an MFA from California Institute of the Arts and a BFA from The University of Texas at San Antonio. His work has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout Texas, including Artpace, San Antonio; Art Palace, Houston; and Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio. Justin also hosts a long-running radio show on a local jazz station (KRTU).

Margaret Craig - Chair of Printmaking/Paper

210.200.8257
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Margaret holds a BS in Biology, Secondary Ed, a BS in Art, and a MA in Art, Painting, from the University of Wisconsin. She holds an MFA in Printmaking from The University of Texas at San Antonio. A leader in printmaking technology, Margaret has demonstrated at national conferences and was selected to represent the U.S. in China as part of the Sanbao International Printmaking symposium. Her most recent residency was at Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, in Berlin, Germany, through Blue Star Contemporary.

Joe Harjo - Chair of Photography

210.200.8265
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Joe holds an MFA from The University of Texas at San Antonio and a BFA from the University of Central Oklahoma. He is a board member of the Muscogee Arts Association, a nonprofit organization that advocates for living Muscogee artists. Recent exhibitions include CAM Perennial 2017: Memory and Landscape at Southwest School of Art and Homage at Blue Star Contemporary. He recently curated a series of Native American films at the Briscoe Western Art Museum.

Blake Kennedy - Studio Manager

210.200.8235
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Blake holds a BFA in ceramics and sculpture from Appalachian State University. Recent exhibitions include Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH; The Blowing Rock Museum of Art and History, Blowing Rock, NC; Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport, TX; and the Butler Art Center, Butler, PA. In addition to an active studio practice, he enjoys spending time with his wife, their four dogs, two cats, and five chickens.

Victor Pagona - Chair of Core Program

210.200.8256
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Victor holds an MFA in Photography and Sculpture from the University of South Carolina and an MA in Art History from the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Recent exhibitions include shows at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, San Antonio; Gallery 777, Toledo, Ohio; and the Kruk Gallery, Superior, Wisconsin.

Chris Sauter - Chair of Painting and Drawing
Director of Special Projects

210.200.8261
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Chris holds a B.A. from the University of the Incarnate Word and an M.F.A. from The University of Texas at San Antonio. He has exhibited across the United States, Mexico, and Europe. His works have been featured at The Kohler Art Center; the Musee d’Art Moderne Saint-Etienne, France; The Drawing Center, NY; Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art; Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; Dallas Museum of Art; and PS1, New York. Chris was recently a Blue Star Contemporary Resident at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin, Germany.

Jillian Sortore - Chair of Metals

210.200.8254
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Jillian holds an MFA with Metalsmithing emphasis from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and a BFA in Jewelry Design and Metals from Pittsburg State University. Recent exhibitions include Adorned Spaces; Society of North American Goldsmiths conference, New Orleans, LA; Melange, Clamplight Gallery, San Antonio; and Craft Texas, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX.

Ryan Takaba - Chair of Ceramics

210.200.8219
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Ryan holds an MFA in ceramics from Kent State University and a BFA from the University of Hawaii. He has taught at Kent State University, The University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, and Northwest Vista College. Ryan's residencies include the European Ceramic Work Centre in the Netherlands and The Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, China

FACULTY EMERITI

ROBERT HILS • FACULTY EMERITUS

Robert studied Historic Preservation at the University of Vermont and received a Master Weaver certificate through the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. He first gained interest in fiber as an undergraduate working toward a BS in Art Education from the University of Edinboro, PA. Robert's main area of concentration is weft-faced tapestry weaving.

DENNIS SMITH • FACULTY EMERITUS

Dennis holds an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Montana and a BFA in Ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute, with additional study at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and has been featured in Ceramics Monthly, Ceramics: Arts and Perception, and Clay Times.

BECK WHITEHEAD • FACULTY EMERITUS

Beck holds a BA from Trinity University and an MFA from The University of Texas at San Antonio. She has taught papermaking workshops at several national conferences and at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Pyramid Atlantic, Haystack Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Beck has previously served on the Board of Directors for Hand Papermaking Inc.