University of North Texas 
Senior Associate Dean Eric Ligon addresses the Spring 2026 CVAD graduates at Commencement as he looks forward to retirement this month after 38 years at UNT.
Students experience a rare, collective moment to celebrate at commencement. Go Mean Green!
The Onstead Institute hosted Denton ISD's annual Art Exhibition in the Cora Stafford Gallery. Family, friends and faculty gathered to celebrate emerging artists in K-12th grades.
Each student's ceremony is a powerful, joyful, and lifetime milestone that celebrates years of hard work, grit and personal growth!
The "Escape Your Habitat" campaign earned a Gold ADDY and the Special Judges' Award for Christina Cross at the 2026 AAF's ADDY Awards!
Welcome to the Friends of CVAD Update!
Message from Dean Hutzel
June 9, 2026
Hello, Friends,
Karen Hutzel, Ph.D., Dean and Professor of Art Education
Across the college, faculty and students continued to earn recognition through publications,
exhibitions, presentations and awards. From national media coverage and prestigious
fellowships to significant scholarly and creative achievements, the momentum across
CVAD this spring has been inspiring. I invite you to read more about these accomplishments
throughout this edition of the Friends of CVAD Update.
This spring also marks a season of transition as we celebrate the careers and contributions
of retiring faculty, Eric Ligon, Kelly Donahue-Wallace and Amie Adelman. Their leadership, scholarship, research and teaching have helped shape CVAD for
decades.
I also want to acknowledge that this year brought significant changes and challenges
for many across our college community. Through transitions, uncertainty and demanding
work, our faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters have continued to show resilience,
care and dedication to one another. I remain optimistic about the future of CVAD and
confident in our shared ability to move forward thoughtfully, creatively and with
purpose.
Thank you for the many ways you continue to support the work of this college and the
success of our students. Your engagement, advocacy and generosity help sustain a vibrant
creative community where artists, designers, scholars and educators can thrive.
Warmly,
Karen Hutzel, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor
College of Visual Arts and Design
#UNTCVAD Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
As CVAD's part of the UNT System, our actions, decisions, and approaches to challenges and opportunities are guided by our shared values: Courageous Integrity, Curiosity, We Care, Better Together, and Show Your Fire!
Recognition Beyond Campus
This spring, CVAD faculty, students and alumni earned recognition on some of the nation's
most competitive stages, reflecting the strength of the college's creative, scholarly
and professional impact. From national awards and publications to prestigious fellowships
and industry honors, these achievements demonstrate how work developed in Denton continues
to influence conversations in art, design, education and research far beyond campus.
The stories that follow represent more than individual accomplishments. Together,
they highlight a college whose community is contributing new ideas, advancing creative
practice and earning distinction among peers across the country and around the world.
One of our most significant accomplishments was UNT’s re-accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design — a national affirmation of the quality, rigor and relevance of a CVAD education.
This milestone reflects more than 22 months of thoughtful work and collaboration by
faculty, staff and students across the college. Their dedication to continuous improvement
and student success is deeply appreciated.
Hae Jin Gam, professor of Fashion Design, U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award recipient
Nadine Kalin, professor of Art Education, is the recipient of the National Art Association's Ecology
and Environmental Interest Group’s 2026 Outstanding Publication Award for “Akokisa River Pedagogies,” a research project that rethinks how people relate to the natural world. Focusing
on the Akokisa River in Texas, the work explores the idea that rivers are not simply
resources to be used, but living systems deeply connected to human life and culture.
The project encourages new ways of learning that emphasize interconnectedness, care
and shared responsibility between humans and the environment. Rather than offering
easy answers, the research invites people to reflect on how communities, ecosystems
and waterways shape one another and how art and education can help imagine more sustainable
futures.
Art History Professor Jennifer Way contributed to the expanding field of craft studies through her publication of "Craft and War: Makers, Users, and Craft Practices since the Nineteenth Century," a new anthology that examines the intersections of craft, conflict and society.
For the fifth consecutive year, Graphic Design USA named UNT as a top design school, recognizing the strength of CVAD's Communication
Design program and its record of student achievement. And, for the fifth consecutive
year, two CVAD students were named as GDUSA Students to Watch.
Christina Pearson Cross
Student work also earned recognition at the highest level of competition. Christina Pearson Cross received a 2026 National Gold ADDY Award and the Special Judges' Choice Award in
the American Advertising Federation's Student Division for her campaign concept "Escape
Your Habitat." Cross's work advanced through local, district and national judging
to become the sole UNT student recognized at the national level.
Emily Q. Slavin, 2023, B.A., Art History, recently completed her first year of graduate school at
the University of Chicago and is earning recognition for her research. In the M.A.
program for Art History and Curatorial Studies, she is creating artist biographies
and writing museum labels for the Intuit Art Museum. Read her work online about artists Laura Craig McNellis, Inez Nathaneil Walker, Joseph E. Yoakum, and Martín Ramírez.Research and Publications
CVAD faculty continue to shape their disciplines through influential books, essays, research projects and scholarly collaborations. This year’s publications and honors reflect the breadth of expertise across the college, with work examining design, art history, education, craft, architecture, public art, environmental stewardship and cultural heritage. Together, these achievements demonstrate the vital role CVAD faculty play in advancing knowledge, fostering dialogue and inspiring future generations of artists, designers and scholars.
Carey Gibbons was awarded a 2026-27 Huntington Library Short-Term Fellowship to support research for her book, "Pre-Raphaelite Illustration Beyond Narrative." The fellowship will allow her to work closely with drawings by a range of pre-Raphaelite illustrators.
Michael R. Gibson and Keith M. Owens published a new book: “Navigating the Landscapes of Design Research: Finding Your Way.” The book serves as an accessible guide to understanding how research informs design practice and decision-making. Gibson and Owens explore the origins, methods and applications of design research, helping readers navigate a range of approaches while emphasizing the growing importance of evidence-based design in addressing complex social, technological, environmental and economic challenges.
Creative Capital awarded a 2026–27 Creative Capital Award to UNT faculty members Liss LaFleur, associate professor of Studio Art: New Media Art, and Katherine Sobering, associate professor of sociology, for their collaborative project, The Queer Birth Project. The project traces how queer people reconfigure power, negotiate bodily autonomy, and navigate medical and social institutions as they form families and have children.
Tyson Lewis, professor of Art Education, and Peter Hyland, director of the Onstead Institute, published a new book: "The Alchemy of Research-Creation: On Pataphysical Experimentation, Dark Infrastructures, and Antifascist Studio Practices." The book reimagines research and creative practice through the lens of experimentation, collaboration and artistic inquiry. Drawing on art, philosophy and education, the book explores how creative work can challenge conventional ways of thinking and open new possibilities for learning, making and social change.
Paula Lupkin
Associate Professor of Art History Paula Lupkin published an architectural essay, “Electronic Enclosure: Bruce Goff and the Postwar
Bachelor Pad.” The essay is a standout chapter in the Art Institute of Chicago exhibition
catalog, "Bruce Goff: Material Worlds," by Yale University Press with the Art Institute
of Chicago. The essay explores how visionary architect Bruce Goff masterfully blended
organic, high-art, and futuristic aesthetics to design highly customized bachelor
pads for his midcentury clients.
Neville McFerrin
Neville McFerrin, associate professor in Art History, published three essays.
1) “Beyond Binaries: Mediated Bodies, Productive Entanglements, and Categorical Slippages
at Persepolis,” in "Exploring Gender Dynamics across the Ancient Near East: Collected
Essays of GeMANE 4 and 5" and edited by Ellie Bennett, Megan Cifarelli, Omar N’Shea,
and Allison Thomason. Münster: Zaphon, pp. 147–170. The essay examines the use of
dress and personal adornment to denote socio-political status in the ancient Mediterranean.
The work further analyzes material culture, including grooming tools and the economic
and consumerist impact of luxury goods.
2) “Material Culture, Clothing, and Consumer Practices” in "Beauty in the Ancient World
(500 BCE-400 CE)," volume 1 of "The Cultural History of Beauty," edited by Kelly Olson.
The series is edited by Paul R. Deslandes. London: Bloomsbury, pp. 123–137. McFerrin
explores how ancient societies used clothing and textiles to define social status,
gender roles, and ethnic identity.
3) “Reciprocal Materialities: Seals, Impressions, and the Sense of Kingship in Persepolis”
in "The Routledge Companion to Seals and Seal Studies in Antiquity: New Approaches
to Mediterranean and West Asian Visual Culture," edited by Sarah J. Scott and Oya
Topçuoglu. London: Routledge, pp. 653–673. In McFerrin's chapter, the discussion explores
the sensory and material relationships between ancient seals, clay impressions, and
the bodily or kin-based contexts in which they were used.
Lisa N. Owen, professor and chair of the Department of Art History, published “Through a Jain
Lens: Artistic Process and Exchange at Ellora” in "Ellora: Cross-Fertilization of
Style in Buddhist, Hindu and Jain Cave Temples." Edited by Deepanjana Klein and Arno
Klein of Ahmedabad: Mapin and Simon & Schuster, pp. 132–163. Owen’s chapter combines
in-depth scholarly analysis with extensive photo documentation on the cave temples
at Ellora in India. Specifically, she argues that the Jain caves were integral to
the growth and artistic development of Ellora as a multireligious pilgrimage center.
Nada Shabout, Regents Professor in Art History, and Tiffany Floyd, Art History Lecturer, have recently published a co-edited issue of the "Journal of Contemporary Iraq and the Arab World" titled Monumental Baghdad: The Complexities of Public Art in the City of Peace (volume 19, issue 3). This issue brings together scholarly, artistic, and journalistic perspectives to explore public art and monumentality in Baghdad, Iraq, considering the city both historically and in the contemporary moment. Shabout and Floyd contributed an editor's introduction, and Floyd contributed an article entitled "Monumental mythologies in the Baghdadi relief murals of Mohammed Ghani Hikmat." Access the full journal issue through the UNT Library Catalog.
Heidi Strobel
Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and Professor of Art History Heidi Strobel recently contributed an educational module on 18th-century embroidery published by the Royal School of Needlework. Collaborators on the project included Jennie Batchelor, Susan Kay Williams and Zara Kesterton. Strobel also presented research at an international symposium hosted by Museo del Prado, examining the influence of women as patrons and advocates for the arts. Her scholarship highlights figures such as Sophia Charlotte and Mary Linwood, broadening our understanding of art history and the individuals who shaped it.
In addition to a new book, Professor of Art History Jennifer Way also published a new book chapter, “Cultural Actors in Rehabilitation: Second World War Craft Therapy and White, Ableist, Heteronormative Masculinity,” in "Medical Care, Humanitarianism and Intimacy in the Long Second World War, 1931–1953" by Manchester University Press. The chapter explores how craft therapy helped injured U.S. soldiers recover during World War II while also encouraging them to fit the social expectations placed on men in postwar America. Her research reveals how rehabilitation programs shaped both physical recovery and personal identity.
Creative Work in the World
Recognition is only one measure of impact. This spring, CVAD faculty, students and alumni shared their creative and scholarly work with audiences beyond the university through exhibitions, public art, publications and research. These projects demonstrate how ideas developed in studios, classrooms and laboratories can engage communities, inspire dialogue and contribute to cultural life locally, nationally and internationally.
Narong Tintamusik
Narong Tintamusik
Studio Art: Drawing & Painting, M.F.A., 2025
On exhibition: "Residue" at the Nasher Sculpture Center, Public Gallery, Dallas.
On view through Sept. 20, 2026
In a speculative future shaped by ecological and infrastructural collapse, Dallas-based
artist Narong Tintamusik imagines a resilient community of Thai nomads who preserve culture, spirituality and
survival through traditional craft, cuisine and Buddhist-animist beliefs. Tintamusik’s
immersive sonic and sculptural environment invites visitors into a ritual oasis constructed
from reclaimed copper and brass mesh once used in industrial filtration and construction.
Reimagined as protective and purifying materials, these remnants of industry become
part of a peaceful sanctuary that reflects themes of adaptation, memory and collective
care.
The Texas Fashion Collection, under the direction of Annette Becker, was featured in a recent "Texas Monthly" article, "One of the Country’s Most Important Fashion Collections Can Be Found in Denton," which highlights several regionally important collectors, designers and histories. The collection also was recently featured on WFAA-TV's Good Morning Texas show with a behind-the-scenes segment called "Threads of Time: Exploring the TFC."
UNT xREZ Art and Science Lab Director and Professor Ruth West's VR Design allows the public to explore outer space. She demonstrated this in a
recent distinguished lecture. Selected as the 2026 distinguished lecturer for the IMMERSE Seminar Series at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, West presented “Beyond the Headset:
Social and Spatial Design for Public VR,” a lecture exploring the design of her interactive
multiplayer VR installation, “INSTRUMENT | One Antarctic Night,” which transforms
astronomical data gathered in Antarctica into an immersive experience of light, sound
and collaborative performance.
By Stephen Zhang
Faculty Congratulations
University Distinguished Research Professor and Studio Art Professor Dornith Doherty is the recipient of the 2026 UNT Foundation Eminent Faculty Award. A classroom visit brought welcome news for Doherty as members of university leadership
and the UNT Foundation surprised her to give her one of the university’s highest honors,
recognizing excellence in teaching, research and service. The annual award includes
a one-time payment of $15,000, a commemorative engraved gift, and the distinction
of Eminent Faculty.
Preparing the Next Generation
Senior Exhibitions
Student-organized exhibitions and runway shows do far more than highlight finished work. They give students practical experience with the same challenges, responsibilities and collaborations they will encounter as professionals. Across all disciplines, student-led exhibitions and runway shows foster leadership, problem-solving, adaptability and teamwork. They teach students how to move a project from concept to public presentation while building confidence in their ability to communicate ideas, collaborate with others and navigate real-world professional expectations. These experiences help bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace, preparing graduates to enter their fields as capable, creative and industry-ready professionals.
Links to Senior Shows:
Communication Design | Fashion Design | Interior Design
The "Design is a Conversation" exhibition features the Communication Design work by
Graphic Design and User-Experience Design seniors.
The 2026 Fashion Design Senior Show at the Golden Triangle Mall was planned and executed
by the Fashion Design Student Organization.
The Interior Design Senior Exhibition highlights students' ability to transform ideas
into fully realized interior environments. Through detailed plans, digital renderings
and construction documentation, students demonstrate their skills in design development,
space planning, lighting, building systems and code compliance while creating spaces
that support the safety, health and well-being of users.
Spring 2026 Commencement also reminded us why this work matters. As hundreds of graduates
crossed the stage, we celebrated far more than the completion of degrees. We celebrated
years of persistence, experimentation, critical thinking and creative growth. Our
graduates leave CVAD prepared not only to contribute to their professions, but also
to shape culture, ask important questions and imagine new possibilities for the communities
they will serve.
Summer 2026 Study Abroad Faculty-led Courses
CVAD’s faculty-led study abroad programs provide students with immersive learning experiences in some of the world’s leading centers for art, design and culture. Whether exploring contemporary art at the Venice Biennale, studying Renaissance art and printmaking in Florence, examining fashion and textile traditions in Seoul or investigating the relationship between culture, art and design in Berlin and Munich, students gain hands-on experience that extends beyond the classroom. Through cultural immersion, site visits, creative research and direct engagement with artists, designers and historic traditions, these programs broaden students’ perspectives and deepen their understanding of art and design in a global context.
Jeremy Bernardoni, Hae Jin Gam: Hanbok to High Tech: Fashion Design in Seoul, Korea
Andrew DeCaen, Christian Fagerland: Printmaking & Figure Drawing in Florence, Italy
Alicia Eggert, Brooks Oliver: Art in Italy: the Biennale in Venice, Italy
Hepi Wachter, Amanda Weiss: Culture, Art and Design in Munich & Berlin, Germany
Alumni Leading the Way
Robin Arthur
Robin Arthur
B.F.A., 2000, Drawing and Painting
Gallery: Robin Arthur Art
Website: Robin Arthur Art
A contemporary painter working in layered acrylic and mixed media, Robin Arthur's
work explores landscape, symbolism and atmospheric texture from her studio in the
Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
Arthur first worked in higher education and the arts community in North Texas, including
roles with UNT’s College of Education and the Greater Denton Arts Council. Her professional
art practice later grew in San Antonio, where she became known for vibrant custom
pet portraits influenced by Día de los Muertos imagery and mid-century modern design.
She also collaborated on a public mural project with San Anto Cultural Arts.
The view from artist and alumna Robin Arthur’s painting studio in Colorado’s North
Fork Valley, where expansive mountain landscapes and changing skies continue to inspire
her work.
Today, her custom portraits, landscapes and abstracts are held in nearly 1,000 private
collections, and her work has evolved over decades of studio practice. Her colorful
mountain landscapes have also been featured on wine labels for Western Slope wineries,
while visitors to Telluride may recognize one of the town’s dining gondolas wrapped
in her signature chicken artwork. Her custom portraits, landscapes and abstracts are
held in nearly 1,000 private collections, and her work has evolved over decades of
studio practice.
Arthur continues to create from her mesa-top studio overlooking the valley, balancing
commissioned work, gallery exhibitions and a global audience through her Etsy shop,
Robin Arthur Art. Looking back on her time at UNT, she credits the experience — including navigating
college as a student-parent — with helping shape the resilience and creativity that
continue to guide her work today.
Arthur's colorful paintings are inspired by rural landscapes, animals and her creative
spirit.
Robin Arthur Gallery
Le Quan
B.F.A., Communication Design: User-Experience Design, 2025
Interaction Designer, IBM Software, Silicon Valley, California
Congratulations to Le Quan, who recently joined IBM as the fourth alum of CVAD's User-Experience Design program to sign with IBM. As a designer, Quan is dedicated to IBM's Software Development Division's process of creating, designing,
deploying and supporting software. She tackled her senior-year studies, co-developed
Glidance, which included eight strategies and 11 concepts to reach blind users who
are not already connected to blind and low vision communities and became a new mom
with tremendous success and aplomb.
"I work on developing a product that helps IBM customers monitor and manage their
IT operations. It’s been a fantastic experience working hand-in-hand with developers
and researchers. I’ve learned a lot about IBM mainframes and designing for a complex
IT system," said Quan. "I do feel lucky to have studied User-Experience Design in a research-centric university,
so my design approach is always research-first. My team really values designers who
also have research skills, and I feel grateful for having that skill set coming out
of UNT. In my four years at UNT, I learned systematic thinking, design thinking, visual
design, user research and prototyping, all of which remain essential skills that enable
me to actively contribute to the work at IBM. I also find the UX Design program at
UNT CVAD is well aligned with IBM’s design practice. Although I didn’t have a heavy
tech background, which is also important in a software-heavy environment, having the
ability to think systematically has helped me to connect the dots and learn faster
in an IT environment."
Le Quan presents her UX Design capstone project, “Glidance,” designed to support blind
and visually impaired users through accessible navigation technology. The collage
also highlights her exhibition display and a personal milestone: celebrating graduation
at the UNT Coliseum with her infant child, who was born the summer before the busiest
year of her graduate studies.
Legacy and Leadership: This spring also marked a season of reflection and gratitude as CVAD celebrated faculty whose decades of teaching, scholarship and leadership have shaped the college and the lives of thousands of students. As one generation of leaders concludes its service, the college reflects on the lasting impact of their teaching, scholarship and leadership. Their contributions continue to influence the programs, opportunities and creative culture that define CVAD today.
Eric Ligon, UNT Distinguished University Faculty
Eric Ligon
This season marks an important transition for the college as we celebrate Senior Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs, Distinguished University Faculty and Communication Design: Graphic Design Professor Eric Ligon for nearly four decades of service to UNT. He has shaped the identity and culture of CVAD as a graduate student, educator, designer, mentor and administrator. His commitment to accessibility, typography, branding and student success has influenced generations of artists and designers, and his impact on this college will continue to be felt for years to come. Read "Eric Ligon Reflects on 38 Years of Teaching, Leadership and Design at UNT CVAD."
Help Eric Support CVAD Students
Eric Ligon Communication Design Fund
As Ligon retires, he asked that his legacy not be a scholarship in his name, but continued
support for the program itself. Your gift to the Communication Design Fund provides
flexible resources that directly benefit students and faculty—supporting design show
entry fees, guest speakers, and faculty research that enriches the classroom. For
future generations of designers and artists, Ligon's advice remains both practical
and deeply personal: “Don’t take shortcuts. Details are always important and worth
the time. And loving it is the best you can offer.”
Kelly Donahue-Wallace, Ph.D., professor, Art History, UNT Faculty Excellence Award
in 2015. Photo: UNT Libraries.
Kelly Donahue-Wallace
Kelly Donahue-Wallace is retiring after 26 years at UNT. Her exceptional scholarship and teaching occurred while serving in several administrative roles for the program, department, and university. As chair of what was then the Department of Art Education and Art History, Donahue-Wallace spearheaded several new initiatives and programs. These included IADS — Interdisciplinary Arts and Design Studies, which remains one of the most robust programs in CVAD — and her creation of online art history surveys at a time when the university had very few online offerings. In addition to her work on Living with Art, one of the most popular textbooks for teaching surveys in art history, she published "La luz que merecen. El círculo de pintores y grabadores en México 1720-1780," in La circulación de imágenes entre los pintores y grabadores mexicanos del siglo XVIII. Madrid: Silex Ediciones. With essays by leading scholars of Mexican colonial art, the book addresses the complex network of artists and images within and beyond Mexico. Donahue-Wallace's chapter demonstrates that printmakers participated with painters in previously unrecognized collaborations in the mid-18th century.
Amie Adelman, Photo: Richard Hill Photography
Amie Adelman
Studio Art Professor Amie Adelman is retiring from the University of North Texas after a 25-year distinguished career of teaching, research and creative practice. A nationally and internationally recognized fiber artist, Adelman built a body of work informed by extensive research into textile traditions across Africa, Europe and Central America. Throughout her career, she shared that knowledge through exhibitions, publications, artist residencies and her service to the National Basketry Organization. Known for her expertise in fiber arts and mixed-media techniques, she also inspired and mentored generations of students. Her contributions have left a lasting mark on CVAD, the arts community and the field of contemporary fiber art.
Special Events & Visitors
From welcoming future students and their families to hosting visiting leaders and community partners, CVAD remained a vibrant gathering place this spring. These events created opportunities to share ideas, celebrate creativity and strengthen connections between the college and the communities it serves.
CVAD welcomed more than 500 prospective students, family members and guests to our
third annual CVAD Celebrates event. Throughout the Art Building, visitors experienced
demonstrations, exhibitions and conversations that reflected the energy and breadth
of our programs. Events like these remind us how powerful it is to open our doors
and share the work happening inside our studios, labs and classrooms.
Emma Manners, Duchess of Rutland and CEO of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, England,
visited the College of Visual Arts and Design, touring the Texas Fashion Collection
and meeting with students and faculty in Fashion Design and Interior Design.
The Onstead Institute and CVAD hosted "Outside the Box," an art exhibition of works
by K–12 grade art students from the Denton ISD.
On the Calendar
CVAD Upcoming Events | UNT Events Calendar | Gallery Exhibitions
Through July 25: Communication Design B.F.A. Program Senior Exhibition, Paul Voertman Gallery, Art
Building, Room C105.
June 19: Juneteenth, no classes, campus closed
June 19, 5 p.m. CDT: DEADLINE for U.S. applicants to apply for the M.A. in IxD program for a Fall 2026 start.
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CVAD News and Views
A publication of the CVAD Marketing Office, Office of the Dean
Questions, comments or suggestions? Contact us.
E: cvad.Information@unt.edu | P: 940-369-5249
Mailing address: 1155 Union Circle #305100, Denton, TX 76201
Physical address: 1201 W. Mulberry St., Denton, TX 76201
UNT Art Building, Room 101, Denton, TX 76203-5017