UNT College of Visual Arts and Design

CVAD Staff Exhibition: Please join us at the UNT CoLab!

EXHIBITION
Sept. 4–25, 2026
UNT CoLab
207 N Elm St., Denton, TX 76201

Opening Reception: Sept. 4, 5–7 p.m.

Regular Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

CURATOR & ORGANIZER
Holly Hutzell, Galleries Manager, Art Registrar

EXHIBITORS
Lindsey Bass, Visual Arts Technician, Studio Art: Drawing & Painting
Valerie Banes Hancock, Visual Arts Technician, Studio Art: Ceramics
Kacey Close, Senior IT Support Manager
Kevin Contreras, College Recruiting & Community Development
Clarissa Gonzalez, Visual Arts Technician, Studio Art: Printmaking
Christa Grogan, Fabrication Lab Manager
Phoebe Heng, Visual Arts Technician, Foundations
Holly Hutzell, Galleries Manager, Art Registrar
Sarah Loch-Test, Visual Arts Technician, Studio Art: Metalsmithing & Jewelry
Jeff McClung, Facilities Manager
Jacob Phillips, Visual Arts Technician, Studio Art: Sculpture
Lyssia Provencio, Academic Advisor, Milnes Advising Center
Belinda Reyes, Administrative Coordinator
Erasmo Rodriguez, Senior Academic Advisor, Milnes Advising Center
Delaney Smith-Vaughn, CVAD Career Coach
Jillian Wendel, CVAD Career Coach
Ursula Williams, Information Technology Support Supervisor

First Flight Week 2026: CVAD is excited to host our newest students, the Class of 2030, for activities in the UNT Art Building and Art Annex!

It's going to be fun!

College Day
Aug. 12, 2026
9 a.m.–Noon
UNT Art Building

Questions: Please contact Kevin Contreras, CVAD coordinator for recruiting and community engagement: [email protected].

Image: View of the Shadow Garden sculpture on the west side of the UNT Art Building with people in the background.

Art Education Announcement: Mulberry Street Studio After-School Art Program for Ages 6–10

Inspire your child's creativity at the Mulberry Street Studio!

Give your child the opportunity to explore, imagine and create in a fun, supportive art studio at the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design.

The Mulberry Street Studio Child Art Program is a six-week after-school experience for children ages 6–10 who love making art and trying new things. Young artists will experiment with a variety of materials and techniques while building creativity, confidence and problem-solving skills in a welcoming studio environment. The program concludes with a special exhibition where family and friends can celebrate each child's artistic accomplishments.

CLASS DATES
Oct. 15 | Oct. 22 | Oct. 29
Nov. 5 | Nov. 12 | Nov. 19

PROGRAM DETAILS
Ages: 6–10
UNT Art Building, Room 182
1201 W. Mulberry St.
Denton, TX 76201

$40 includes all supplies and fees.

The Mulberry Street Studio is generously supported by the Jo Ann (Jody) and Dr. Charles O. Onstead Institute for Education in the Visual Arts and Design and is presented by the UNT CVAD Department of Art Education.

Register Now: LINK IN BIO.

Image: Back view of a child with two braids wearing a black T-shirt featuring a large spool of lavender-colored thread. The child stands in a gallery with artwork displayed on the walls while another student walks in the background. Text appears in the caption.

Studio Art: Printmaking Faculty Highlight — Lari Gibbons

Professor Lari Gibbons is featured in the "MI-Lab 30th Anniversary Exhibition" at the Takefu Public Hall Memorial Museum in Echizen, Fukui, Japan. The international exhibition celebrates 30 years of the Mokuhanga Innovation Laboratory, a renowned artist residency dedicated to the traditional Japanese art of water-based woodblock printmaking.

Exhibition
"MI-Lab 30th Anniversary Exhibition"
July 11-Aug. 16, 2026
Takefu Public Hall Memorial Museum, Echizen, Fukui, Japan

Gibbons' exhibited work was created during her 2024 MI-Lab residency, where artists from around the world study the centuries-old Mokuhanga printmaking process and work with the renowned handmade Echizen washi paper.

Gibbons' residency was supported in part by a University of North Texas Faculty Development Leave and a College of Visual Arts and Design Cornerstone Grant.

Read more: Link in bio!

Images: 1) Artist Asuki Tsutsumi and Toby Kobayashi, translator, discuss work in progress with Gibbons at the public MI-Lab Open Studio; 2) promotional poster of the “MI-Lab 30th Anniversary Exhibition” written in Japanese; 3) Information about the exhibition including names of participants; 4) gallery of the Takefu Public Hall Memorial Museum, Echizen, Fukui, Japan; black-and-white print by Lari Gibbons: AFM9, 21.0 × 29.7 cm, Mokuhanga, 2024.

Studio Art: Photography Faculty Highlight: Professor Dornith Doherty

“Simulacra (or, the Persistence of Nature in an Age of Mediation)”
Featuring work by Dornith Doherty, Etsuko Ichikawa and Bill Viola, “Simulacra (or, the Persistence of Nature in an Age of Mediation)” explores how our relationship with the natural world is increasingly shaped by technology, archives and human intervention.

Through Oct. 10, 2026

Gallery of Contemporary Art
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Doherty's lenticular photographs of seeds from global seed banks reflect resilience, preservation and hope in the face of ecological uncertainty. Together, the artists examine how nature persists — not untouched, but transformed, enduring through systems that both threaten and protect it.

Congratulations to Professor Doherty on this outstanding exhibition.

Studio Art Announcement: We are hiring a Visual Arts Technician: Photography

Join the CVAD Team!

The CVAD Studio Art Department is seeking to hire a Visual Arts Technician to join its team. Responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to:

Management of Studio Art’s Photography concentration facilities for student and faculty use by:
• Maintaining a safe student work environment.
• Maintaining equipment and web checkout system.
• Purchasing supplies.
• Maintaining the area’s instructional fee budget.
• Disseminating information.
• Keeping lab records and files.
• General office duties.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Setting safety standards
• Supervising hourly workers.

Minimum Qualifications
Associate's degree and two years of related experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

For all the details, check it out: link in bio!



Image: Camera and lens on a black background.

Studio Art: New Media Art Faculty Highlight — Liss LaFleur

Congratulations to CVAD Associate Professor Liss LaFleur, who was featured at the 2026 Creative Capital Carnival at Lincoln Center in New York City.

The event brought together artists, curators and arts leaders from across the country to celebrate recipients of the prestigious 2026 Creative Capital Award and showcase new works in development.

LaFleur presented The Q***r Birth Project, a collaborative project with sociologist Katherine Sobering that explores LGBTQ+ family building, childbirth, caregiving and community connections.

Creative Capital is one of the nation's leading organizations supporting innovative artist-led projects through funding, professional development and national visibility.

We are proud to see Professor LaFleur's work recognized on a national stage.

Read more: link in bio!

Communication Design: Graphic Design Student Highlight: Christina Pearson Cross

A Gold ADDY, the Special Judges’ Choice Award and a national spotlight!

UNT CVAD Communication Design: Graphic Design student Christina Pearson Cross earned a National Gold ADDY Award for her campaign "Escape Your Habitat," a creative concept for a partnership between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.
Selected through local, regional and national competition, her work was recognized among the country's top student advertising and design projects.

Although the “Escape Your Habitat” campaign was created as a senior, Cross is now a 2026 B.F.A. alumna.

Congratulations, Christina!



Images: 1) Cross at the gala holding her two awards; 2) a beach-going bear; 3) a surfing moose; 4) a skiing sea otter; 5) a glacier-touring sea turtle; 6) Cross on stage accepting the Special Judges’ Choice Award from the Judges; 7) Cross smiling and holding up her two awards!

Studio Art M.F.A. Alumnus Highlight: Narong Tintamusik Solo Exhibition

UNT CVAD alumnus Narong Tintamusik is bringing his immersive installation "Residue" to the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.

Using copper and brass mesh treated with Thai food ingredients and exposed to the elements over several months, Tintamusik transforms industrial materials into sculptural forms that explore memory, ritual and resilience. Sound recordings from his studio process are woven into an original exhibition score by composer Saun Santipreecha, creating an environment that engages both sight and sound.

Set within a speculative future shaped by ecological change, "Residue" imagines how culture, spirituality and traditional craft practices can help communities endure and adapt.

"Residue"
May 30–Sept. 20, 2026
Nasher Sculpture Center Public Gallery
Dallas, Texas

Also on view: "Where the Spirit Settles"
UNT Murchison Performing Arts Center
Through Sept. 19, 2026

Photos by Pablo Cruz, courtesy of the artist.



Images: 1) Close-up of Narong Tintamusik’s hands arranging woven sculptural materials for "Residue." 2) Tintamusik uses a torch while creating textile-inspired sculptural forms. 3)Tintamusik works on hanging sculptural elements in his backyard studio. 4) Tintamusik uses a torch to shape sculptural forms outdoors. 5) Tintamusik poses with a large textile-like sculpture made of twisted, dyed materials.

CVAD 2018 Fashion Design B.F.A. alumna R'Bonney Nola Gabriel, former Miss Universe, is taking her passion for fashion to the next level as she joins the newest season of "Project Runway."

The Filipino-American beauty queen is joining 21 other designers in season 22 of the reality competition, which will premiere on Disney+ and other platforms on July 9. Congratulations, R'Bonney!

Former Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel is taking her passion for fashion to the next level as she joins the newest season of "Project Runway."

See comments section for the full story.