FINE ARTS Faculty biographies

Curtis Benzle, fine arts professor, is the chair of dimensional studies. He teaches ceramics and community art education. He has been awarded fellowships by the Ohio Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts for his sculptural works in porcelain. He is past board president and executive director of Ohio Designer Craftsmen and has been a trustee of the American Craft Council. His work is included in many public and private collections including the White House, the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He has held residencies at Syracuse University and the Seto Center for Ceramics and Glass in Japan. He has participated in more than 100 solo and group exhibitions throughout the world and has work represented in 20 books on the field of contemporary ceramics. He continues to lecture nationwide on his work, the business of art, and professional practices. In addition to his personal expression, Mr. Benzle also operates a ceramics studio producing porcelain home accessories for gift shops in galleries nationwide. He received a BFA from The Ohio State University and an MA from Northern Illinois University.

Anita Dawson, fine arts professor, is the chair of the drawing and printmaking departments. She earned her BFA at the University of South Florida and her MFA at the University of Florida. She actively exhibits work throughout the U.S. Her work is represented in public and private collections, including the Chautauqua Center in New York and the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Ms. Dawson also organized and curated a 32-artist, three-state still-life exhibition that traveled to Midwest museums and galleries

Dennis Drummond, fine arts professor emeritus, has served as chair of the drawing and printmaking department and faculty council president. He has exhibited widely and his paintings are held in numerous collections. Mr. Drummond holds a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA from Syracuse University. He has twice been recognized in Who's Who Among American Teachers.

Carol Griffith, fine arts associate professor, teaches drawing, watercolor, painting, and the junior fine arts seminar. She is an Ohio Arts Council fellowship recipient, and has won awards from the Ohio Watercolor Society, The Huntington 280, and Ohio State Fair Professional Exhibition. Her paintings have been included in many juried and invitational group shows throughout the country. She has also had solo exhibitions in Chicago, Ann Arbor, Dayton, and Columbus. Her work is included in the Huntington Bank Collection, the Columbus Metropolitan Library collection and in numerous private collections. Ms. Griffith has an AA in Visual Communication from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, a BFA in painting from Carnegie Mellon University, and an MFA in painting from Ohio University.

Dennison W. Griffith, president, teaches painting. For the decade prior to his appointment in 1998, he worked at the Columbus Museum of Art most recently as deputy director. In the mid-80s he served as Executive Director of the Ohio Foundation for the Arts, and was the Individual Artists Program Coordinator for the Ohio Arts Council from 1978 to 1983. He currently serves on the board of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, where he co-chairs the Creative Services Committee, is a member of the Executive Committee for the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, and is Chair of the Higher Education Council of Columbus. Concurrent with his administrative career, Mr. Griffith has maintained a vigorous commitment to his work as an artist. He is the recipient of fellowships for painting from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Ohio Arts Council, and an Arts Midwest/NEA Regional Fellowship. His work has been included in more than 80 solo and group exhibitions and is represented in significant public and private collections. Mr. Griffith has an MFA from The Ohio State University and a BFA from Ohio Wesleyan University.

Charles Herndon, fine arts professor, teaches sculpture and drawing. His work is shown at galleries in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and in a gallery and sculpture garden he built on Kelley’s Island. He is a stone carver, frequently using stones found near his Lake Erie studio and gallery complex. He also works in glass, wood, and metal; and is a painter and photographer. His stone sculptures address geologic time and process, human touch and response, and the formal attributes and associations of the figure. His photographs reflect the manifestations of time passing and natural process found on and about the island. His paintings deal with language, perception, and physical response as a key to intellectual and emotional involvement. His pieces have been purchased for many public and private collections. Mr. Herndon earned a BFA in sculpture from the Cleveland Institute of Art and a BA in Art History from Case Western Reserve University. He did graduate work in Art History at CWRU in conjunction with the Cleveland Museum of Art before earning an MFA in sculpture at Syracuse University. Visit Mr. Herndon's Web site: www.charlesherndon.com

Bill Hunt, fine arts professor, teaches ceramics. Prior to joining CCAD, he was a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation, a full-time studio potter, and the editor of Ceramics Monthly magazine. His studio work has been represented in numerous national and international exhibitions and collections and received a purchase prize from Saga (Japan) Prefectural Art Museum for its permanent collection of international works. Mr. Hunt’s ceramics have appeared in publications including American Craft and Craft International (New York), Ceramic Review (London), Keramik Magazin (Berlin), La Ceramique Moderne (Paris), Ceramica (Madrid), as well as in a variety of additional art journals, books, video, and other media. He has juried many of the top U.S. exhibitions involving ceramics and has written widely, including more than 100 exhibition reviews since 1975. He holds an honorary membership in the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, and a life membership in the International Academy of Ceramics. He received a BA in philosophy and fine art from the College of Wooster and an MFA in ceramics and sculpture from The Ohio State University.

Dawson R. Kellogg, fine arts assistant professor, teaches glassblowing. He has received many scholarships from the internationally acclaimed Pilchuk Glass School and has sold works in their annual auction. Mr. Kellogg’s work is held in private collections throughout the country. He makes work for local studio production lines and accepts numerous commissioned projects. He holds a BA in art education from San Francisco State University.

John Kortlander, fine arts associate professor, teaches painting, drawing, and watercolor. His work has been exhibited in more than 50 juried, invitational, and gallery exhibits. Prior to joining the CCAD faculty, he taught at the Mercersburg Academy, where he received the Johnson Foundation Teacher of the Year Award and the Skidmore College Fellowship for outstanding artists/teachers. He also was the subject of The Documentary Gallery, produced for PBS. He received a BFA in art history from Ohio University and an MFA in painting from the University of Colorado.

Gregg Kumlien, fine arts professor, teaches painting and drawing. His paintings have been shown both regionally and nationally, and he has had many group and solo exhibitions. The subject matter in his work includes room interiors, figures, and landscapes. He received his MA and MFA degrees from the University of Wisconsin.

Gordon Lee, fine arts associate professor, teaches painting, drawing, and watercolor. He has exhibited extensively around the world, participating in solo and group shows in Canada, the U.S., Taiwan, Germany, and China. Before returning to CCAD in 1987 (having taught at the college in 1981-82), he was a lecturer at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Mr. Lee earned a BFA in studio art from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, and an MFA in painting from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. In 2002, he was awarded an individual artists fellowship by the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

Kelly Malec-Kosak, fine arts assistant professor, teaches sculpture. Prior to her 2002 appointment at CCAD, she taught jewelry and three-dimensional design at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati and directed CraftSummer at Miami University. Mrs. Malec-Kosak actively participates in solo, group, and invitational exhibitions and has been invited to lecture and perform demonstrations at galleries, museums, and colleges across the country. She has an MFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts and a BFA in jewelry and metal arts from Miami University in Oxford, OH.

Jessica McCoy, fine arts assistant professor, teaches drawing and painting. Mrs. McCoy received her BS in art, her MA, and MFA from the University of Wisconsin Madison. Mrs. McCoy is the recipient of a Vilas Fellowship and the Porter Butts Purchase Award, which has placed her work in the permanent collection of the university. Her work is currently represented by The Fanny Garver Gallery in Madison, Wisconsin.

Kathy McGhee, fine arts instructor, teaches printmaking (lithography, relief, intaglio, and serigraphy) and drawing. She has a BS in plant biology, a BFA in drawing and painting, and an MFA in printmaking from The Ohio State University.

James Mellick, fine arts adjunct instructor, teaches wood sculpture. Mr. Mellick taught sculpture, printmaking, and design at Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire; founded the art program and taught painting, sculpture, and art history at Houghton College; and taught sculpture, drawing, and art appreciation at Calvin College. He has also taught workshops at several institutions. Mr. Mellick’s work is collected internationally and has been published in periodicals and textbooks. He has served as juror for regional and national art exhibitions and currently operates a teaching studio at Heartwood Studios and Farm near Marysville, OH. Mr. Mellick earned his MFA from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

Douglas Norman, fine arts professor, teaches painting and drawing. He earned a BA from California State University San Diego and an MFA from the Claremont Graduate School and University Center. He has exhibited his works in invitational and juried exhibitions regionally as well as nationally.

Kristin Nortz, fine arts adjunct instructor, teaches sculpture. She is an installation, video, and performance artist as well as a traditional sculpture artist. Ms. Nortz received a BFA from CCAD and an MFA in sculpture from Ohio University.

Bruce Robinson, fine arts professor, holds a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from Indiana University. His works have appeared in numerous regional and national juried shows. He traveled to Dresden, Germany, in 1997 to exhibit his work in an exhibition celebrating the fifth anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Columbus and Dresden.

Neil Riley, fine arts associate professor, teaches painting and drawing. Mr. Riley received a BFA from the Maryland Institute of Art and an MFA from Boston University. His awards include a Fullbright Fellowship to Italy and a residency at the Klots Chateau in Rochefort-en-Tere, France.

Robert Robbins, fine arts associate professor, teaches painting and drawing. He received a BFA from CCAD and an MFA from Yale University. He has exhibited in the U.S. and abroad, and he has received numerous fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council and the Greater Columbus Arts Council. He has been a Jean and Louis Dreyfus Fellow at the MacDowell Colony and he participated in residencies at the MacDowell Colony and at the Klots Chateau in Rochefort-en-Tere, France. He is currently represented by Sears-Peyton Gallery, New York City. Visit Mr. Robbin's Web site: http://www.wideopenwest.com/ ~rrobbins9058/rrobbins.html

Peter Rasmussen, fine arts associate professor, teaches sculpture. He has exhibited his work in shows and juried exhibitions around the country. His work is included in a number of public and private collections, including the Smithsonian Air and Space Collection, Yonkin Center, and Riffe Center Collection. He has served as consultant to the Wexner Center for the Arts and Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Rasmussen has a degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an MFA from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Djahangir Pirasteh, fine arts professor, teaches drawing, painting, watercolor, and anatomy. Mr. Pirasteh has exhibited his work in numerous solo and group shows in the U.S. and internationally, including the annual conference of the Center for Iranian Research and Analysis; Villanova University (which received international mention), and St. Cloud State University in Minnesota (which received an honorable award and earned him membership to the President’s Club). He has also been commissioned by and donated to various private and public institutions, and has served as a judge for numerous art competitions. He holds AA, BA, and MA degrees from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin.

Kristine Schramer, fine arts assistant professor, teaches painting, drawing, and anatomy. She earned her BA as a Monroe Scholar at the College of William and Mary and studied at the New York Academy of Figurative Art, the Art Students League of New York, and the Ecole Albert Defois in France before earning her MFA from Indiana University. Her paintings and drawings have won awards in exhibitions across the Midwest and Southern U.S. and are included in the collections of the College of William and Mary and the City of Bloomington, Indiana. Ms. Schramer was awarded a travel grant from the Institute of International Education to study in Florence, Italy, and in 2000 she received a grant award from the National Society of Arts and Letters. For more information: www.kschramer.com

Julie Taggart, dean of fine arts, professor, teaches fine art senior thesis. Her work has been included in more than 65 group exhibitions, nationally and internationally. Ms. Taggart is represented by Gallery V in Columbus. She holds a BFA from CCAD and an MFA from Syracuse University.

Kaname Takada, fine arts associate professor, teaches ceramics, and created the ceramic mural on the Canzani Center. His work is represented in a number of collections, including those of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Zanesville Art Center, Lamar Dodd Art Center, and Ohio Craft Museum. He has shown his award-winning work in six international exhibitions in France, New Zealand, Japan, and the U.S.; and in 23 solo and group exhibitions, more than 30 national exhibitions, and numerous regional exhibitions. Mr. Takada has an MFA in ceramics from the University of Notre Dame.

Lowell Tolstedt, fine arts professor emeritus, has work represented in a number of collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institute, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Evansville Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Museum of Art. Mr. Tolstedt has received three Individual Artist Fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council, and was awarded a Visual Artist Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1983. He has a BFA from the University of South Dakota and an MA in painting and drawing from the University of Iowa. Mr. Tolstedt retired from CCAD after teaching for more than 35 years and serving as dean of the division of fine arts since 1981.

Ernest Viveiros, fine arts professor, teaches anatomy and structure, painting, and figure drawing. His work has appeared in group and solo exhibitions including exhibitions at the Butler Institute of American Art and the Chicago International Art Expo. He received a BFA from Southwestern Massachusetts University and an MFA from Southern Illinois University, where he taught drawing and design.

Arthur Chun Wang, fine arts associate professor, received his formal education in both China and the United States where he graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His work has been exhibited in China, the United States, Chile, Japan, Mexico, and Spain. Many of his works are held in private and public collections, including The China National Museum of Fine Arts in Beijing, the University of Colorado, and the Ohio State House. He is a recipient of an individual Artist Fellowship from the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

James Weigle, fine arts associate professor, teaches printmaking courses in lithography and relief. He also conducts a papermaking workshop. His works have been represented in local galleries and various private collections—both national and international. He received recognition for his entry in an international design competition for the Key West AIDS Memorial. He has received several Ohio Arts Council grants for coordinating youth art classes. Prior to teaching at CCAD, Mr. Weigle professionally printed editions in New Mexico at Tamarind Institute and in New York City at Solo Press and Atelier Ettinger. He demonstrates and lectures on printmaking techniques. Mr. Weigle received a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and an MFA from The Pennsylvania State University and is a certified professional Tamarind printer.