College of Fine Arts Alumni Spotlight
Alumni Highlights
Alum Highlight: Eric-Paul Riege Receives 2025 Trellis Art Fund Grant
Eric-Paul Riege, a Gallup-based Diné artist and recent UNM graduate, has been recognized as a 2025 Stepping Stone Grantee by the Trellis Art Fund. His multidisciplinary practice uses weaving as both process and philosophy, blending ancestral knowledge, spirituality, and contemporary art to create works that are living, mobile, and deeply connected to cultural memory.
Art MFA Alum Kerry Cottle Builds a Career Blending Material and Meaning
Kerry Cottle, a 2022 graduate of the University of New Mexico’s Art MFA program, is emerging as a compelling voice in contemporary painting, with exhibitions across California and a studio practice grounded in material experimentation, abstraction, and sustainability....
Exploring Art: Marisa Demarco, Szu-Han Ho, and Raven Chacon’s “Tiguex”
Marisa Demarco and Szu-Han Ho bring sound, performance, and installation into conversation with memory, place, and collaboration. Their works span immersive choral pieces, site-specific soundscapes, and experimental compositions that challenge how we listen and connect.
UNM Artists Take the Spotlight in Southwest Contemporary Vol. 12: Obsession
Southwest Contemporary Vol. 12: Obsession features some incredible work from several of the amazing people who comprise the Art Department. Current second-year MFA students Luka Berkley and Justine Kablack, recent MFA graduate Taylor Engel, and instructor Jessamyn Lovell all have work featured in this most recent issue of Southwest Contemporary.
Emmi Whitehorse at 12th Site SANTA FE International
Art Alum, Emmi Whitehorse’s work is featured in the 12th Site SANTA FE International with a piece titled “Cloud Gate” (2025). Whitehorse was born in Crownpoint, New Mexico, and is a member of the Navajo Nation. She earned her BFA in painting here at UNM, and she also went on to get a master’s degree, majoring in both printmaking and minoring in Art History.
Art Alum News, Featuring Joanna Keane Lopez and Eric Paul Riege
Here are this week’s highlights of two alum who have received notable recognition and appreciation for their artistic contributions.
MFA Photography Alumni, Anna Rotty and Brianna Tadeo, Selected for “FORECAST 2025” at SF Camerawork
The Department of Art is thrilled to congratulate MFA Photography alumni Anna Rotty and Brianna Tadeo on the selection of their work for “FORECAST 2025” at SF Camerawork!
Covington-Rhode Senior Prize Winners: Viola Murphy and Josiah Garza
The UNM Department of Art is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Covington-Rhode Senior Prize.
UNM Musicology Celebrates 10 Years
By Melissa Ríos, UNM Musicology Graduate Student & Musicology Research Assistant April 2025 April 17th marked the celebration of a decade of musicology at UNM. To celebrate the occasion, Dr. Heidi Jensen, who was the first graduate of the revamped program in 2015,...
“A View from the Easel” – Explore Jessamyn and Sean’s Artistic Practice
We’re excited to share some wonderful news about two remarkable artists, Art Instructor Jessamyn Lovell, and Department of Art alumnus Sean Hudson, who are currently featured in the Hyperallergic article "A View from the Easel: 244". The article provides a fascinating...
UNM Alumna Awarded Fulbright Research Grant to Bulgaria
Eleanora Edreva, MFA Art & Ecology 2023 alumna, along with three other recipients, has been granted a Fulbright Research Award. This prestigious grant recognizes their academic achievements and dedication to international research. As Fulbright scholars, they will...
Art History Alumnus Paul Niell Named 2024–2025 Samuel H. Kress Senior Fellow
Congratulations to Art History alumnus, Paul Niell, Ph.D. (2008), who has received an appointment as a 2024–2025 Samuel H. Kress Senior Fellow with the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (CASVA) at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Art History Alumna, Suzanne McLeod, Ph.D. Presents Research at Bibliotheca Hertziana
Congratulations to Art History alumna, Suzanne McLeod, Ph.D., who was invited to present her work in progress at the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome on June 18, 2024. Her talk will address what is believed to be the earliest depiction of Native Americans in European...
The UNM College of Fine Arts Recognizes Recipients of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards
The UNM College of Fine Arts Recognizes Recipients of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards The College of Fine Arts at The University of New Mexico recently recognized The Distinguished Alumni Award recipients. This annual award recognizes graduates of The UNM College...
Student and Alumni Spotlights – Get To Know Our Students!
Alayah Fierro was born and raised in Albuquerque and is in her third year at UNM. She is majoring in art studio with plans to graduate in 2025! Her plans post-graduation include selling her artwork and participating in gallery exhibitions. She hopes to get her name...
Creator of UNM Sitcom Boot Camp, Brian Levant, receives alumni Lobo Award: Director, writer, producer, and author
By Mary Beth King Brian Levant admits he didn’t choose to enter The University of New Mexico to engage entirely in rigorous academics. However, during his time at UNM, he found his passion, graduated, and has gone on to have a highly successful career in the TV and...
Sundance and Star Wars: Universes Where F&DA Alumni Shine
By James Stone Shaandiin TomeShaandiin is a filmmaker based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her breakout, award-winning short film Mud (Hashtł’ishnii) premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2018. She returned to Sundance in January 2022, co-directing and premiering Long...
UNM Voice/Opera Alumni Enjoying Great Success
By Michael Hix Soprano Lydia Grindatto (BM Voice Performance 2018) and Baritone Jonathan Patton (MM Voice Performance 2020) are enjoying successes nationwide on the opera stage. Grindatto is currently completing her Artist Diploma at the prestigious Academy of Vocal...
MacArthur Fellowship awarded to UNM alum Raven Chacon
Pulitzer Prize winning Diné composer and sound artist Raven Chacon, who earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in music at The University of New Mexico, has been awarded the prestigious MacArthur Genius Grant. To read the full story, please...
Alumni Spotlight – Life post graduation: What happens next?
Cortney YellowHorse-Metzger is a mixed media artist living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in ceramics from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri in 2016. She completed her Masters of Fine Arts with an emphasis in...