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 ceramics at the University of New Mexico in 2020 and is now the Visiting Lecturer II of Ceramics at UNM Gallup.
Cortney is of Osage decent and spent her summers growing up on the Osage reservation in Oklahoma. Drawing themes from her heritage, Cortney works in many media including video performance, textiles, and raw clay materials harvested from the lands sacred to her and her people.
Ranran Fan (b. China) is an artist currently based in the US, working primarily in new media, installation and performance. Ranran earned a BFA from School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a BS in Biology in Hong Kong, and a MFA at the University of New Mexico Studio Art in 2022. They are currently working as the Assistant Professor in new media art at the University of North Texas.
Their work has been exhibited internationally including Academy Art Museum, SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe Art Institute, OCT Contemporary Art Terminal (China), and Incheon Marine Asia Photography and Video Festival. Ranran has been nominated as a SITE Scholar at SITE Santa Fe (2020). They received several awards including Student Award for Innovations in Imaging at Society for Photographic Education (U.S., 2019), and the Shiseido Photographer Prize at Three Shadows Photography Art Centre (China, 2018).
Stephanie Woods sculpture acquired by Perry Art Collection
Stephanie J. Woods’ sculpture Never Quite, Sweet Enough I was acquired by the nationally recognized Perry Art Collection following her 2025 residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. The work explores memory, legacy, and historical survival through an abstract porcelain form rooted in Black cultural history.
Dr. Peter Gilbert Honored with UNM Research and Creative Works Leadership Award
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Dr. Dr. Peter Gilbert, Associate Professor of Theory & Composition in the UNM Department of Music, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Research and Creative Works Leadership Award at the University of New Mexico. The award recognizes recently promoted faculty who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in research and creative work. Nominees are selected by the provost following a rigorous external review of their scholarly and artistic contributions.
Professor Ana Alonso-Minutti Receives Ovation Award
Dr. Ana Alonso-Minutti, Professor of Musicology, has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 OVPR Ovation Award for Research and Scholarship. This prestigious recognition, presented by the Office of the Vice President for Research at The University of New Mexico, honors full-time faculty whose recent accomplishments demonstrate exceptional impact, address pressing local or global challenges, and elevate UNM’s standing on national and international stages.