Winter/Spring 2010 Center Instructors

Troy Becker is The Wichita Center for the Arts artist in residence. He received his BFA from Wichita State University in Studio Art with an emphasis in ceramics. His ceramic styles vary from artistic hand built forms to highly crafted thrown pottery. He has shown his work in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Wichita.

Doug Billings graduated with a BFA degree in Printmaking from Mankato State University, MN. He was accepted into the printmaking graduate program at Wichita State University by the prominent and respected printmaker, Prof. David Bernard, and graduated with his MFA degree in 1982. Since then, he has continued to work steadily at his profession as a printmaker and has become a well-known fixture in the printmaking department at Wichita State. He is a member/partner of and was president of Gallery XII in 2007, Wichita’s premier artist’s cooperative gallery, and is also a member and former president of the Artists Guild of Wichita. 

Jordan Chalmers received his AA in Art/Design at Cowley College and went on to receive his BFA in Painting from Wichita State University in 2009. He is a multimedia artist that has shown extensively throughout the Wichita area and has had work published in the Oklahoman Review. His travels have led him through Latin America where, in 2008, he attended the 28th Sao Paulo Bienal in Brazil and Mexico City, in 2009, to see Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo's work first hand. "Art is the expression of what it is to be human."

Doug Dawson has taught art for 25 years, becoming one of the country’s foremost workshop presenters.  He was given the title “Master Pastelist” by Pastel Society of America, and has received awards from the PSA, The AWS, Knickerbocker Artists and the National Academy of Western Art.  His work has been published in numerous books and he is the author of a book titled “Capturing Light and Color with Pastel” (North Light Books).

Kathy Fathi is a silversmith and jewelry artist. She has a degree in English and Art from Wichita State University and has also completed her Child Development Association certificate in early childhood education. She has taught a variety of art classes with the Wichita Public School system and at City Arts.
Eric Frank is the owner of EJF photography studio in Wichita. He has been a painter his entire life but jumped into the photography world in 2000. He has a large range of photography experience. He has traveled shooting modeling images, architecture and portraits. www.ejfstudios.com

Julie Freige melted her first rod of glass in 2001 and knew she had discovered the medium to express her desire to create. After moving to Wichita four years ago, she opened Beadazzled, a contemporary glass studio supplying lampwork artists a place to expand their knowledge and meet other glass enthusiasts. She has been teaching for 2 years, captivating others and tempting them with the urge to melt glass.

Jim Gross began his study of art at the Center in 1961 and has been on the faculty since 1974. Gross earned an MFA from WSU, which included a Guggenheim Museum studio visit. He is a member of American Abstract Artists. Jim’s abstract works were the subject of two solo shows in New York and the Wichita Art Museum exhibited his work in a survey of late 20th century art. His works are in the Whitney, the Guggenheim, and the Met and in a memorial exhibit of the World Trade Center. His work is illustrated in Pioneers of Abstract Art and a new book, On Edge, American Artists, NY. He received a special Wichita State University alumni award given by Governor Graves in 2001. In 2008, he showed at the Painting Center, Soho, NY.

Crystal Henderson is The Wichita Center for the Arts Creative Child Center Preschool's Certified Director and Lead Teacher. She graduated from Southwestern College with a bachelor's degree in Non for Profit Management, Business Quality Management, and Human Resource Development. Crystal is excited to begin her fourteenth year working in preschools.

Matthew Hilyard was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas and is active in the local art community.  He has been included in numerous local, national, and international juried exhibitions. Most recently, his work has been shown in the Moak 4-State Regional 2008 juried exhibition at the Springfield Art Museum. Matthewhilyardart.wordpress.com

Brian Hinkle graduated with a BA in mathematics from Grinnell College before returning to Wichita to earn his MFA in Painting at WSU. He has been teaching at the Center since 1996 where he previously served as the Gallery Director. Brian's artwork is represented by Artworks, Inc. in Wichita, KS, Strecker-Nelson Gallery in Manhattan, KS, and Leopold Gallery in Kansas City, MO.

Anne Horton is a native of Wichita, Kansas. In the early nineties, she started painting in watercolor, then pastel and quickly began winning awards. Much of her subject matter is taken from her travels.  Her painting expresses her perceptions of the people and places she has traveled. She is a member of Wichita Women Artists, Artist Guild of Wichita.  She is a signature member of Mid America Pastel Society, Oklahoma Watercolor Society, Kansas Watercolor Society and the Missouri Watercolor Society, board member of the Kansas Watercolor Society and is chairman of the Art Show at the Garden Show Art Show.  She was chosen for the Garden Show poster in 2005 and 2008 and was awarded Botanica Poster awarded for 2006 and 2008. I like many subjects and all are a challenge, which is what my work is about.  I also like to share the things that are beautiful and hope someone else will feel and see as I do.

Leslie Kinder, a Graduate Gemologist, gold-silver, and platinum-smith and the owner of Melange Jewelry, loves to share her jewelry making knowledge and skills with students. A native of Wichita, Leslie earned a degree from the Gemological Institute of America and has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences around the world.

Lori Martin-Price earned her Associates Degree in Design from Hutchinson Community College and a BA in Metalsmithing from the University of Kansas. She is a professional artist who participates in various art fairs and is currently teaching high school art classes. She is a member of the Visual Arts Alliance of McPherson that raises scholarship money for local high school seniors. Her website is www.llmpsilverworks.com.

Peter Mader can be found melting glass, nurturing plants, teaching children or fixing what is broken. He holds a BFA in painting from WSU and has a keen interest in natural science and the physics of art.

John McCluggage is a native Kansan and received his training at multiple colleges and universities around the state. He has been an intern at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana and a crew leader at the Odyian Retreat Center, in Northern California, where he built monumental bronze sculptures. John is the founder of Shika Studios and makes both functional ware and sculpture.

Babs Mellor is a professional sculptor. She has studied with many world prominent sculptors in the United States and Italy. Her sculptures are offered in select galleries and in numerous private and public commissions including “The Promise of America” at Century II, “Cardinal Newman” at Newman University”, All American Boy,” Newton, KS, “Sister,” Friends University and many more. Babs’ works also have been featured in museums, art publications and have received many artistic awards. She has been teaching to full classes at The Wichita Center for the Arts since 1974.

Mary Binford Miller received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Kansas State University. Since college, she has been trained as a classical oil painter and uses that approach in her teachings. She emphasized the color palettes of William Merritt Chase, Wayman Adams and Daniel Gerhartz. She spent 17 years in the commercial art field as a fashion illustrator and graphic designer for the largest newspapers in Oklahoma and Kansas. She has painted commissioned portraits of judges and three-star Generals. Along with her figurative and portrait work, Mary also produces western genre paintings and landscapes of the Flint Hills. Mary has also been a professional oil painter since graduating from college. She is an award winner in both commercial and fine art fields. Mary is represented by Southwind Gallery of Topeka and The American Legacy Gallery of Kansas City, Missouri and Artworks of Wichita.

Andy Patton is a classical sculpture who has studied under several masters such as Bruno Licchesi, Babs Mellor, and Vincent Aniano. He has also attended the Wichita State University School of Fine Arts. Andy is currently president of the Wichita Sculptures Guild. His work has been featured at Loveland Colorado’s sculpture invitational as well as shows in and around the Wichita area.

Barbara Scott is a vivid impressionistic painter, works in pastel, oil and watercolor. Her style and diversity in subject manner makes her work unique. Barbara founded the Kansas Pastel Society and spent seven years promoting the pastel medium throughout the world. She has had exhibited in over forty national show and has had numerous publications. She is listed in the Encyclopedia of Living Artist in America.

Kaitlin Sewell studied sculpture at the Kansas City Art Institute and is currently pursuing her Bachelors in Art History with a focus in Contemporary Latin American Art.  She is a mixed media artist and is the Treasurer and the Public Relations officer of the Contemporary Art Society at Wichita State University.

Brian Shilling has worked at various places in Wichita such as Picadilly Grille, Larkspur, and most recently Tanya's Soup Kitchen. He has also worked under various chefs while studying history and Spanish in Mexico. He is currently teaching classes in different homes, as well as catering around town.

Virginia Grass Simmons received hr Masters in Educational Psychology from Wichita State University. She has won multiple awards in teaching and oil painting. Virginia is a professional painter who work is regularly in national and regional level painting shows. Once being named teacher of the year for Sedgwick County, she now puts all of her talents into oil painting.

David Vollbracht is a signature member of Oil Painters of America; he is a representational landscape painter of the West. David travels around the Mid-West and the Rocky Mountains to gather references material via plein air studies for realistic impressions created primarily with oil paints in his studio.

Paul Wingo is currently teaching at Wichita State University where he received his MFA in painting and drawing.