MASTER OF ART + DESIGN
@ NC STATE
CLASS OF 2022
Originating from Florida, Adam moved to North Carolina at a very young age. He quickly adapted to the culture and love for the outdoors. Now, Adam Dehus paints whimsical and colorful abstractions of his favorite childhood experiences. Most of his work is from his adventures through the Appalachian Mountains or laying on the beach in sunny Florida.
Adam attended Ringling College of Art and Design for his undergraduate degree in Illustration. He has worked for different companies such as Abercrombie Fitch and Hasbro. He designed logos and t-shirt designs for Abercrombie Kids, as well he designed different packaging layouts for various Hasbro toy lines. Currently he is pursing his graduate degree at NC State University in the Master of Art + Design program. In his first year he will be serving as a teaching assistant for Kathleen Rieder in ADN 418 Contemporary Issues in Art and Design.
Christopher Lambert, was born in 1989 and is originally from Yardley, Pennsylvania. He currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. Chris graduated with his BFA from Tyler School of Art/ Temple University in Philadelphia, PA in 2013. At Tyler, he studied Jewelry/Metals/Cad-Cam and later created his patented products called the Tieverso and Tieverso-S; which are accessories that decorate man neckties and women’s silk scarfs. Chris travels around the east coast, participating in Art Rider and Sugarloaf craft shows to promote his new products. Chris is currently employed at Gallery C, located in downtown Raleigh and starting Fall 2020 he will be attending North Carolina State University’s Art + Design master’s program (MAD).
Art Page: www.crlpursuit.com
Courtney Barron is a designer, animator, and illustrator, who focuses on storytelling and visualization. Born and raised in North Carolina, she completed her undergraduate degree in the Art + Design program at NC State in Spring of 2020. The work she creates is often supported and influenced by her cross-discipline curiosity and education.
Art Page: https://www.courtneybarron.com/
Elijah Umrani received his Bachelors in Art-Computer Graphics from Winston-Salem State University in 2018. Within those 4 years, he learned that despite the cultural differences, any individual can unite people together through the arts. He loves designing characters and writing background stories for them. During his time in the graduate program, he wants to better his craft and find a way to tell stories through images. After graduation, Elijah is hoping to work in the entertainment industry with Television or movie production, and possibly his own graphic novel series.
Art Page: https://www.deviantart.com/cozmicdreamz
Erin Willett was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia and completed her BFA from VCU in 2011 in Painting & Printmaking with a minor in Sculpture. Jack of all trades, Erin has worked in cabinetry, construction, web development, graphic design, nonprofit and project management, customer service, and gallery coordination.
Her artwork has been exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions in Richmond and is held in the collection of numerous individuals and organizations including Capital One. She served as the Project Manager for 1708 Gallery’s InLight Richmond from 2012 to 2015, was the Gallery Assistant of Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, VA in 2015, and was the Gallery Coordinator and Operations Manager of 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA from 2015 to 2020. Currently, she is pursuing her Graduate degree in Art + Design from NC State and is the Graduate Extension Assistant with DH Hill Jr Library’s Innovation Studio.
Art Page: http://www.erinmichellewillett.com/
Social Media: inkinthesink
Gabrielle Edwards graduated from UNC-Greensboro, where she received her Bachelor of Fine arts in May 2020. There, she used charcoal and graphite to create illustrations that are centered around realistic figures depicted in an otherworldly environment . She always had a deep love for narrative stories and chose NC State’s program to help her develop her storytelling skills through 2D and 3D animation.
During her time in the program, she intends to enhance her illustrations by turning them into 2D animated short stories with a focus on story boarding. Through the use of storyboards, she hopes to develop these sequential images into a set of graphic novels. Gabrielle is also very open to new creative endeavors that she will have through the MAD program. She recognizes that the available program will allow her to work with a variety of programs that will open her up to new artistic ventures.
Gilberto Sibrian’s interest in storytelling comes from his days with the theater group Paperhand Puppet Intervention. Since creating his first mask for a giant theater production, Gilberto has used a variety of mediums to tell stories with the long standing tradition of puppeteering. Gilberto attended UNCG where he got his BFA in New Media with a focus in animation. Recently, his focus has been illustrating and working towards becoming a storyboard artist. Gilberto has recently moved to Raleigh after being in Sevilla for 7 months with his wife. Currently they live with their one lovely cat and one mess of a cat. He also goes by Gil.
Social Media: gilliebeartoe
From a young age, Lucia Barrett has always had a passion for art. Since high school, she has been working as a freelance painter and illustrator and has stayed consistent in her independent artist endeavours. She received her Bachelor’s in Art + Design from NCSU in 2016 and has ventured back for an intensive study in the masters program. Currently, she wants to make video games, but that is subject to change after further study.
Art Page: http://www.lava-salmon.com/
Isabella Daniels attended University of North Carolina at Asheville, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Art focusing on drawing, as well as a bachelors of science with a focus on animation in the Spring of 2018. Isabella specializes in narrative storytelling and character design, and can often be found experimenting with various forms of media, including digital illustration, plush art, watercolor paints, and ceramics. She is extremely passionate about her work and has a knack for being ambitious and creative, and can often be found daydreaming about her next project. Isabella is focusing on traditional animation and illustration and intends to explore narrative storytelling through various mediums.
Jeff Rigall is a 3D artist and MAD student. He has gained a strong foundation in traditional art skills, including printmaking and painting, through intensive art programs growing up, continuing to a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from the University of South Florida. It was at USF where he merged his personal interests in new media and artistic drive to establish himself as a 3D Artist.
To Jeff, 3D art used in video games, virtual reality, and other emerging media has wide-ranging applications and the potential to connect with a wider audience. He is most interested in how an environment can impact an individual using the immersive nature of video games and virtual reality.
Art Page: jrigall.artstation.com
Social Media: stellatarum.art
Mitchell Connor graduated from University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2018 with a degree in New Media with a focus on Animation. Mitchell works mainly with 3D animation, modeling, and rigging, and enjoys working with virtual reality as well. He will be working as a virtual reality research assistant during his first year at NCSU. During his free time, Mitchell enjoys creating new worlds through 3D modeling, and exploring them through virtual reality. Mitchell is interested in exploring the world of virtual reality throughout his time at NCSU.
Lydia Granholm is a game designer who will begin studying Art and Design this semester. She graduated from William Peace University’s Simulation and Game Design program and also has experience in traditional art and virtual reality. She is interested in designing games that change the way we learn about the world and the other people in it.
Art Page: lydiagranholm.com
Vaikunth Raghavan is an artist, storyteller, programmer, and designer. Born and raised in India, Vaikunth moved to Raleigh, NC after finishing his undergraduate in computer science and engineering to pursue his interests in arts, animation, and design at NC State University.
Vaikunth has learned several forms of traditional and digital painting mediums since childhood. Inspired by comics, graphic novels, and animations both 2D and 3D, Vaikunth started to design his own stories and characters. In his first year in graduate school, Vaikunth learned 2D and 3D animation and started designing his concept works in both mediums and used them as assets in creating VR experiences to tell their stories. He also worked as a lead character artist in a 3D VR animated film done with students from UNCSA and worked with EQ Lab as a 3D artist for a VR experience. In his second year, Vaikunth will be working on his graduate project in the field for storytelling with VR, and as a 3D character and asset artist working with design labs in the university and in Raleigh. In his free time, Vaikunth likes to experience games, movies and comics and learn from the works of art and will bring his own character and concept designs to life through what he has gained from his study.
Art Page: artofvaikunth.com/
CLASS OF 2021
Alec is an artist, designer, educator, and student. He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated from East Carolina University with a BFA in Art Education and a minor in creative writing. Alec currently teaches students as a part time art instructor. He enjoys reading comics, as well as fantasy, and science fiction novels. Alec spends his free time writing and illustrating his own sequential art stories. Some of his career goals include self-publishing as well as working in the mainstream comic industry.
Cassandra has worked in and between various disciplines from computer science to design, eager to experiment and learn new tools along the way. Currently, she interns with the IntelliMedia group at NCSU as a part of the art team. Her interests are in computational art, 3D computer graphics, user experience design, community narratives and storytelling, and culture.
Chutong received a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2019. Equipped with knowledge of design study, product design and interactive design, she stepped into a totally different field in the same year. So far, she has explored a variety of different media to express, including 2D animation, 3D animation, VR interactive experience, etc. And she is particularly interested in 3D modeling and VR. She is a positive learner and a reliable work partner. She is still looking for her place in the broad field of art and design, but currently she considers herself as a 3D designer. She believes that everything she learns will eventually benefit her sometime in the future.
Art Page: http://www.chutongfang.org
Social Media: jangser_1011
Throughout Darrien’s academic career, he has sought to promote creative historical education. He received a B.A. in History with a minor in art and graduated from UNCW’s Public History Masters Program. Currently, the work he produces focuses on creative historical narratives, exhibit design, and exhibits that portray the experiences and history of minority groups.
As a graduate design student, James Poarch is building on his undergraduate degree in computer science and new media, as well as his experiences with motion media, animation, 3D modeling, computer science, graphic design, and virtual reality (VR). Enthusiastic about animation ever since he shadowed the creators at the Out of Our Minds Studios (OOOM) in Winston-Salem, he realized he wanted to learn more about character and scene animation, and pursued academic, extracurricular and employment opportunities to develop his skills. He is particularly interested in how his skills can be used in 3D modeling and animation, and on VR projects.
At N.C. State, James has enjoyed and will always welcome opportunities to practice and to further perfect his skills in Unity VR, like his Pentair Fellowship with N.C. State University Libraries, during fall 2019. In the future he looks forward to being able to design, develop, and/or animate in educational environments to navigate in the creative departments of entertainment and game industries, and to hopefully establish his own studio, where he will have the freedom to spearhead his own projects.
Jaekwon is a digital artist and graphic designer. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio art back in December of 2018. Currently, he is a second year student in NC State’s MAD program, track 2. He focuses on illustration and narrative exploration with his works, and is currently working freelance as an illustrator.
Katie Rant is a graduate student in the Art & Design department at North Carolina State University, studying Experimental New Media. Katie approaches every project with passionate, creative energy. Her energetic attitude and memorable aesthetic tendencies lend themselves to delivering designs with enormous panache. She is ambitious and meticulous and her keen sensitivity to detail allows her to constructively articulate her design process and fine tune her work accordingly. Katie’s often inventive way of thinking offers eccentric, offbeat solutions that transfer across a variety of mediums.
Katie identifies as a multi-disciplinary designer with a natural graphic intuition and a foundation rooted in fine art. Her undergraduate degree in art and design included studies in fashion, surface and print design. Her learning “quirk” has taught her to cherish different ways of seeing. She finds inspiration in tactile qualities, culture and storytelling. She is a firm believer in lifelong learning and values exquisite craftsmanship while always embracing experimentation. She finds inspiration in tactile qualities, culture and storytelling. Her interest in physical material properties has driven her to explore virtual 3D creation. Katie’s graduate work is exploring the intersection of technology, sustainable fashion futures, and virtual reality narratives.
Art Page: http://katherinerant.com
Social Media: katierant
Professional Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katierant/
Kulsum Tasnif is a mixed media artist and a graduate student studying Art and Design at North Carolina State University. She received a bachelor’s degree in studio art and creative writing from the University of California at Davis. Kulsum spent years recording voices of survivors of war from Bosnia, Syria, Burma, Afghanistan, and Somalia and illustrated their stories in her series, “Journey to The Good Life.”
Other solo exhibits include “The Protest Purse” about female strength and empowerment, and “Our Ramadan: Hunger, Heart and Healing,” which highlighted diverse Ramadan experiences of American Muslims from across the states. Her essays have been published in Patheos, The Manifest-Station, and Brown Girl Magazine. Kulsum currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Visual Art Exchange, Raleigh.
Art Page: www.kulsumtasnif.com
Social Media: kulsumts
After graduating from Appalachian State in 2011 with a BS in Graphic Arts and Technolog, Melissa VanDeventer spent a while out in the professional world. That helped her discover more about herself, and led to the realization that she needed to change career directions. So now she’s here at State to better enable herself to pursue a dream career in the gaming industry, and teaching later down the road.
Currently, she lives in Cary, NC with her roommate, her cat and dog, and her fur-baby, tuxedo cat Mia. Her husband is active duty with the US Army and stationed out of state. She loves good music, good food, and a good time either around a table-top, console or PC.
Najla Bulous is a second year student at NC State’s Masters in Art + Design program. She graduated from Harvey Mudd College in 2015 with a B.S. in Computer Science and worked as a Software Engineer in the Bay Area. She is interested in Software, Social Media, and how they can be used to facilitate the creative process.
Art Page: https://www.najla.space
Russell Pinkston is focusing on human-centered design methodologies: how designers can use tools such as Design Thinking, Design Anthropology, and Participatory Design to improve the user experience. Much of his current research critiques the history of colonialism in design and suggests new ways of thinking about the reciprocal relationship between designers and users.
Art Page: https://russpinkston.com
Social Media: russpinkston
Webb Hinton is a multimedia artist, designer, and developer from Baltimore. As an undergraduate, they studied Anthropology and Philosophy at UNC-Chapel Hill. Their work is intimately related to research perspectives from the social sciences and fuses qualitative and quantitative approaches to systems design. Through a combination of programming, graphic design, animation, and interactive installations, they seek to synthesize cross-disciplinary instruments for expression, research, and participation. They are invested in developing open-source platforms that pair critical engagement with cultural consumption. Their research interests include designing software tools for 3D artists, interactive systems for performance, and the digital humanities.
Art Page: https://www.webbhinton.co/