Alumni Spotlights

Artist Education:Certificate in Printmaking and Glass, Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Wroclaw (2006)BFA Painting, BFA Design, College of Arts + Architecture, University of North Carolina–Charlotte (2009)MFA Candidate, Yale School of Art, Yale University (2013) Hometown: High Point, North Carolina. Chris believed all throughout high school that we would be an architect once he graduated […]

Owner of Medium Small Design Studio Education:Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, UNC Charlotte (2010)Bachelor of Architecture, UNC Charlotte (2011) Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina After practicing architecture for seven years, Megan McGuinn and her partner, alumnus Brandt Hewitt, founded a furniture and lighting design studio based in San Francisco called Medium Small, where they make their own collections […]

Founder/Owner, Medium Small Design Studio, San Francisco Education:Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, UNC Charlotte (2010)Bachelor of Architecture, UNC Charlotte (2011) Hometown: Ojai, California Brandt Hewitt and his partner, architecture alumna Megan McGuinn (they met at UNC Charlotte), practiced architecture for seven years before deciding to start their own design studio – a unique furniture and lighting design studio […]

Professional Artist Education: B.F.A, Visual Arts, Fibers, UNC Charlotte (2003)M.F.A, Craft/Material Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University (2014)Nonprofit Administration Graduate Certificate, Appalachian State University (2023) Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC “Intergenerational experiences with family first sparked my interest in working with textiles and objects,” says textile artist Andrea Vail. “My time in the art department at UNC Charlotte was when I […]

Adjunct professor at Johnson C. Smith University and Dance Teacher for the City of Belmont Recreation Department and Gaston Dance Theatre

Staff Graphic Designer, UNC Charlotte Education:Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design and Illustration, UNC Charlotte (1998) Hometown: Rocky Mount, NC Tell us a little about yourself! When did you first get interested in art? Although I had some natural drawing ability as a kid, I never considered it until I got into […]

Freelance Costume Designer and Visual Artist Education: BCA in Visual Arts, UNC Charlotte (1983)MFA in Theatrical Design, Southern Methodist University (1987)  Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan Thom Heyer is a freelance costume designer and visual artist. In his long career with different theatre and dance companies, television networks, and film producers, he has worked on some amazing projects. […]

Actor Education: BS in Nursing, UNC Charlotte (1998)BA in Theatre, UNC Charlotte (2000)MFA in Acting, University of Florida (2003) Hometown: Born in Manila, Philippines; Grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and Tucson, Arizona Don Castro fell in love with acting at an early age. When he was in the 6th grade, he saw a mime artist perform at […]

Designer Education:Associate in Science, Pre-engineering major, Enterprise State Junior College, Alabama (1971)Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, UNC Charlotte (1978) When Leilani O’Brien Taylor’s father, a U.S. Army pilot, discovered her affinity for both math and drawing, he encouraged her to study engineering. So she enrolled in the engineering drawing class in her high school in Aurora, […]

Digital Curator at the New York Public Library Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Education: Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with Minors in Art History, Women/Gender Studies, and Psychology, UNC Charlotte (2013)Master in Library and Information Sciences, Syracuse University (2021) Hometown: Durham, N.C. Kimberly Henderson’s love for art started at a young age in school. “I attended an […]