Art & Art History Faculty and Staff
Department chair: Susannah Biondo-Gemmell | Contact info
Faculty & Staff
Susannah Biondo-Gemmell
Associate Professor of Studio Art
Teaches courses in 3D studio basics, ceramics, sculpture, and casting. Her studio interests include ceramic material experimentation and investigation of the historial ceramic form through a contemporary lens. Recent exhibitions include shows at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Northern Clay Center, Archie Bray Foundation, the San Diego Museum of the Living Artist, and the Lux Center for the Arts. M.F.A., ceramic art, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.
Brooks Cashbaugh
Gallery Coordinator and Lecturer
Brooks is completing an M.F.A. in Painting and Drawing at the University of Iowa, holds a M.A. in Painting & Drawing from the University of Iowa, a B.F.A. with High Distinction in Studio Art from Indiana University, and earned a B.A. with High Distinction in Political Science from Indiana University.
Sandy Dyas
Lecturer in Studio Art
Teaches courses in photography, performance art (Intermedia), and video. Photography courses include film and darkroom work as well as digital photography. Dyas received first place in the Dubuque Museum of Art’s fourth Biennial competition in 2013 and an honorable mention at the New York Center for Photographic Art. Dyas’ work can be viewed at sandydyas.com. B.F.A., M.A., M.F.A., Intermedia and Video Art, Photography, University of Iowa.
Alex McKenzie
Assistant Professor of Studio Art
Alex McKenzie, Assistant Professor of Art, teaches courses in 2D studio basics and various levels of Digital Art. McKenzie's creative practice focuses on media consumption, internet culture, feedback loops, and sound/music composition. He works in an interdisciplinary manner constructing sound installations/sculptures, transmission artworks, performances, animations, and more. Recent exhibitions include shows at the Mint Museum of Art, 500X in Dallas TX, and Project 1612. His work has been featured in publications such as New American Paintings, Emergency Index, and Studio Visit. M.F.A. in Time-Based Art, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN BFA in Painting, University of North Carolina, Greensboro (Summa Cum Laude).
Christina Morris Penn-Goetsch
Professor of Art History
Teaches courses in art history and is committed to teaching the love of art through the examination of material culture from various peoples and periods. Her classroom teaching is supplemented by formal papers presented nationally and internationally, as well as curated exhibitions. Much of her research focuses on gender studies and the art and architecture of early modern Europe, as well as questions of identity in contemporary art. She regularly leads trips to Rome and was a study leader for Smithsonian Journey tours to Sicily and Southern Italy in 2013-14. Ph.D., art history, University of Iowa.
Emerti Faculty
Doug Hanson
Professorof Art and Art History Emeritus
M.F.A. and M.A., University of Iowa; B.S. and B.A., Moorhead State University.
Hugh Lifson
Professor of Art and Art History Emeritus
B.A., Wesleyan University; M.F.A., Pratt Institute.
Tony Plaut
Professor of Studio Art Emeritus
M.F.A., University of Chicago.