Andrew Adamson Limited-term Drawing and Ceramics
Andy Adamson is a ceramic sculptor and educator living and working in Atlanta. His satirical works have been exhibited nationally and internationally, including Corey Helford Gallery (Los Angeles), Lefebvre et Fils (Paris), Aqua Art Miami, and Krause Gallery (New York). His practice fuses humor with craft and cliché, interrogating cultural conventions and iconographies while maintaining a playful command over risqué narratives that illuminate our collective social maladies. Flippantly inserting himself into the art canon like an angelic beacon of poor taste, he recklessly confronts the gulf between high art and bad jokes.
Simeon Ehrlich studies the architecture of daily life and the transformation of urban spaces in the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods. He is currently a Solmsen Fellow at the Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His Ph.D. is from Stanford University, and he has taught art history, archaeology, and ancient history at schools across the United States and Canada. He has worked on archaeological excavations in Israel, Turkey, Sicily, and Canada, most notably at the Mediterranean port of Ascalon.
Pegah Eghbalzad Lecturer Interior Design
Simeon Ehrlich, Lecturer, Art History
Pegah is a passionate interior and architectural designer and educator with experience in architecture, interiors, and spatial aesthetics. Having backgrounds in both Architecture and Interior Design, Pegah has worked on diverse projects ranging from residential interiors to commercial spaces, always prioritizing functionality, aesthetics, and environmental consciousness. Pegah has experience teaching a few subjects like Residential design, Computer-Aided Design, Interior Design Materials, and Drafting. She also has designed and taught Graduate-level studios. Pegah's main mission in teaching, is to inspire students to think critically, experiment with design concepts, and apply real-world solutions to modern design challenges. A GSU alumna in interior design, Pegah received her M. Arch. from Georgia Tech in 2017.
Hyohyun Lee (Sophie) is a visual artist and educator whose work merges traditional painting with data-driven methodologies. Originally from Korea, she holds an MFA from Texas A&M University. Using programming tools such as Python and R, Lee transforms scientific survey data into visual patterns, which she integrates into representational paintings. This fusion allows her work to convey both aesthetic and empirical dimensions of lived experience. In her work, she asks what role visual artists have in the age of AI, in dialogue with Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Lee’s recent projects focus on identity—particularly how it is shaped and revealed through data. More info here.
Jennifer Mack-Watkins, Lecturer Art Education
Hyohyun “Sophie” Lee Limited-term Lecturer
Jennifer Mack-Watkins is a printmaker, teaching artist, community builder, certified educator, and creative strategist. For over a decade, Jennifer has coordinated and developed curriculum and program designs for national museums, K-12 schools, and collegiate settings in both synchronous and asynchronous learning modalities. Born in South Carolina, she developed her teaching practice that is informed by her experience living, learning, and working in Georgia, New York, and New Jersey. She earned her BA in Studio Arts from Morris Brown College, MAT in Art Education from Tufts University, and MFA in printmaking from Pratt Institute. Jennifer’s institutional acquisitions include the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, among others. More info here.
Sally Augustin, PhD, is a neuroscientist, working with designers to create places where people flourish and objects that they cherish. To these collaborations, she brings her extensive, science-based insights into how humans engage with the physical and virtual worlds that they encounter, their related expectations and experiences. Augustin’s clients include organizations and individuals that produce and/or use designed solutions worldwide. Dr. Augustin’s work has been discussed in publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and she holds leadership positions in professional organizations such as the Transdisciplinary Workplace Research Network (Board Secretary), and the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (Advisory Council), among others. Read more here.
Sally Augustin Grad Seminar Design
· Raquel Belden Part-time Instructor Art History
Raquel Belden is a PhD candidate at Emory University, specializing in modern art and aesthetics with a focus on early twentieth-century French painting. Her areas of interest include intentionality, phenomenology, and theories of action, and her research explores how these issues provide frameworks for understanding artistic practice and representation. Her master's thesis, titled "Sensation, Intent, and Cezanne's Practice," was completed at Emory in 2023. She also serves as the editorial assistant for nonsite.org, an open-access peerreviewed quarterly journal of scholarship in the humanities.
Ryan Duffy is a creative and strategic marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience shaping global brand narratives and driving measurable business impact. As Creative Director for Boston Consulting Group’s Design Studios in the Americas, he leads a multidisciplinary team of 60+ designers, delivering high-impact digital and visual storytelling that elevates client engagement and thought leadership. Previously, Ryan served as President of You Are Here, where he oversaw a $30M+ operation, guided strategic acquisitions, and achieved double-digit revenue and market growth through innovative experiential campaigns. Ryan is known for his ability to align creative vision with enterprisewide objectives. He holds a BA in Graphic Design from Georgia State University’s School of Art and Design.
Courtney Eckersley, Part-time Instructor Graphic Design
Ryan Duffy Part-time Instructor Graphic Design
Courtney Eckersley is a graphic designer and design director based in Atlanta, Georgia. She began her career in New York at Louise Fili Ltd., a boutique studio known for its bespoke typography, where she worked on brand development, packaging, and book design. She went on to become the Art Director at Food & Wine magazine, leading a team of designers, freelancers, and production staff to produce the brand’s print and digital products. From 2018 to 2021, she helped launch the creative department for the Atlanta offices of real estate startup Compass, eventually leading a team of East Coast designers. There, she oversaw work ranging from agent and property branding to comprehensive 360° campaigns. Courtney now partners with a wide range of clients, including Artisan Books, Civic Entertainment, HarvardX, HBO Max, HP Inc., PBS, Snapchat, and Time Inc. She holds an MFA in Design from the School of Visual Arts.
Lauren Jackson Harris Visiting Artist Seminar
Lauren Jackson Harris is a senior-level arts professional, curator, and cultural strategist based in Atlanta, Georgia. With over 15 years of experience across arts administration, curatorial practice, and creative leadership, she has dedicated her career to supporting artists, building community-centered programs, and expanding access to contemporary art spaces. Lauren’s practice merges strategic leadership with creative innovation. Her career spans institutions, nonprofits, museums, academic settings, and public art initiatives, creating a cohesive body of work that reflects both breadth and intentionality. Currently serving as Program Director at The Black Embodiments Studio (BES), Lauren leads programming dedicated to discourse around contemporary Black art, developing initiatives that center arts writing, critical scholarship, and thought leadership. More info here.
Ajmal "Mas Man" Millar is a visionary artist whose work bridges the worlds of mas (Carnival artistry) and sculpture, celebrating Black queer identity, cultural heritage, and transformation. His mas creations are deeply rooted in the traditions of Caribbean Carnival, where costume design becomes a form of storytelling, resistance, and spiritual expression. Millar’s approach to mas is not just about spectacle—it’s about reclaiming space, honoring ancestry, and pushing the boundaries of performance art. Millar’s sculptural artistry incorporates repurposed materials, metalwork, and mixed-media assemblages, often reflecting themes of resilience, identity, and ritual. His sculptures blend traditional craftsmanship with contemporary expression, creating pieces that evoke movement, power, and the fluidity of self. Master of Fine Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Read more here.
Ajmal Millar Part-time Instructor Two-Dimensional Design
Kevin Del Principe Lecturer
Kevin Douglas Del Principe is a storyteller–a writer, director, and producer. His feature film, “Up on the Glass,” which he directed and co-wrote, is available in North America through Gravitas Ventures and in the UK via Miracle Media. “Up on the Glass” is a dramatic thriller shot in the Midwest about a wanderer, Jack DiMercurio, who secretly desires the life and wife of his more affluent friend. One heinous act makes this possible, but Jack finds living his friend’s life is a dangerous lie. Kevin’s debut literary fiction novel, I ANIMAL, is available through Tumbleweed Books, an imprint of DAOwen Publications. Recently, he has written for INSP’s original television show Wild West Chronicles. More info here.
Dr. Arzu Karaduman studies sound in contemporary global cinemas and film philosophy. She has presented widely in national and international conferences and published on film sound, film philosophy, and gender and race in contemporary global cinemas. Dr. Karaduman is currently working on turning her dissertation titled “Sounding Anew: Anasonicity in Contemporary Global Cinemas” into a book. Publications include: “Crystal Sounds in Contemporary Global Cinemas” The Soundtrack, 14(1), 3–17 (2023), “Seeing a film in blindfolds: Cinema experience with EarFilms” Sound Studies 8(2), 149–162 (2022), and “‘Hush-hush, I will know when I know’: Post-black sound aesthetics in Moonlight” liquid blackness 4(7), 60–81 (2017).
Justin Keever Limited-term Lecturer
Arzu Karaduman Lecturer
Dr. Justin Keever has been published in journals such as 'Game Studies,' 'GAME: The Italian Journal of Games Criticism,' 'Afterimage,' and 'The Journal of Games Criticism' on topics such as the politics of play, posthumanism, Marxism, and the continued relevance of ideology and ideology critique in contemporary critical theory and game studies. He is currently working on his first monograph, a wide-ranging critique of agency as a foundational concept in game studies. He is also a video essayist and podcaster whose material can be found on YouTube. Read more here.
Allison Schifani Associate Professor
Allison Shifiani’s work explores the intersections of media technologies, cultural texts, and urban environments. She is the author of Urban Ecology and Intervention in the 21st Century Americas: Verticality, Catastrophe, and the Mediated City (Routledge, 2021). She is co-founder of the research and design collaborative, SPEC. This fall, she will be teaching a graduate seminar in Latin American Cinema and an undergrad course in Media Theory. Read more here.
Gene Gregg is a writer/director based in Atlanta, GA whose work focuses on liminal states and feelings. Their works play with imagery of the body and its inherent messiness to further explore identity and the complex negotiations of particular bodies within society. Gene writes stories that speak to and for a specific audience without compromising, evoking images and ideas from the margins that are often just out of sight, unspoken but felt. Gene received their MFA in Digital Filmmaking from Georgia State University.
Vivian Bang Part-time Instructor
Gene Gregg Limited-term Lecturer
Vivian Bang stars in “White Rabbit” a feature which she co-wrote & co-produced and premiered at SUNDANCE 2018, in Park City Utah. She played Sun on POPTV’s (Lionsgate & CBS cable) “Swedish Dicks” with Peter Stormare, Keanu Reeves, and Johan Glans. She was on TBS hit comedy series “Sullivan & Son,” produced by Vince Vaughn for 3 seasons. She was also known for her supporting role as “Soo-Mi” in the Warner Bro’s hit comedy feature “Yes Man,” starring Jim Carrey. Vivian’s film credits include: “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Boy Toy,” “Little Black Book,” “Robot Stories,” “Henry Fool,” and the 2006 Oscar-nominated short “Our Time Is Up.” NY’s Indie Fest’s Best Actress for leading role in “Bipolar & Cheese,” as well as Best Actress award for the Asian Ame Film Lab short “Elizabeth Ong Is Missing.“ Read more here.
Eric Goins is a father, husband, improviser and actor who has been teaching and performing for over two decades. Along with his wife, Eric is the co-owner of Compass Actor Services, providing audition taping, classes and actor coaching in Atlanta, GA, since 2015. Eric currently serves as the SAG-AFTRA Atlanta Local President, Vice Chair of multiple SAG-AFTRA National Committees and a member of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical/Streaming Negotiating Committee. Eric is best known for playing LARRY on AMC’s Halt & Catch Fire, The Gambler/Steven Sharpe on DC's STARGIRL and Pastor Brad on The Righteous Gemstones. His film credits include Ride Along and Ride Along 2, The Accountant and Dirty Grandpa. Read more here.
Gail McFarland Part-time Instructor
Eric Goins Part-time Instructor
Gail A. McFarland is a scholar of film, media, and Black cultural aesthetics whose work bridges academic research and creative practice. A Southern Regional Education Board Fellow, she has earned a BA in Film and History and an MA in Black Studies with a concentration in culture and aesthetics, both from Georgia State University, where she also completed her PhD in Film Studies in 2025. McFarland’s teaching experience includes courses in new student orientation, Africana Studies, film aesthetics, film history, and race and representation. Across these classes, she encourages students to think critically about the interplay of culture, form, and politics, while also equipping them with tools to analyze how cinema both reflects and reshapes social life. Her published work spans several academic papers on film aesthetics, Black performance, and cultural critique, as well as a body of contemporary African American romance novels. Taken together, her scholarship and creative writing reflect a commitment to exploring the aesthetics, affect, and narrative strategies that shape Black cultural production across both academic and popular spheres.
Henry Cheng Conductor-in-Residence
Beginning in the 2025–2026 season, Cheng will also serve as Music Director of the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra. He is an internationally recognized conductor and composer whose work brings together musical excellence, cultural curiosity and a deep commitment to community. Winner of the Antal Doráti International Conducting Competition and the European Union Conducting Competition, he has led performances across Europe, Asia and North America with ensembles including the La Scala Chamber Orchestra and the Tonyeong International Music Festival Ensemble. His innovative projects often reimagine the concert experience — from Classical K-pop, bridging BTS and Beethoven, to Minecraft x In C, an educational initiative blending minimalist music with digital interactivity. Cheng holds degrees from Georgia State University, the Eastman School of Music and the University of the Arts in Berlin. Read more here.
Dr. Serena Scibelli is an Italian violinist and Assistant Professor of Music at Georgia State University, where she teaches violin and chamber music. Known for her vibrant artistry and dedication to music education, she maintains an active international career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, and clinician. Before joining Georgia State, Dr. Scibelli served as Assistant Professor and String Area Coordinator at Mississippi State University and was previously on faculty at the University of North Georgia. Dr. Scibelli has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls—including La Scala (Milan), the Wiener Musikverein (Vienna), the Royal Opera House Muscat, and Teatro Real de Madrid. Her collaborations include work with celebrated conductors and artists such as Gianandrea Noseda, Mischa Maisky, and Ottavio Dantone. Read more here.
Serena Scibelli Assistant Professor, Violin
Jessica Petrasek Lecturer, Flute
Jessica Petrasek is an Atlanta- based flutist. She received her Master of Music in 2013 from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where she studied with Leone Buyse on a full scholarship. Jessica has served as Principal Flute of the Knoxville Symphony, Assistant Principal Flute/Piccolo of the Colorado Music Festival, Piccolo and Utility Flute of the Kansas City Symphony, Principal Flute of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and Piccolo/2nd Flute of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra. She is currently Solo Flutist of the Breck Create Breckenridge Institute of Fine Arts. In the summer of 2018, Jessica was awarded the “Best Performance of a Newly Commissioned Work” prize at the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition. In 2013, she earned Third Prize in the same competition. Read more here.
Lawrence Williams serves as the Assistant Director of Bands at Georgia State University, where he will conduct the University Concert Band, teach undergraduate conducting, and co-teach the Panther Marching Band. Williams joins the faculty following successful appointments at Summerour Middle School and McIntosh High School. He is currently in the final year of his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in Wind Conducting at Louisiana State University, studying with Dr. Damon Talley. He also holds a Master of Music degree in Wind Conducting from LSU, where he assisted with all aspects Lawrence Williams of the Department of Bands. Prior to his graduate studies, Assistant Director of Bands Williams taught in the Georgia public schools, most recently as Assistant Director of Bands at McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Georgia. Read more here.
Andy Esserwein Part-Time Instructor Music Education
Andrew C. Esserwein retired from teaching in 2025 following a distinguished 23-year tenure as the Director of Bands at Sprayberry High School. During his time at Sprayberry, he also served as the Fine Arts Department Chair from 2018 until his retirement. A respected leader in music education, Mr. Esserwein is the current President of the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA). Under his direction, the Sprayberry High School band program flourished into a comprehensive and decorated musical community. The program featured three concert bands, multiple percussion and small ensembles, a competitive marching band active in local and Bands of America regional competitions, and award-winning winter guard and indoor percussion units that competed in the SAPA, WGI, and GIPA circuits. Read more here.
Kelly McCarty is a first-call bassist and educator based in Atlanta. Raised in a musical household with parents who were both music teachers, Kelly was surrounded by instruments from an early age. His first professional national experience came through Big League Productions (NYC), where he performed on touring productions of My Fair Lady, Hello, Dolly!, and the first national tour of A Christmas Story. He later toured for a year as the bassist for Grammy-winning roots/rock band Larkin Poe, performing throughout the U.S. and Europe. In Atlanta’s jazz scene, he has shared the stage with Karla Harris, Tyrone Jackson, Kevin Bales, Lavahi, Joe Alterman, Robert Boone, Dashill Smith, Tony Hightower, and Lori Williams. Read more here.
Chantae Pittman Part-time Instructor, Education
Kelly McCarty Part-time Instructor Jazz Double Bass
Dr. Chantae D. Pittman is the Director of Choral Activities at Campbell High School in Smyrna, GA, part of the Cobb County School District. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, GA. Dr. Pittman is passionate about all forms, disciplines, and styles of music. At University of Georgia, she earned her Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in Choral Music Education (May 2021). In 2019, she took on a similar role at Campbell High School, where she now also serves as the Fine Arts Department Chair. In June 2025, Dr. Pittman will make her conducting debut at Carnegie Hall with the Campbell High School “Singing Spartans” Chorus Program. Read more here.
Matthew Robinson is an Atlanta-based guitar instructor who specializes in performance and composition. His compositional works have been the focus of student performances, professional media, and have won awards such as the Austin Classical Guitar Composition Competition. After receiving his master’s degree from GSU in 2018 he has devoted his efforts as a teacher toward elevating the guitar as chamber/ ensemble instrument as well as a solo concert instrument. His students experience a student-centered compositional approach within group and individual learning environments. Currently, he teaches within the Atlanta metro area as well as continuing to perform and write new music for the guitar.
Matthew Robinson Part-Time Instructor Classical Guitar
Kebbi Williams Part-time Instructor Graduate Jazz Saxophone
Grammy award-winning tenor saxophonist Kebbi Williams is one of contemporary music’s whirlwind improvisers. The imaginative multi-instrumentalist/ composer/producer/arranger/teacher resists categorization. His innovative sound dives, blends and jumpstarts all music genres. Kebbi bends it to his will with his robust, distinct blasts. His playing and compositions create a sound that is uniquely and undeniably his own. Avant-garde jazz, hip-hop, Afro-beat, gospel, electronica, classical and fiery rock are all loops that Kebbi interweaves with passion and edge. OutKast, the legendary Donald Byrd, Cee-lo Green, Mos Def, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, Bilal, Oteil Burbridge, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Russell Gunn, Julie Dexter and iconic Betty Carter are among the elite musicians and vocalists who jumped off Kebbi’s unique horn. Williams received his undergraduate and master’s degress in Jazz Studies from Howard University. He fronts his own Atlanta band, The Wolf Pack. Read more here.
Mr. Rudy Wilson has been in music education for over 45 years and enjoys giving back to band programs as an experienced clinician, low brass specialist, adjudicator, and supporter of the goals of music education. He served as Band Director for 28 years at Brookwood High School. The Brookwood Symphonic Winds was a featured ensemble in many area band clinics and conventions, and the band program was an important part of school life, and students were represented in many GMEA activities and honors. Mr. Wilson holds M.Ed., M.M.Ed. and Ed.S. degrees from Berry College, VanderCook College of Music and the University of Georgia. Mr. Wilson is currently Instrumental Coordinator and Orchestra Director at Smoke Rise Baptist Church, as well as a member of the sanctuary choir and in leadership roles at Smoke Rise Baptist Church. He also has served as Band Chair for the Chick-fil-A Bowl for over 20 years. Read more here.
Rudy Wilson Part-time Instructor Music Education
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