The University of Houston School of Art, part of the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts, is proud to announce the appointment of seven distinguished artists, designers, and educators whose collective practices represent the next generation of creative leadership in contemporary art and design education.
The incoming faculty cohort brings national and international recognition across sculpture, painting, printmaking, graphic design, photography, video, and digital fabrication. Together, these appointments mark a significant investment in the future of the School of Art and reinforce the University of Houston’s commitment to innovation, interdisciplinarity, and cultural impact.
In tandem with these appointments, the School of Art is also pleased to announce full funding for the students in its three-year MFA program — a major milestone that underscores the university’s commitment to supporting emerging artists and expanding access to advanced creative research and practice.
“The University of Houston School of Art sits at the heart of Houston’s art culture, and these appointments represent Houston’s talents and ensure our continuing excellence,” said Beth Merfish, Director of the School of Art.“Each of these artists and educators brings a distinct vision, a dynamic practice, and a deep commitment to students matched by our financial commitment to these emerging artists. Collectively, they signal where the future of art education is headed — collaborative, technologically engaged, critically grounded, and deeply connected to the communities and cultures shaping our world.”
The new faculty appointments include:
Jamal Cyrus, Assistant Professor of Sculpture
Houston-based multidisciplinary artist Jamal Cyrus works across sculpture, assemblage, sound, textiles, installation, and performance to examine Black political movements, cultural memory, and the evolving histories of the African diaspora. His research-driven practice transforms everyday materials into layered conceptual works that interrogate official narratives and expand understandings of American history. Cyrus is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and the 2020 David C. Driskell Prize, and his work has been exhibited at major institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. Cyrus’ solo exhibition curated by UH Alum Ryan Dennis will open at Mass MoCA in June 2027.
Angela Lynn Tucker, Assistant Professor of Photo/Video
Angela Lynn Tucker is an Emmy-award winning producer and the recent director of The Inquisitor, the first full-length documentary about Houston’s own Barbara Jordan. Tucker’s work in photography and moving image explores representation, memory, narrative, and lived experience through documentary and experimental approaches. Her practice engages deeply with storytelling and the power of visual media to shape cultural understanding and personal connection.
Saúl Hernández Vargas, Assistant Professor of Printmaking
Interdisciplinary artist Saúl Hernández Vargas works across printmaking, sound, writing, performance, and installation to investigate the fractures and absences within official national histories. His practice explores migration, memory, language, territory, and cultural inheritance through experimental and research-based approaches. Hernández Vargas has exhibited at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Blaffer Art Museum, and Lawndale Art Center, and was a 2023 Artadia Award recipient and former MFAH Core Fellow.
Ella Rosenblatt, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
Ella Rosenblatt is a designer and researcher whose work examines visual communication,
identity, typography, and systems of meaning-making. Her interdisciplinary approach
to graphic design explores how design functions as both a cultural framework and a
tool for critical engagement and storytelling. Rosenblatt was previously an Art and
Digital Media Post-MFA Fellow at Rice University.
Maisie Luo, Assistant Professor of Painting
Maisie Luo’s painting practice explores perception, materiality, and contemporary visual culture through layered compositions that blur the boundaries between abstraction and representation. Her work engages questions of image circulation, surface, and spatial experience while advancing expanded approaches to contemporary painting.
Nathan Dube, Professor of Practice – Digital Fabrication
Nathan Dube brings deep expertise in digital fabrication, emerging technologies, and contemporary making practices. His work bridges computational processes, material experimentation, and hands-on production, expanding how artists and designers engage with fabrication technologies within contemporary studio practice. He is a former resident artist at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and faculty member at the Glassell School of Art and Houston City College.
Erin Miller, Professor of Practice – Printmaking
Native Houstonian Erin Miller is an accomplished printmaker and educator whose practice emphasizes technical rigor, collaborative learning, and experimentation across traditional and contemporary print processes. Her teaching foregrounds material exploration and the evolving role of printmaking within interdisciplinary studio practice.
"These appointments and our commitment to fully funding MFA students reflect a clear vision for the future of the School of Art and the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts. We are investing in exceptional artists, educators, and scholars who will challenge, inspire, and prepare our students to lead in an increasingly complex and creative world. Together, they strengthen our position as a destination for artistic innovation, critical inquiry, and transformative learning in one of the most vibrant cultural cities in the world." - Andrew Davis, Dean, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts
These appointments reflect the School of Art's expanding vision for contemporary art education—one that honors rigorous studio traditions while advancing new technologies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and socially engaged practices. They also reinforce the mission of the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts to foster ambitious creative research and prepare students to shape the cultural landscape locally, nationally, and internationally.
Located in one of the nation's most diverse and dynamic cities, the University of Houston School of Art continues to build a nationally recognized program that connects artistic excellence with public impact, preparing the next generation of artists, designers, educators, and cultural leaders to shape the future of creative practice.
For more information about the University of Houston School of Art, visit: uh.edu/kgmca/soa