Our Instructors

Mark Alan Anderson is an art educator and the visual art coordinator for the North Kansas City School District. Anderson earned a B.S.E. degree in art education at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg and a M. Ed. degree in art education at the University of Missouri where he also completed the doctoral program. He has been honored with the MAEA Art Educator of the Year Award and was a Missouri Teacher of the Year finalist. Anderson is the owner/operator of Idea Design.

Paul Andrews has been a professional Kansas City photographer for more than 15 years. His work focuses on creative portraiture, commercial and editorial photography. His photographs can be seen regularly in many local publications including ThisKC and the Kansas City Business Journal. Andrews has a studio in the River Market area where he operates a joint venture, Paunya LLC, with his wife Sonya.

Erin Dahl is an adjunct professor with the Kansas City Art Institute and Metropolitan Community College. Dahl has previous experience teaching with the University of Kansas, Rockhurst University and Pembroke High School. Dahl’s teaching philosophy is centered on the historical context for art and material culture and instructs students to critically evaluate these in terms of motive, significance and impact. She is a proponent of active learning in the classroom and understanding the social, political, historical and cultural underpinnings of art history.

Scott L. Dickson is a practicing artist and instructor with Arkansas State University. Dickson holds a master’s of fine arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and a bachelor’s in fine arts from the University of Kansas. Prior to his current occupation, Dickson worked as an admissions regional coordinator with the Kansas City Art Institute. His teaching methodology is centered on having students actively question their interactions with visual arts and society, and his work has been exhibited both regionally and nationally. His work can be found at www.stateofscott.com.

Kim Eichler-Messmer is an assistant professor in fiber at the Kansas City Art Institute, where she has taught surface design, quilting, and entrepreneurship since 2008. Eichler-Messmer received an M.F.A. in Textiles from the University of Kansas and a B.F.A. in Drawing and Printmaking from Iowa State University. She was an Artist in Residence at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN. Her hand dyed, one of a kind quilts have been exhibited nationally in numerous solo and juried shows and featured on prominent design blogs including Apartment Therapy and Design Sponge. She was commissioned by Pottery Barn Teen to create an exclusive design for their catalog and select stores and her hand dyed quilts were featured in the West Elm Catalog. Eichler-Messmer is the author of “Modern Color: An Illustrated Guide to Dyeing Fabric for Modern Quilts” and her work has been included in “Quilting with a Modern Slant” by Rachel May, “The Essential Guide To Modern Quilt Making” edited by Heather Grant, and “The Uppercase Compendium of Craft and Creativity” by Janine Vangool. Her website is www.kimemquilts.com.

Andrew Erdrich is a graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, holding bachelors in Sculpture and Art History. Following school, Erdrich has been involved in many projects but is most notably known as the co­founder and co­director of BREAD! KC, frontman for the band Sneaky Creeps, and for founding and operating the BigUrges.com music blog.

Erdrich’s studio practice utilizes writing, video, drawing, and performance to address issues of communication and language. The skills and knowledge gained in his studio practice are used to teach narrative and storytelling to students within KCAI’s school of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Ed Fenendael has taught painting for more than 30 years. His teaching experience includes being part of the Kansas City Art Institute's Continuing and Professional Studies program. Fenendael has received numerous awards for his work in painting and was named Master Artist of the Year by the Door County Art League in 2008. He teaches several workshops and classes annually.

Fenendael describes both the medium and his teaching of watercolor as exciting. Students will leave the class with a better understanding of the medium and the joy it can provide as a form of artistic expression.

Ari Fish received her B.F.A. degree in ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute. She is a professional artist and fourth generation teacher. Fish currently teaches an arts integrated science and math curriculum at the unique and innovative Community School #1, located in Mission Hills, Kan. She is often a guest critic and speaker at local high schools, colleges, museums, galleries and arts organizations. Fish has studied clothing design, drawing, ceramics, new media, graphic design, creative writing, multimedia and sculpture. Her work is online at www.arifish.com.

Jesse Graber has illustrated books, magazines and educational materials for clients such as McGraw-Hill, Scholastic, Oxford University Press, and Highlights for Children, and is represented in the children’s market by Cornell & McCarthy. Graber prefers to teach by example by bringing samples of contemporary illustrations to class in addition to his own recent works in progress to show the process for producing a finished piece. For critiques, Graber leads students with a framework that encourages assessment that is helpful rather than hurtful. To break up the long projects he introduces short, fun, drawing games that secretly reinforce the ideas students learn.

Graber’s work can be viewed at www.jessegraber.com and www.sketchblog.jessegraber.comGraber’s work can be viewed at www.jessegraber.com and www.sketchblog.jessegraber.com

Patricia Graham is a Painting and Creative Writing double major at the Kansas City Art Institute. The accumulative components of writing and the immediate time base of sound become ways to filter through information and conduct research for her paintings. Her work explores how archiving and history can affect the immediate perception of light and architecture. Her work has been shown at the Leedy-Voulkos, Dodge Painting Gallery, and AICAD studios in Brooklyn.

In the classroom Graham emphasizes creating a place where developing problem solving and critical thinking skills through material investigation and discussion can expand each student’s individual interests. Her work can be viewew here.

Erin Hamer-Beck received her M.F.A. degree in creative writing from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Hamer-Beck has taught composition and speech at UMKC since 2014. She also teaches creative writing as part of the PCAL program at the Kansas City Art Institute. Hamer-Beck has published numerous articles with the Kansas City Star, a short story with Number One Magazine and she has been a finalist in the Kansas City Women in Film Short Screenplay Contest. She has presented papers on theoretical film concepts at the Midwest Popular Culture Association MPCA Conference, UEC / EGSA Symposium at UMKC and KU Film and Media Studies Graduate Symposium.

Her teaching methodology combines an interactive approach to experiencing films from a wide range of historical periods, aesthetic and cultural perspectives with an exploration in contemporary film theory. Hamer-Beck’s primary field of study examines the relationship between film and language with a linguistic method to how films make meaning.

Doug Hamer received his Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Photojournalism from the University of Kansas. Hamer has more than 40 years of professional experience in the areas of commercial, photojournalism and fine art photography. His classes combine lecture with hands-on learning experience, and they are split up between shooting field trips, weekly assignments and in-class critiques. Hamer is a photography certificate program instructor.

Paige Hinshaw is a visual artist working with a range of materials. She earned her BFA in printmaking from Rhode Island school of design in 2012. She has worked with themes of gender, feminism, and American culture. She manages her own small business in Kansas City selling one of a kind marbled leather accessories. Hinshaw has co-curated an exhibition in the So What Space in Brooklyn, NY and exhibited in New York, Rhode Island, and Kansas City.

Hinshaw believes in introducing basic technique and then allowing students to shape and develop their own process from experimentation and experience.

Joe Hoffman comes to the Kansas City Art Institute with more than 15 years of experience in the interactive and online industries as a graphic designer, illustrator, creative/art director and user-experience specialist. Hoffman earned a B.F.A. degree in illustration and design from KCAI in 1996.

Hoffman’s teaching philosophy is geared toward providing students with as many tools as possible so they are able to make informed decisions in their work and so the work will stand on its own visual merit. He has a disciplined approach to visual arts and holds high expectations for his classes. When focusing on the fundamentals of 2-D design and color theory, Hoffman places a high degree of emphasis on Gestalt Theory, as well as the use of core visual principles and communication techniques.

Casey Holden is a Midwestern photographer based in Kansas City, Missouri. She left rural Oklahoma to attend the Kansas City Art Institute where she received a BFA in Photography in 2014. Aside from teaching at the School for Continuing Education at the Art Institute, she works there as the Print Output Center Technician. She is a member of the photography group Archive Collective and a co-founder of The Red Lady Gallery in the West Bottoms. Her work can be viewed here.

Donna Houtteman is the leading voice behind the Art Sofa Series for Continuing and Professional Studies at the Kansas City Art Institute. Although she doesn’t call herself an “art historian,” her passion for art and enthusiasm for the history in which it was made is contagious. Houtteman leads more than 50 tours per year at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and completed their rigorous docent-in-training program in 2002. Students in her classroom can expect to discover the history of art in a comfortable, non-intimidating atmosphere.

Sharon Hunter-Putsch’s career has spanned both the instruction and administration sides of arts education. She earned an M.A. degree in studio art at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Hunter-Putsch served as the Director of Admissions at the Kansas City Art Institute and then moved to the Corcoran College of Art to become the Associate Dean in 1991. Later, she became the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts.  Her experiences led her to the positions of consultant and accreditation specialist at the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

Having instructed high school and college art classes, Hunter-Putsch’s teaching philosophy centers on creating an environment that is relaxed but also energetic. She stresses the use of basic skills and encourages students to set ongoing individual goals.

Joel Jenkins has a working design background that spans both the corporate and academic worlds. Jenkins served as president of Have a Ball, LLC.; creative director at Clear Solutions eLearning Group at Sprint; and as an adjunct faculty member of writing and multimedia design at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Jenkins describes his classroom as “an adventure in awareness.” Rather than teaching how the hammer works, he focuses on why it works and how to implement its use with successful outcomes. One of Jenkins main classroom objectives is to help students learn to problem solve as they work and then guide them in implementing solutions in the most effective way.

Margaret Kinkeade completed her B.F.A. in Printmaking at the University of Oklahoma and then went on to earn her M.F.A. in Ceramics from the Pennsylvania State University.  Margaret's studio practice focuses on collections, community, and objects of the American craft tradition through handbuilt ceramic objects. She encourages her students to experiment, discover and push their material to best explore their own narratives.  She believes that when makers pull inspiration from as many areas of experience, history and thought as possible they are better able to construct objects that speak to others while speaking of themselves.  Her work can be viewed at www.margaretkinkeade.com.

Hannah Lodwick (b. 1991 Lawrence, KS) is a visual artist, curator, and arts administrator in Kansas City, Missouri. She completed a Bachelor's of Fine Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2013, double majoring in Painting and Art History with honors. Lodwick is the Adult Program Specialist at the School for Continuing Studies at KCAI as well as teaches curatorial studies, art history and observational drawing for non-credit adults and youth. She is also Curator at 50/50, a platform for fostering progressive dialogues of equally exhibited local and national artists from Kansas City, Missouri. Her website is available at

www.hannnahlodwick.com

and her gallery at

www.5050kc.com

Christopher Lowrance received a B.F.A. degree in drawing from Missouri State University and an M.F.A. degree in painting from Indiana University. Besides teaching drawing courses at the Kansas City Art Institute, Lowrance has taught at Indianapolis Art Center, the University of Missouri and the University of Central Missouri. He enjoys working with beginners, traditional undergraduate students and graduate students. Students can expect detailed one-on-one instruction with a strong emphasis on fundamentals from Lowrance. To view his work, visit www.flickr.com/photos/93907614@N04/sets/.

Teresa Mandala earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree in Design and Illustration from the Kansas City Art Institute. She worked as an agency creative before starting her own business, Bella Designs. Mandala’s work is online at www.bella-designs.biz. Her teaching philosophy is simple—enjoy and embrace the process. Mandala teaches Discover Painting and Acrylic classes for adults.

Tom Matt is a professional fine artist who specializes in working from life in landscape, figurative work and portraiture. Matt teaches Drawing and Creating Portraits. He encourages students to develop their powers of observation and tap into their unique creative process and expression. Matt has a B.F.A. degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York. To see his work, visit www.tommatt.com.

As a motion graphics artist, Scott McCarthy always finds it exciting and rewarding to be in the field. Every day is a new opportunity to learn something new both personally and professionally.When McCarthy is not working long hours to reach a tight deadline he can be found teaching motion graphics classes and giving back to the community. He derives a great deal of satisfaction teaching and inspiring students of all ages to push themselves and their creativity. He is currently employed as a motion graphic/VFX artist with Liquid 9 Kansas City.

Kerry Meier earned his B.F.A. degree in graphic design from Wichita State University and studied architectural design at Kansas State University in Manhattan. Meier has been the senior art director at Kendal King Group since 2007 and has been awarded the AIGA Eco-Sensitive Design Award, an Addy Award, a Graphic Design USA Award, first place in the Miami Film Festival Poster Design Contest and first place in the Summit of the Americas Logo Contest.

Meier structures his classes by teaching technical skills, using examples and giving demonstrations. He asks students to complete assignments in a way that aids in their understanding of the steps and skill sets needed to complete specific tasks. When assigning projects, Meier chooses work that allows him to see student’s design work in progress. He listens to student concepts, reviews sketches and computer design work on screen and finishes the course with group-critiques of final projects.

Bryan Norris has been teaching youth classes for the Continuing and Professional Studies program at the Kansas City Art Institute where he earned a B.F.A. degree. Norris also taught in the Shawnee Mission School District as well as Saint Thomas More Elementary.

Norris’ teaching philosophy is that everyone has the capability to learn and understand any art medium at any age. He sees to it that students not only get what they want out of class, but also that they leave eager to learn more.

Andrew Ordonez is an interdisciplinary artist, instructor and admissions counselor at the Kansas City Art Institute. As a college recruiter he works with visual artist and art educators locally and across the United States. He encourages students to explore a range of drawing modes such as observation, perception, narrative and abstraction. He received his Bachelor’s of Fine Art degree in Painting from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2013. His work can be found at andrew-ordonez.com.

For 26 years Debra Payne taught drawing and painting courses at Liberty High School, including AP and dual-credit courses through the University of Missouri-Kansas City. For the three years prior she taught art classes at Leavenworth West Junior High. Payne was a three-time recipient of the Teacher of the Month award during her tenure at Liberty High and was nominated for the Teacher of the Year award. She also served on the governing board of MAEA for 10 years.

Payne has taught skills necessary to draw and paint from observation, using a variety of media and techniques, for many years. Payne focuses on clearly communicating goals, demonstrating skills and techniques, assessing student understanding and then re-teaching on an individual basis as needed. Classes are each designed with the inclusion of work done by others, vocabulary associated with the skills being studied and a periodic assessment or final critique of student work.

Kelsey Pike is a papermaker, printmaker and art teacher living and working in Kansas City, Missouri. She earned a B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute in art history and printmaking in 2011. Since graduation, she has been operating a small craft business, Sustainable Paper+Craft, and working as an instructional assistant for continuing education.  

She had been teaching youth, high school and adult classes for over 5 years and has taught more than 50 classes. Craft and discovery are important to Kelsey. She begins class with a demonstrations of process and technique and then allows students time to work independently and experiment. She believes the most important and satisfying experience is for students to make something of quality with their own hands from start to finish. Pike’s classes are structured to allow students this sense of accomplishment.

Find her work on instagram @KelseyPikePapercraft or www.sustainablepapercraft.com

Bryan Ratliff holds a B.F.A. degree from the Kansas City Art Institute. He has worked as an interactive art director and motion graphics designer for web development studios. Ratliff teaches design, illustration and multimedia in the adult, youth and certificate programs. He conducts his class like a seminar where discussion and participation is encouraged at all times and assignments focus on “real world” scenario projects. Collaboration is encouraged. Ratliff’s work is online at www.chemicalnine.com.

Gary Rittermeyer earned a master’s of fine arts degree in photography at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, Calif. He graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a bachelor’s of science degree. Rittermeyer’s goal is to provide students with a greater appreciation of the elegance of photography as a richly nuanced art form in addition to digging into the history of the medium. He encourages them to embrace the range of techniques and choices available to express a unique point of view. He hopes his passion influences students to participate in lively discussions and actively experiment with ideas.

Ken Rizor is a welder/fitter for Peerless conveyer and previously worked as a production and shop manager at Rock Cottage Glassworks. His experience in these two fields is valuable to the way he makes his sculptures as well as to the knowledge he brings to the classroom.

Rizor’s course is based on independent study and exploration. Classes begin with an emphasis on safety in welding and instruction on using the shop tools. After two guided projects, students are expected to work in an open studio environment and create a sculpture using the skills taught in the first two lessons. Rizor focuses on creating an environment in which students feel comfortable and have fun with sculpture making.

Trent Roach received his B.F.A. in graphic design from the Kansas City Art Institute. He currently works for a digital design firm called GPS Impact and in his free participates in collaborations with other artists and designers. His interest in creating is multifaceted and spans across different mediums. Learning how others use tools and materials influences his work and he enjoys collaborating with a variety of people. Having a diverse skill set presents the chance to experience different projects that explore various elements of design, existing both in the digital and analog world. Trent wants to continue pushing his interest in design using both art and technology to discover new ways to create.

Liz Smith received a B.F.A. in Painting from the Kansas City Art Institute and a M.F.A. in Painting /2D design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her paintings, drawings and collage are inspired by nature, fashion elements and pop culture. She enjoys cultivating a welcoming environment for all her students to experiment, share knowledge and have fun. Liz currently shares a studio with her husband in the West Bottoms of Kansas City. Her work is available at

lizsmithart.com

Bill Thomas has 35 years of experience in photography. He is co-owner of Crick Camera Shop and is a fine art and landscape photographer, with work in both public and private collections. His work has been recognized by the Texas Professional Photographers Association with multiple awards in the commercial photography category.

Thomas’ classes combine lecture with individual, hands-on instruction. Presentations accompany each class and students also will go outside of the classroom to photograph.

Jamie Turpin completed her bachelor’s degree in interior architecture at Kansas State University and her master’s of fine arts degree at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She has spent her career as a project designer, and her experience ranges from retail renovations to corporate new construction to identity, package and website design. Turpin is a certificate program instructor, and her work can be found online at www.jamie-turpin.com.

Laura Tyler received her B.F.A. in Painting from Truman State University and her M.F.A. in Painting from the University of Missouri – Columbia.  Laura implements theory and art history into her teaching of technical art skills.  She promotes experimentation and exploration by exposing students to a variety of contemporary and historical artists.  Laura’s work uses painting and photography to explore and question the existence of nature in contemporary society.  Through product photography and painted animal furs, her work transforms nature into commodified objects.  Her work can be found at www.lauraltyler.net.

Teena Walker-Robin is an award-winning professional developer with more than 15 years of experience adding beauty to the web. She currently enjoys working with VML as interactive web developer. Walker-Robin is working on projects for high profile clients including Dell, Miller-Coors and Whole Foods. She shares her excitement in the interactive union of art and technology by running a research channel at www.lsdrupal.com and by teaching applied web development at the Kansas City Art Institute.

Wayne Wilkes graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute illustration department and has been working as a designer for the past 18 years. Currently, he is the web director at Unbound, a non-profit organization where he leads online development and creates a user experience that is engaging for the online audience and promotes a strong brand presence. Wilkes also remains active as a painter when not in front of the computer and frequently exhibits around town in collaborative shows as well as solo exhibits. Wilkes has been an instructor in the KCAI Continuing and Professional Studies program since 2006.