Graduates in the World

Michael Sizemore (2006)
Designer
TigÃ© Boats, Inc.
Abilene, TX

TigÃ© manufacturers inboard boats used in water sports. I work with our Senior Designer Danny Gutierrez (also an FHSU graduate) and our Web Developer. FHSU gave me the tools to go out into the world with confidence. The concepts we learned are priceless. I learned how to look at the world through different eyes. Being a designer, inspiration can be hard to come by and at FHSU I was taught from the very beginning how to use the resources we had to create top-level design, even on a small budget. The FHSU staff (especially my Graphics instructors) are second to none! I challenge any college to find professors who care as much about their students as the ones at FHSU. I interned at TigÃ© and attended gallery walks and shows while at FHSU. Being involved with the arts I became inspired by other artists. The artists/designers at FHSU are some of the best in the country and to see their work constantly on display at Art Walks and in galleries made me become inspired to bring my work to the next level.

Jenny Venn (2004, 2007)
Assistant Professor of Art, Graphic Design
University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY

I am currently teaching graphic design at the University of Wyoming. I run the entire graphic design program here and have around 45 majors and several additional minors. I have also been working as a freelance designer on a body of academic/creative research titled Trashy Graphics. I constantly try to provide the same level of knowledge and inspiration that all of my professors at FHSU did. An internship with Associated Advertising Agency in Wichita prepared me for both work and life more that I ever thought possible. I was given a taste of what the advertising world was like and was able to work on actual accounts and see my work published in many different settings. FHSU helped me achieve my career goals by inspiring me to do my very best as well as preparing me to be the very best academically. The excellent faculty I was privileged to study under during my tenure in Hays was the primary reason for my academic success.

Luke Bott (2002)
Art Director
Gardner Design
Wichita, KS

Working at Gardner Design, my main focus has been logo design/corporate identity. Our client roster spans from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses. Since my first day at FHSU, I was taught to think different. This forced my mind to explore new things and question everything. I still use this today in my logo work. I am constantly trying to push my ideas in new directions and come up with what I feel is the best result. The interaction with the professors and my fellow students was extremely helpful. Critiques were great, because they helped me become bullet-proof as an artist. If a project didn't go well, I didn't get upset; I learned from it and took those thoughts and experiences into my next project. Aside from teacher and peer guidance, the design work I did for AmeriCorps as a student helped ready me for my current graphic design work. Attending FHSU was a great learning experience because it helped me learn how to build relationships with clients and provided me with experience directly related to my planned career.

FHSU Art and Design Graduate Success

Graphic Design
Alan Nuzum ('97), Vice President and Creative Director, Leo Burnett, Chicago, IL
Kerri Soukup ('97), Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett, Chicago, IL
Dominic Flask ('07), Adjunct Professor, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
Adam Elliott ('09), Instructor of Computer Graphic Technology, Northwest Kansas Technical College, Goodland, KS
Cory Befort ('11), Motion Graphic Manager, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles, CA
Dee Erway-Sherwood ('01), Professor of Graphic Design, Program Director, and Dept. Chair of Visual Arts, McPherson College, McPherson, KS
Stacy Schoen Gibson ('99), Associate Professor, Harding University, Searcy, AR
Nagesh Shinde ('95), Professor of Graphic Design, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
Yi Ma ('10), Creative Director, Leo Burnett, Chicago, IL
Justin McClure ('00), Founder and Owner of Justin McClure Creative, Wichita, KS
Chad McClure ('03), Founder and Owner of Burly Studios, Wichita, KS
Emily Dyck ('13), Senior Art Director, Leo Burnett, Chicago, IL
Ryan Bosse ('13), Designer, Stout, San Francisco, CA
Megan Sornson ('13), Associate Designer and Team Lead, Digital Telepathy, San Diego, CA
Tuan Huynh ('14), Art Director, Leo Burnett, Chicago, IL
Susan Dreiling ('15), Designer, Treat & Co., Minneapolis, MN
Andrew Horn ('15), Designer, Humdinger, Minneapolis, MN
Colin Baker ('15), Designer, Humdinger, Minneapolis, MN
Johnny Hill ('15), Designer, Humdinger, Minneapolis, MN
Kayla Bartlett ('15), Freelance Graphic Designer, Minneapolis, MN
Brandon Penny (/13

Photography
Adam Gerik ('05), Photographer, Peoria Journal Star, Peoria, IL, also featured in the New York Times
Curtis Tasset ('87), Head of Photography, VA Hospital, Wichita, KS
Ashley Oliver ('03), Wheat Photography, Kansas City, KS

Ceramics
Eric Stearns ('07), Associate Professor and Chair of Fine Arts, Doane College, Crete, NE
Jennifer Higerd ('10), Instructor of Art and Gallery Director, East Central College, Union, MO
Brianne Fulton ('10), Miller Assistant Professor of Art and Coordinator of the Fine Art Department, Cottey College, Nevada, NE
Casey Stueber Smith ('12), Art Instructor and Director of Art and Design, Crowder College, Neosho, MO
Jennifer Mettlen Nolan ('06), Assistant Professor of Art at Dodge City Community College, Dodge City, KS
Michaela Valli Groeblacher ('06), Assistant Professor of Art, McPherson College, McPherson, KS
Sharon McCoy ('14), Yingee Museum Artist, Residence, Taiwan, PRC
Ned Day ('12), Assistant Professor at Sinte Gleska College, Great Plains Art Institute, Rosebud Sioux Reservation, SD
David Harris (?), Assistant Professor of Art and Director of Ceramics and Art Therapy Coordinator, Missouri Western, St. Joseph, MO
Jennifer Mettlen Nolan ('00), Assistant Professor of Art at Dodge City Community College, Dodge City, KS
Trent Berning ('00), Assistant Professor of Art, Daytona State College, Daytona Beach, FL
Tenille Blair Neff ('00), Art Therapist and Psychoanalyst, Bronson, MO

Sculpture
Dena Thomas (?), Fabrication Lab Manager, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Isaac Sandoval ('13), Owner of "The Skillet" restaurant, Las Vegas, NM
Jillian Thompson ('12), Sculptor, Fabricator, and Shop Technician at Medwedeff Forge and Design, Murphysboro, IL
Stacey Rathert ('11), Adjunct Professor at the University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

Drawing
Jared Hulstine ('07), Visual Instructor (grades 9-12), Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, KY
Tamara Schardt, ('08), Fine Arts Teacher and Service Coordinator, VSA North Fourth Art Center, Albuquerque, NM

Interior Design
Heather Davis ('10), Owner of Davis Designs Home DÃ©cor Boutique, Garden City, KS
Lisa Kisner ('08), Owner of Lisa Custom Interiors, Hays, KS
Caci Pommerehn ('13), Interior Designer, Design by the Paisley, Hays, KS
Candy Viera ('13), Project Manager, Innovative Construction Service Inc., Wichita, KS
Stephanie Downie ('13), Co-Owner of Backroads Designs & Events, Concordia, KS
Jori Gilleece ('13), Co-Owner of Backroads Designs & Events, Concordia, KS

Printmaking
Zhimin Guan ('98), Professor of Art, Minnesota State University, Moorhead, MN
Jon Swindler ('99), Professor of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Dusty Herbig ('96), Professor of Art, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Dagan Sherman ('04), Professor of Art, Midland College, Midland, TX
Chris Kuksi ('98 and '02), Free-lance Commissioned Artist, Lawrence, KS