Alumni Highlight / New Faculty Hires of 2018/2019 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Alumni Highlight / New Faculty Hires of 2018/2019

With courses such as the Graduate Teaching Seminar: Theory and Methods, the MCAD MFA program helps to prepare its students for positions in higher education, both nationally and abroad. We caught up with four MFA alums who have begun their careers on the other side of the lectern.


Recent graduate Sherry Muyuan He '18 began her tenure-track position at the University of South Dakota at the end of August. As Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Sherry will be teaching digital design, typography, package design, brand identity, and portfolio design to undergraduates. Sherry told us that she is excited to design fun and engaging assignments which will build both technical skills and problem-solving skills. One of her first goals is to memorize all of her student's names within the first month of class.

Emily Hoisington '08 writes, "At MCAD I spent most of my time in the print shop and paper studio, making sculptural handmade paper books and installations. In the ten years since I have alternated between collaborative projects and personal work in printmaking, drawing, and book arts. Some highlights were a collaboration with an origami designer about growing vegetables, organizing a print exchange book about the creative and lunar cycle, and painting a pavement mural with neighborhood volunteers on a pedestrian bridge over highway 94. My personal work has been supported by the MCAD collegiate fellowship at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and the Jerome Emerging Printmaker's Residency at Highpoint Center for Printmaking in 2008, and I was Artist in Residence at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in 2016." In that time, Emily has also been teaching at MCAD, CVA, Bethel University, Augsburg College, Saint Paul College, and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. This fall, Emily is transitioning from a part-time to a full-time teaching position at Saint Paul College. She will be teaching drawing, printmaking, watercolor painting, and two-dimensional design. Emily writes, "The best thing about teaching is seeing students make connections with each other and support each other in their learning."

Recent alum Jonathan Aller '18 is not going far from his old MFA stomping grounds. Last month, Jonathan began as an Adjunct Instructor at MCAD where he will be teaching a Foundations Drawing 1 class. He looks forward to getting to know his students and helping each of them along their artistic path.

Since he graduated, filmmaker Cole Seidl '17 has been "teaching a lot, writing a lot, and hiking a lot." This fall, Cole was hired as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Media Studies at Al-Quds Bard College, in Abu Dis, Palestine. Cole is teaching Intro to Media Studies, Photojournalism Workshop, and Advanced Digital Video Editing. He is also overseeing senior thesis projects. When we asked what Cole is looking forward to the most, Cole said "Students. The best part of teaching undergrads, for me, is watching students find their own voice, and develop a language with which to express their own unique perspectives. I think all art thrives from new voices and new perspectives, which was one of the main reasons I was excited to teach in Palestine. There is a group of artists here whose voices, historically, have been greatly overlooked, and the opportunity to watch them as they begin to make art and put their experiences into it is wildly exciting to me. "
Photography provided by featured educators.

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Jonathan Aller
Emily Hoisington
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