Our Instructors
Audon Archibald
While originally getting into the craft in the hopes of making cool cosplay gear, Audon found somewhat surprisingly that his true passion in crafting is making purses for his grandma. And maybe his mother, if she’s nice to him.
When he isn’t crafting or playing board games at the D20 tavern, he works as a data analyst for a university, but that’s far less interesting than craft time, rest assured.
Leatherwork
Annette Becker, Ph.D.
Annette Becker is an arts educator and dress historian. Her research focuses on modern dress, textiles, and fashion, with a focus on American cultural history. She holds an MA in Art History and a Ph.D. in History from the University of North Texas.
Professionally, she serves as the director of the UNT Texas Fashion Collection, where she curates exhibitions, leads academic programming, and advocates for the importance of fashion, design, and art in everyone’s lives.
Art History
Ariel Bowman
Ariel Bowman earned her BFA in Ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from the University of Florida.
Ariel has been an artist in residence at the Armory Art Center and her work has been collected by the Belger Arts Center, the Florida Museum of Natural History, and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
Ceramics
Megan Bryan, Ph.D.
Megan Bryan, PhD, was born and raised in Germany, and received her university education, including her doctorate, from the University of York in the UK.
She wrote her thesis on 19th century vampire literature, which has been an obsession of hers ever since watching "Horror of Dracula" at 15 years old. She has written five novels, as well as numerous essays, articles, and short stories on Victorians, villains, and vampires, and enjoys lecturing on these topics.
Art History
Harlan Butt
Harlan W. Butt is an artist with over 40 years of experience working in metal and enamel and is Professor Emeritus at the University of North Texas where he taught from 1976 to 2017. He is past President of the Enamelist Society, past President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths, Fellow of the American Crafts Council and member of the Society of American Silversmiths.
His work is represented in the collections of the Enamel Arts Foundation in Los Angeles, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute, Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Art & Design in New York City, the Metal Museum in Memphis, the National Gallery of Australia, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and elsewhere.
Metalsmithing and Enameling
Kaki Crowell-Hilde
Kaki Crowell-Hilde taught for twenty years in the North Texas area and then transitioned into the jewelry business for a decade before retiring.
She has an MFA from University of North Texas in Fibers and another MFA from East Tennessee State University in Metalsmithing and Jewelry. She also has Machine Tool Technology/CNC Certification, Gemstone and Diamond Certification through DCA, and CAD/CAM Jewelry Certification from the Gemological Institute of America.
Metalsmithing and Jewelry, Fibers
Ufuk Demirgüç, (PhD, Istanbul Technical University) is an architect, architectural historian, and researcher. She took part in many exhibitions and research projects on Istanbul and architecture.
She currently works as an independent researcher and teaches History of Architecture and Basic Design at various universities in Istanbul.
Architectural HistoryUfuk Demirgüç, Ph.D.
Marina Earley
Marina Earley is a Denton-based multidisciplinary artist. She has been wire-wrapping since 2019. In her wire jewelry, she utilizes intricate weaving patterns and intuitive design to create wearable pieces of art.
Beadwork and Wire Jewelry
Aslihan Erkmen, Ph.D.
Aslihan Erkmen (Ph.D., Istanbul Technical University) is an Associate Professor of Art History at Istanbul Technical University.
Her main research interests include Islamic book arts, illustrated manuscripts, traditional arts and crafts, and intangible cultural heritage. She also practices the traditional arts of marbled paper and paper filigree
Art History
Orion Fern
Orion Fern is the two-time award-winning artist of ‘THE FOX WHO BECAME A GIRL’ a queer fairy tale comic written by Chloe Bear that has been supported by The Greater Denton Arts Council and the Comics Advocacy Group.
As a form of ‘ARTivism’ (a term coined by his art hero Keith Haring), he runs Ovaettr Art & Zine Distro making informative zines that help the world! Orion believes in the act of self-publishing as a path to liberating the self and he is eager to share how to do that with the world.
Illustration
Meg Fletcher
Hi all, I like to make stuff! Be it sewing, fibers, traditional or digital, I'm always working on something. I like to learn new skills, read books, and yap about whatever projects I have going on. Also I have a dog named Sampson!
Fibers
Crystal Garrett
My name is Crystal and I am currently studying art history at the University of North Texas. I’ve been wood burning a little over 10 years.
I have tried to carve out my own unique style with a blend of wood burning and Japanese wood block printing. I am happy to introduce pyrography to anyone who would like to learn this diverse and unique tool for their artist tool kit.
Pyrography
Kary Greene
I got my degree in agriculture at Texas A&M in 1976 and never used it. However, I've been painting and drawing for 60 years. My grandfather fostered my love of nature and wildlife, and it has heavily influenced my subject matter, but I do enjoy drawing and painting human life, too.
After all these years I still grow every day in my understanding of texture, color and the emotional side of painting. Art never disappoints when you just take a breath, grab a brush and dive in with no expectations. I also love horseback riding, knitting and binge-watching TV.
Watercolor
Robin Huttash
Robin Huttash is a diverse artist who loves to work with glass, paints, clay and mixed media. Her artwork reflects her love of nature and vivid color as well as some of her favorite items in life: Volkswagens and old automobiles, flowers, landscapes, and abstracts.
With a BS in the educational field and a Masters in Land and Resource Management she taught science classes in public school in Denton and Art classes and Workshops at her Art studio and Gallery, A Creative Art STUDIO, in the downtown area of Denton, Texas.
Glass, Drawing
Emanda is a fiber artist working mainly in Art Quilts. She is a member of the International SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates), who has exhibited locally with the Denton Quilt Guild and in the Dallas Quilt Celebration.
She holds an MA in Art History from SMU and has been playing with fabric since she was five years old.
Fibers (Quilting)Emanda Johnson
E. Kalish
Drawing
Sarah Loch-Test
Sarah Loch-Test grew up in Ohio and studied at Kent State and East Carolina universities, where she embraced the art of enameling.
She currently works as the Metalsmithing & Jewelry Technician at the University of North Texas. Her work has been exhibited regionally and nationally, and is in the Enamel Foundation’s permanent collection, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art, the Crocker Museum and the Yale University Art Gallery.
Metalsmithing and Enameling
Avery McGhee
Avery is a metalsmith and maker based out of Denton, Texas. She received her BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry from the University of North Texas in 2023, followed by her MBA in Business Management in 2024 at the University of North Texas.
Her work has been exhibited in several local galleries and in online exhibitions, and when not doing homework or pulling her hair out you can find her enameling or exploring the local art and music scene in Denton.
Metalsmithing and Jewelry, Fibers
Joe Melgoza
I’m an illustrator/graphic artist among other things. I’m most definitely an adult human.
I don’t wanna brag but I went to a for-profit institution and received a BFA in graphic design in Fort Worth, Texas ca. 2013. I take life very seriously, and sometimes not. My corporate values are integrity, inclusion and community.
Illustration
Crystal Nelson
As a mixed media artist and retired art educator, Crystal enjoys experimenting and exploring new materials and techniques. Her love of mark-making and surface design is evident in her bold and graphic mixed media paintings, prints, and collage work. She also loves creating assemblage work using discarded and forgotten items to create “new” narratives.
Before returning to school for her B.F.A. in printmaking and painting she studied commercial art with an emphasis on package design and typography. Her work is still heavily influenced by her love of design. Crystal’s work tells a story through line, shape, color and often vintage papers and objects. She has been teaching and facilitating workshops and classes for over 20 years covering a variety of topics, techniques and media.
Mixed Media, Drawing
Teran Nickells
Teran Nickells is a chemist from Denton, Texas who currently works as a quality control analyst in Ft. Worth.
While he has always had a mind for STEM, he also has a deep appreciation for art and the mechanisms by which it is achieved. Teran looks to teach about chemistry and how it is used to create artistic mediums as well as art itself.
Chemistry
Susan Sitzes is a Dallas-Fort Worth metalsmith/sculptor, educator and designer - creating limited edition jewelry and small-scale mixed-media sculptures. She is a longstanding member of the Fort Worth Art Collective - exhibiting work in the DFW region and beyond.
She has a great love of the outdoors along with architecture and minimalism - all influencing her work. She loves redeploying and combining found objects with constructed geometric forms typically presented in a minimal and contemporary order.
Metalsmithing and JewelrySusan Sitzes
Umut Demirgüç Thurman is a metalsmith and enamelist. She works internationally, teaching and regularly exhibiting her work. Currently, she is teaching jewelry and metalsmithing at the University of North Texas while coordinating workshops at the Denton Maker Center.
She received her MFA from the University of North Texas in Metalsmithing and Jewelry in 2005, and BFA from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul, Turkey in Textile and Fashion Design in 1997.
Umut Demirgüç Thurman
Metalsmithing and Jewelry, Enameling
James Thurman
James Thurman is a professor in the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas, where he is the Program Coordinator of Metalsmithing and Jewelry. He received his M.F.A. in Metalsmithing from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Minnesota, and his B.F.A. in Sculpture from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A two-time Fulbright Specialist Scholar, he worked in Istanbul, Turkey, with Kadir Has University in 2012 and the Glass Furnace Foundation in 2016.
A prolific and highly active studio artist for over 20 years, his work has been included in hundreds of national and international curated and juried exhibitions and numerous solo exhibitions. In addition to the exhibition of his work, James regularly lectures and gives workshops about his work and the unique technical aspects of his studio production, including a laminated composite material he developed, “Thurmanite.”
Previous venues have included
The Glass Furnace, Istanbul, Turkey
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine
Penland School of Crafts, Bakersville, North Carolina
Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Art, Houston, Texas
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Yuma Art Symposium, Yuma, Arizona.
Digital fabrication continues to evolve as a major aspect of his research and teaching since completing his Machinist Certification in 1995. Beyond utilization in his own studio production, Thurman has incorporated digital fabrication into his teaching for more than 15 years, including a unique online studio-based course in 2012. As coordinator of the North Texas Digital Fabrication Group, he facilitates regular group meetings and an annual symposium.
Metalsmithing and Jewelry
Donna C. Vaux
I am a mixed media miniature artist who uses upcycled items I find at thrift and antique stores to create realistic-looking miniature scenes.
Creating dioramas is a fun, challenging, and imaginative way for me to express my artistic abilities through many different means, such as sculpting, painting, building, drawing, printing, and repurposing items.
Miniatures and Dioramas
Rileigh Peña Vidal
Basketry and Jewelry