Faculty

Distinguished art school faculty. Low faculty-to-student ratio. Remarkable opportunity.

All of our artists are able to work closely in the studio with our esteemed, full-time faculty. The only asset greater than this unique access to our faculty is the quality of the faculty itself. 

The Pratt Munson College of Art and Design faculty is made up of active artists who inspire, as well as educate, their students. They teach, exhibit, and participate in campus and community programs and events. This diverse group of gifted educators brings a real-world perspective to the classroom while helping students develop their talents.

Works created by our faculty members are widely shown in public exhibitions and held in private collections throughout the U.S. and abroad. Members of our distinguished art school faculty have served as guest artists, advisors, and lecturers at many art colleges and universities throughout the world. In the classroom, they work not only to expand their students’ skills and knowledge but also to convey to their students insight into the world of art and the artist’s role in society.

Our faculty represents the heart of what Pratt Munson has to offer. They create works that are changing the world of art as they mentor the young art-makers of tomorrow. We encourage you to explore their works and bios and even contact those who specialize in a discipline that interests you. And, of course, if you find one of our faculty members particularly compelling, we urge you to schedule a campus tour and make an appointment.

Daniel Buckingham | Professor of Sculpture and 3D Design

Daniel Buckingham's work focuses on functioning as a structure for social interaction by using a collision of construction strategies to support fragmented, improvisational and theatrical storytelling. Buckingham states that his works “offer a place to meet others from our community, to discuss current events, play and perhaps a place to fall in love”. His public commission entitled “Tower of Bells” is located in the Park of Women and Children, in Quito, Ecuador. Locally, Buckingham works in a shared studio that he built with his family, and serves as a board member for Sculpture Space Inc. in Utica, New York. dbucking@prattmunson.edu

Christopher Cirillo | Associate Professor of Drawing and Painting

Christopher Cirillo has an active studio practice that centers around drawing and painting, and his work has been shown in a multitude of galleries and art centers throughout New York State and the Midwest. In addition to his courses at PrattMWP, he also teaches non-credit classes for the Munson-Williams Community Arts Education Program, and has previously instructed courses at Mohawk Valley Community College, Empire State College, and The Kirkland Art Center. Cirillo received his BFA in Painting and Drawing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and his MFA in Visual Arts from The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. He is an alumnus of Munson Williams Proctor. ccirillo@prattmunson.edu

Ted Ford | Assistant Professor of Art History

Ted Ford has an MFA in Visual Art - Painting and Sculpture, with academic research emphasis on postmodern cultural theory, contemporary art criticism, theories of the avant-garde, and historical analysis of art since the 1960s. His work combines studio practice with art historical theory. Ford has been teaching a wide range of art history courses at PrattMWP since 2004, including First Year Survey, 19th Century Art and 20th Century Art, with a particular emphasis on German Expressionism, Dada and Dunchamp, Minimalism and Post-Minimalism. tford@prattmunson.edu

Cynthia Koren | Professor of Graphic Design

Cindy Koren has been named "Educator to Watch" by GDUSA Magazine, and has worked on award-winning projects with AT&T, Global Finance and Runner's World Magazine. Prior to PrattMWP, she had established two successful vocational programs in Visual Communications, and taught at both Mohawk Valley Community College and Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. Koren was a featured speaker at the inaugural TEDx Utica, and her current research involves the convergence of art and design, and the legalities surrounding creative legacy. ckoren@prattmunson.edu

Gregory Lawler | Professor of Drawing and Painting

Greg Lawler is a New York State artist, who has been working and exhibiting for over 30 years. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lawler currently resides in upstate New York, where he is a Professor of Painting and Drawing at PrattMWP. He has exhibited work throughout the Northeast, including locations such as the Albany Institute of History and Art (Albany, N.Y.), the Everson Museum (Syracuse, N.Y.), the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center (Auburn, N.Y.), and the Stanley Center for the Arts (Utica, N.Y). His paintings are part of collections ranging from Maine to California. glawler@prattmunson.edu

Kenneth Marchione | Chair of Academic Affairs, Professor of Drawing and Painting

It has been my pleasure for the past thirteen years to take part in fulfilling the mission of PrattMWP in creating a pathway for aspiring artists to pursue a career and lifetime in the arts. I started as the affiliation with Pratt Institute was initiated and in that time have taken great pride in the achievements of our students who have seamlessly continued on at the Brooklyn campus to earn their BFA. The school and its dedicated staff and faculty has not deviated in its priority to stay true to its intimate scale in which each student a priority as an artist, an individual, a future colleague and participant in the PrattMWP community. Being part of the Pratt Institute, we also have the confidence that after our students leave are campus they are guaranteed to finish out their art education at the highest level at the Brooklyn campus. As our culture becomes ever more dependent on visual information in every aspect of our lives, the potential outlets for the visual artist and designer to is becoming ever more prevalent. The next generation of artists will invent how our rapidly changing environment is presented and understood. It is an exciting time in the arts and to be part of Pratt Munson’s role in the education of tomorrow’s artists, and looking forward to what our students will achieve. kmarchi@prattmunson.edu

Leah McDonald | Instructor of Graphic Design

Leah McDonald is an award-winning professional graphic designer, photographer, and art director. Utilizing digital media, print and photography, her work provides compelling visual solutions for clients ranging from non-profit organizations, universities and start up companies to luxury brands. McDonald’s passion for integrating design into multiple areas of her life, translates into an enthusiastic and professional approach to her design instruction. lmcdonald@prattmunson.edu

Claudine Metrick | Associate Professor of Drawing and Painting

Claudine Metrick is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus in painting, drawing, installation, and animation. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries including Carroll and Sons, The Dedee Shattuck Gallery, The Painting Center, Site: Brooklyn, Curious Matter, and The Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts. Metrick's most recent shows include “Unconnected Yet” at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata, India and a solo exhibition titled “Biophilia” at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. In, 2021 she was awarded an Individual Artist Commission Grant by CNYArts for her solo exhibition, “Senescence.” cmetrick@prattmunson.edu

Andrew Mullally | Assistant Professor of Printmaking

Originally from the Chicagoland area, Andrew Mullally relocated to New York in 2021. His work focuses on ecological crises, as well as personal and anecdotal narratives that investigate the bizarre relationship that our species has with nature. amullally@prattmunson.edu

Beth Post | Professor of Illustration

Prior to her position here at PrattMWP, Beth Post taught at the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. In addition to her full-time faculty position, Post works as a freelance illustrator, and enjoys working with a variety of media; from woodblock printmaking to stop-motion animation. Her work has been featured in multiple publications, such as The Idle Class, Harper's Magazine and WNC Magazine. Additionally, Post has been featured in exhibitions such as "Vox Femina: The Female Voice In Today's World" at the Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale, Arkansas, and in multiple shows at The Other Side Gallery in Utica, New York, and the PrattMWP Gallery. bpost@prattmunson.edu

Carlie Sherry | Assistant Professor of Foundations, Foundations Coordinator

Carlie Sherry has an active interdisciplinary art practice with a focus in video and animation. Her work has been exhibited nationally, at locations such as the National Association of Women Artists Gallery in New York, The Spinning Plate Gallery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and The Carr Center in Detroit, Michigan. Internationally, Sherry made her debut in Paris, France as part of the group exhibition, “Not So Crazy Girls” in 2020. Sherry’s solo exhibitions include, “Act Like a Lady” at Apostrophes Art Gallery in Syracuse, New York and “The Secret Garden” at Creative York's Project Space in York, Pennsylvania. In 2022, Sherry gave the Elizabeth Lemieux Faculty Lecture at Munson Williams and Proctor Arts Institute, where she premiered her first animated short, “No Where to Go.” csherry@prattmunson.edu

Sarah Smith | Associate Professor of Photography 

Sarah’s recent notable solo exhibitions include Respite at Whitespec in Atlanta Georgia and Where the Great Lakes Leap to the Sea at The Shed Space in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has also recently shown at Perspectives Gallery at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Ground Floor Gallery (Nashville), Whitespace Gallery (Atlanta), Roman Susan Gallery (Chicago), Wedge Projects (Chicago), and Space 204 at Vanderbilt University (Nashville). Sarah is the founder of Study Hall, a pedagogical project and contemporary photography gallery at PrattMWP. Recent accolades include an invitation to give a workshop titled, “Hybridization of New and Old Technologies in Handmade Films” at Tasmeem 2022: Radical Futures conference in Doha, Qatar as well as being a recipient of the 2022 Grant in Photography from Light Work. ssmith@prattmunson.edu

Sandra Stephens | Professor of 4D Design 

Stephens is an Professor at Pratt Munson teaching 4D Founcation, and also teaches at Pratt Institute. She recently received her Ph.D. in Philosophy and Art Theory from IDSVA. Originally from Jamaica, Stephens curates various shows including conversationXchange, a series of exhibitions that create a platform for cultural exchange between artists based in the Caribbean and those within the diaspora. As an artist-curator-philosopher, she also creates installations, videos, large-scale photography, and paintings to explore issues related to cultural and individual identity and has exhibited nationally and internationally throughout various museums and galleries including the Everson, Frost Museum, and Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. sstephen@prattmunson.edu

Sean Usyk | Visiting Assistant Professor of Illustration, Gallery Coordinator

Sean Usyk's active studio practice captures the fantastical nature of storytelling for books, board games, and card games. His work often depicts characters and creatures in luscious environments filled with history and experiences. Usyk has collaborated with authors and poets, such as Lewis Kahler and Brandon Shaw, and has been published in Portrait Literary Magazine. Drawing from his love for science, nature, the human figure, and traditional illustration, Sean's work focuses on dramatic lighting in a painterly application on characters and environments, drawing the viewer into the majestic beauty of the narrative. susyk@prattmunson.edu

Danni Xu | Assistant Professor of Jewelry

"Danni Xu is a Chinese-born artist, who currently resides in the United States. She holds an MFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as a BFA in Metalsmithing & Jewelry Design and a B.S. in Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management from Indiana University Bloomington. Danni completed a year-long residency at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, where she curated the Lillstreet Metals exhibition during the SNAG conference in 2019.  She has taught classes and workshops at the Rhode Island School of Design, Lillstreet Art Center, Kean University, and Penland School of Craft.

Danni’s work has been featured both nationally and internationally, including Missing Memories in Lille, France, Profile’19 in Sydney, Australia, Beijing International Jewellery Art Exhibition in Beijing, China, Jewelry and Nature in Porto, Portugal, Mulan - New Age Chinese Art Jewelry at New York City Jewelry Week, NY, Heart + Flowers in Brooklyn, NewYork, Timeless Cure (invitational) in Chicago, IL as well as traveling exhibition Surface Matters: Grit or Gloss from The Enamelist Society. As an artist and a designer, Danni conducts research that centers on exploring the capacity of jewelry to establish connections across time and space. Specifically, she examines the methodology of projecting distinct emotions, such as nostalgia, through the wearing or viewing of jewelry." dxu@prattmunson.edu