Unleash your creativity

Henri Matisse said, “Creativity takes courage.”

Get in touch with your inner Matisse, your inner Mozart, or your inner Miyamoto!

RVCC’s Arts & Design department offers Associates Degree programs in Dance, Theater, Music, Game Art and Development, Web Design and Development, Interior Architecture, Graphic Design and, of course, Studio Arts. The arts teach us persistence, discipline, organization, analytical thinking and, of course, creativity.

Department overview

The Arts & Design Department at RVCC offers students a creatively challenging educational environment in which to study visual art, performing arts, or one of many design-based disciplines. Our students enter their respective pathway with raw talent and an eagerness to learn.

During the first year of their journey, students complete rigorous studio courses with an emphasis on learning the fundamentals, while the second-year is focused on mastering discipline-specific skills en route to discovering their own creative voices.

With these newly acquired assets, some of our students go on to find employment in talent-based industries, while others transfer to some of the country’s best performing arts, design and visual art schools such as: UCLA, NYU, Berklee College of Music, School of Visual Arts, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Maine College of Art & Design, and School of the Art Institute of Chicago. RVCC’s prime location just an hour from both New York City and Philadelphia benefits Arts & Design as the department attracts talented teaching artists with coveted experience and recognition in their respective fields. Come study in the Arts & Design Department at RVCC and turn your creative passion into a worthwhile career.

Degree Programs

Degrees Designed to Transfer to Four-Year Colleges ( A.A., A.F.A., A.S.)

Associate of Fine Arts Dance

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Associate of Science Game Art

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Associate of Fine Arts Graphic Design

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Associate of Science Interface Design and Web Development

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Associate of Science Interior Architecture and Design

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Associate of Fine Arts Music

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Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts Theatre Arts

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Associate of Fine Arts Visual Arts

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Degrees Designed to Lead to Direct Employment ( A.A.S)

Associate of Applied Science Game Development

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Associate of Applied Science Interface Design & Web Development

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Meet our dedicated faculty

with extensive teaching, performance, industry, and exhibition experience

Steve Caruso
Steve Caruso

Steve Caruso

Instructor

Programming Consultant, The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon, NEH Grant PW-50002-08. Researcher & Manuscript Digitization, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation and Commentary, NEH Grant RQ-50649-12

Area of Expertise
General Computing, Aramaic Studies, Multimedia Production, Web Development, Database Design, Digitization & Archiving

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.L.I.S., School of Communication, Information & Library Science, Rutgers University, B.A., Rutgers University
William Crosbie
William Crosbie

William Crosbie

Associate Professor

Virtual reality spaces for data visualization Global Game Jam – Regional Coordinator (US) Global Game Jam – Site Organizer

Area of Expertise
Game Development, Multimedia, Web

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.A., Columbia University
  • B.S., Gordon College
Loretta D. Fois
Loretta D. Fois

Loretta D. Fois

Program Lead, Professor

Boards and Committees: Director, Espressione Corporea Project (www.corporea.org), Writing Team for NJDOE Performing Arts K-12 Curriculum Standards NJDOESocial and Emotional LearningArts Task Force DanceNJ, Alzheimer’s Association Early-Stage Facilitator.
Grants and Fellowships:
Artists Fellowship Award in Choreography, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission grant, NJ State Council on the Arts.
Area of Expertise
Dance

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • Ph.D. Humanities, Salve Regina University
  • M.F.A. Dance, The Ohio State University
  • B.A., The College of the Holy Cross, Theater and Chemistry
  • Certificate in Advanced Graduate Studies in Expressive Arts, Salve Regina University
John Harford
John Harford

John Harford

Coordinator Visual Design / Instructor

John is a multi-disciplinary artist whose experience spans photography, multimedia and installation. He is also a tabletop game designer and author, with now over a dozen books and related supplements published. He represents those through his publication company, Fox and Boar Games. John also plays a variety of medieval and ancient instruments, employing them both traditionally and in contemporary genres.

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.F.A., Maryland Institute College of Art
  • B.A., Stockton University
Ji Yong Kim
Ji Yong Kim

Ji Yong Kim

Assistant Professor, Arts and Design

Long Island Arts Council grant for Freeport public library mural

  • Artist in residence, AIR-Y, Kofu City, Yamanashi, Japan
  • Artist in residence, Marpha Foundation, Marpha, Nepal
  • Civil Society Fellowship, Artist-In-Residency, Vermont Studio Center

Area of Expertise
Foundation courses and Painting. Muralist

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.F.A., Montclair State University, NJ
  • B.F.A., Rhode Island School of Design, RI
Alexandra Joan
Alexandra Joan

Alexandra Joan

Assistant Professor

A graduate of the Paris Conservatory, the Juilliard School and the CUNY Graduate Center, Dr. Alexandra Joan is an active pianist, creative curator, and passionate educator blending European and American traditions. Alexandra performs at top venues in the US and abroad.

Area of Expertise
Performance Practice, Music Analysis, Theory of Form, Composition, New Music, Interdisciplinary Studies, Jazz Studies, World Music

Degrees:

  • D.M.A., Piano Performance, The CUNY Graduate Center
  • Graduate Diploma, Piano Major, The Juilliard School
  • BMus., Piano and Chamber Music, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris
Todd Lambrix
Todd Lambrix

Todd Lambrix

Assistant Professor of Art - 3D Design and Sculpture

Area of Expertise
3D Design and Sculpture

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.F.A., Rhode Island School of Design
  • B.F.A., Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University
Jeff McConnell
Jeff McConnell

Jeff McConnell

Instructor, Visual Arts - Image & Print Technology

Michitaller screen printing residency: Oaxaca, Mexico, 2024
Experimental Photo Festival: Barcelona, Spain, 2023
OFFO Festival of Pinhole Photography: Poland, 2021
MOST Photo Festival: Minsk, Belarus, 2021
Pavlovka Pinhole Festival: Kyiv, Ukraine, 2020
OFF//FOTO Festival: Heidelberg, Germany, 2019
Photo Patagonia festival: Rio Gallegos, Argentina, 2018
Semana de la Fotografía Estenopeica: Oaxaca, Mexico, 2017

Area of Expertise
Photography and Printmaking

Academic degrees achieved:

  • M.F.A., Photography, Tyler School of Art
  • B.S., University of Tennessee
Darren McManus
Darren McManus

Darren McManus

Arts & Design Co-Chair / Associate Professor - Graphic Design / RVCC Art Gallery Director

RVCC Faculty Research Grant; Puffin Foundation Grant; NJ State Council on the Arts Grant; Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Fellowship; Residencies: NES, Skagaströnd, Iceland; The Solo(s) Project House, NJ; Salzburg Künstlerhaus, Salzburg, Austria; Vermont Studio Center, VT; Chashama North, NY; Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, VA; Millay Colony for the Arts, NY; I-Park, CT; Cooper Union School of Art, NY.

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.F.A., Cranbrook Academy of Art
  • B.F.A., Hartford Art School / Glasgow School of Art
Vandana Nadkarni
Vandana Nadkarni

Vandana Nadkarni

Professor

Scholarships: Assistantship, Freie Universitaet, Berlin, Germany. Graduate Exchange Student Scholarship, Temple University, Philadelphia. Graduate Scholarship for Study in Italy, Temple University. Graduate Assistantships in Art History, Temple University. Graduate Merit Scholarship, Madras University, Chennai India.

Area of Expertise
Italian Renaissance & Baroque Art, South & Southeast Asian Art History, East Asian Art History

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.A., B.A., Madras University
  • M.A., Temple University
  • A.B.D., Freie Universitaet
Dennis Russo
Dennis Russo

Dennis Russo

Professor, Theatre

Lifetime Membership/The Actors Studio (NY,NY); Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Fellowship Recipient for Playwriting; New Jersey Playwrights Competition – Winner (William Paterson University); Actors Equity Member; Member of the Dramatists Guild

Area of Expertise
Theatre (Acting/Playwriting)

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.F.A., The New School for Drama
John A. Sichel
John A. Sichel

John A. Sichel

Professor, Music

John Sichel’s song cycle Paradoxides was recently premiered and recorded by Hans Tashjian and Anna Keiserman. His Piano Saxophone Quintet was premiered at the 2023 US Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium and included on the Ravello Records release Nightfalls and Midnight Revels, featring Paul Cohen. In 2022 he was Artist in Residence at Capulin Volcan National Monument in New Mexico.

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • D.M.A., M.M.A., Music Composition, Yale School of Music
  • M.A., Music, Columbia University
  • B.A., Music, Princeton University
Virginia Smith
Virginia Smith

Virginia Smith

Department Co-Chair / Professor - Interior Design & Architecture

Virginia Smith is the Coordinator of the Interior Architecture and Design program, which she established in 2011. She is an artist and designer. Her interests focus on technology and visualization for the design of the built environment.

Degrees:

  • M.S. Interior Design, Drexel University
  • B.F.A. Printmaking, Hartford Art School

Adjunct Faculty

James Adkins

B.F.A., Sculpture, Maryland Institute, College of Art
M.F.A., Sculpture, New York Academy of Art

Abraham Alinea

B.M., M.M., Music Performance (Piano), Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

Marissa Aucoin

B.F.A., Montclair State University
M.A., SUNY College Brockport

Danielle Barry

B.A., Western Maryland College
B.A., McDaniel College

Lauren Beirne

B.F.A., Dance, Rutgers University
M.F.A., Dance, New York University

Will Berman

D.M.A.,Voice, Rutgers University
B.A. Music, Eastman School of Music
Masters of Music, Westminster Choir College

Aiyanna Braun

BM., Curtiss Institute of Music; Masters degree, University of Southern California

Jeanne Brody

M.A., Temple UniversityPh.D., University of Delaware

Robert Burger

B.A., Pratt Institute
M.A., International Fine Arts College

Kathleen Connolly

B.A. Drama, Theatre and Dance/Mass Communications, CUNY-Queens College
M.A., Dance, Teachers College, Columbia University

Angeles Cossio

B.F.A., The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY
M.F.A., Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ

Lisa Deo

B.A., Kean University
M.F.A.,Eugene Lang College

William DiBello

B.F.A., Painting. Temple University, Tyler School of Art
M.F.A., Painting. Rhode Island School of Design
M.P.S., UX Design. Maryland Institute College of Art

Michael Eckhart

B.M., Northern Arizona University
M.M., San Diego State University – California State University

John Forrestal

B.M., Berklee College of Music; PhD: Boston University

Barbara Greenspan

B.A., University of California
M.A., New York University

Kate Hoffmann

M.O.D., The University of Edinburgh

Steve Hudson

M.M., Manhattan School of Music

Rohini Bangalore Iyengar

B.S., Fine Arts – Visual Arts, Jawaharlal Nehru Tech University, New Delhi, India
M.A. Fine Arts – Visual Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, India

Heejung Kim

B.F .A., Duk-Sung Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea
M.A., Art Education. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
M.F .A., State University of New York, Stony Brook

Jennifer Ketrow

B.M., Berklee College of Music; Masters in Music Technology Southern Utah University

William Kolatac

B.S., Rider UniversityM.S., Kean University

Bill Macholdt

B.S., East Stroudsburg UniversityM.F .A., Bennington College

David Marcinkowski

B.A., Kean University
M.A., New School Joffrey Program

Irina Nikitovic

B.A., Art History, Kean University
M.Ed., Art Education & Supervision, Kean University
Ed.D. In Education, Kean University

Dot Paolo

B.F.A., Art Education, Sculpture. University of Bridgeport
M.F.A., Mason Gross School of the Arts. Rutgers University

Chen Peng

B.A., Philosophy, National Taiwan University
B.F.A., Painting, Cleveland Institute of Art
MFA, Painting, Boston University

Theresa Pfarr

B.F.A. University of Cincinnati
Post-Baccalaureate. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
M.F.A., Painting & Printmaking. Virginia Commonwealth University

Shyamal Raguso

B.S., Computer Science. DeSales University
B.A., Painting. DeSales University
B.F.A. Montclair State University, NJ
M.A., Painting. Montclair State University, NJ

John Reinking III

M.F.A., Marywood University

Jonathan Ricci

B.F.A., Maryland Institute College of Art
M.F.A., Bowling Green State University
M.A., Eastern Illinois University

Jaime Rodriguez

Doctor of Philosophy, PHD Architectural Studies, University of Missouri (2025 PHD
Candidate)
Masters of Science, The University of Texas El PasoAssociate in Applied Science, Bergen
Community College
B.A. Architecture, New Jersey Institute of Technology
B.A Science, BS, Civil Engineering, Old Dominion University
Associates in Applied Science, Civil Engineering Technology/ Technician, Essex County
College

Wes Sherman

B.S., Lipscomb University
M.F.A., Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

Lynn Sichel

B.M.U.S., Antioch University
M.A., Sarah Lawrence College

San Timur Solu

B.A., Kean University, English Certificate, Oxford University
M.PHIL., Rutgers University

Eric Stryker

B.F.A., Art History, Boston College
M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., Art History, Yale University

Jeremy Sweet

B.M., Moravian College, currently in Masters Program

Eldad Tarmu

M.A., Stony Brook University

Cynthia Teeters

M.S. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
B.S. University of California, Los Angeles

Annette von Brandis

M.F.A., Vermont College of Fine Arts
B.F.A., Parsons School of Design

Explore opportunities beyond the classroom

  • Animation Club
    Animation Club strives to help others learn about animation through both the appreciation and and practice of animation.
  • Game Creation Club
    To enhance the creative skills of students interested in game development through team-oriented activities that build upon creative individual and group skills.
  • Noteworthy
    This club presents performance-ready and professional pieces to the campus and the local community. The club is an a cappella singing club. The meetings are rehearsals.
  • RVCC Dance Club
    This club offers a variety of styles of dance, as well as a variety of levels. Styles include jazz, contemporary, modern, ballet, tap and hip-hop.
1.1.1_Arts & Design pathway_ Visual Arts AFA

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