Studio Arts Faculty
Jappie King Black, Assistant Professor
Jappie King Black MFA / Syracuse University, BFA / Rhode Island School of Design Graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, Michigan & the Ateneo Fuente, Universidad de Coahuila, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico Selected Awards: Finger Lakes Exhibits, MAG, Rochester, New York, 1991 & 2005 Community Arts Grant, Special Opportunity Stipends, Empire State Craft Alliance Grant One person exhibits in New York, Michigan and Rhode Island Group shows: numerous national, regional, juried and invitational exhibitions Traveling national and international exhibits Selected Publications: New York Times (photo & review) Sept. 2000 Sculpture Magazine (review mention) Surface Design Journal (reviews & photos) FIBERARTS Magazine (articles and photos).
John V. Cornish, Associate Professor
B.A., M.A., Jersey City State College
Jennifer Crupi, Associate Professor
Professor Jennifer Crupi received her BFA from The Cooper Union School of Art and her MFA from SUNY, The College at New Paltz. She has been an exhibiting artist for the past twelve years and her work has been shown in over forty national and international exhibitions\including recent exhibits at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany, Fuller Craft Museum, MA and Kohler Arts Center, WI. Her work has won various awards including a 2005 NJ Council of the Arts Fellowship Grant and has been featured in Metalsmith Magazine, The Star Ledger and The Boston Globe among others. Her work was also included in two recently published books, 500 Necklaces and 500 Brooches by Lark Books. Professor Crupi has taught and headed the metals program at Kean for the past eight years and is currently Chair of the Fine Arts Department.
Dr. Michael Desiano, Associate Professor
Michael DeSiano PhD. received a Doctorate, magna cum laude, in Creative Arts from New York University and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Polytechnic University.
His current research and teaching concentrates on visual creativity and thinking for all age groups, children through adults. His presentations on these areas include the National Art Education Association, New Jersey Art Teachers Association, New York State Art Teachers Association and New York City Art Teachers Association. Results of his work are published in ERIC and a book on “Art Elements and Principles. The argument Dr DeSiano presents points to art making as a multifaceted undertaking that can only be adequately investigated with psychological, sociological and biological considerations. In essence, visual creativity and thinking is based in the manipulation of mental imagery, sub vocal verbalizations, procedures and emotions which draw upon all experiences and knowledge to pursue an aesthetic resulting in beauty and homostatasis.
His exhibition record spans thirty years, including one person shows in New York City and nationally recognized group shows. He has judged many exhibitions and mentored graduate thesis students.
Dr. DeSiano has over thirty-five years teaching experience from kindergarten to seniors and worked with children and adults with special needs. He began at Kean in 1987 and is now Chairperson of the Fine Arts Department. His professional achievements include President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Exhibition Coordinator for The University Council For Art Education, member of the Kean University PT3 project and member of the Art Teachers of New Jersey Advisory Committee.
Johann Jochnowitz, Professor
B.S., M.A., New York University
David C. Troy, Associate Professor
B.F.A., Rhode Island School of Design; M.F.A., Cornell University
Alec Nicolescu, Associate Professor
B.F.A., M.A., University of Denver
Anthony Velez, Professor
Anthony Velez's photographic projects have connected him to his community, the Latino communities of New York and New Jersey. His first major work was a three- year project with a Hispanic theater group, Teatro Cuatro from East Harlem. Other projects and series include work from Cuba, the former Soviet Union and East Germany. The Brooklyn Historical Society's first major exhibit showed 45 of Velez' photographs, which were reproduced in a publication on Hispanic Brooklyn. In 1990, Velez was commissioned by the Fund for the Borough of Brooklyn to participate in documenting a celebration of the first 25 years of landmark preservation efforts in New York City. The outcome was a book and exhibition, "This is Brooklyn: Its' Historical Districts and Landmarks" permanently on display in Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Velez is a recipient of numerous awards that include artist fellowships and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a N.Y.S. C.A.P.S , the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the New Jersey Historical Commission. Since 1994, Velez has received numerous commissioned projects from the New Jersey Historical Society in Newark, N.J., and has twice been a panelist for the New York Foundation for the Arts. His work has been exhibited and collected widely by El Museo del Barrio, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Municipal Art Society, The Bronx Museum of Art, and by The New York, Brooklyn and New Jersey Historical Societies.