CAL's mentorship program is designed to increase accessibility to meaningful engagement with the arts for underserved populations, specifically High School artists, in the Columbia area community. Selected student artists are paired with a working professional artist mentor in their desired media category, and with their guidance and support, each student is expected to develop a small portfolio of work that reflects their exploration of a concept or theme. We are so excited to see what they can create together!
Reese Betts
Reese Betts is a new media artist and filmmaker who utilizes historical and archival documents, vintage cameras, and untraditional techniques in her work. Her art explores the themes of feminism, activism, and grief, often incorporating interactivity and self-reflection. She has exhibited her work across the state of Missouri. Additionally, her work has been shown two years in a row alongside her peers as a student artist at the Digital Graffiti projection mapping festival in Alys Beach, Florida. She is currently a student at the University of Missouri, pursuing degrees in Film Studies and Digital Storytelling. After graduating, she hopes to further her studies at artist residencies and graduate school and would like to become an art professor one day.
Rayanna Crites
My artwork is an insight to my perspective of the magical energy I believe the universe and natural world radiates. Much of my subject matter is drawn from life on Earth- plants, animals, and people – as well as aspects of nature such as the elements, the changing of seasons, space, and astrology. I like to play around with my artistic process and use a variety of two-dimensional mixed media within my art. I enjoy experimenting with how products layer on top of each other to create different visual effects and texture. Some of my favorite mediums to use are ink, gouache, chalk pastel, colored pencil, and chalk pastel. The artwork I’ve included here is all done in layers of ink wash and colored pencil, with details done in fine liner pen and metallic ink accents.
Bethanie Irons
Dr. Bethanie Irons (she/her) is an artist, curator, and educator living in Columbia, Missouri. She is the program chair and assistant professor of communication design at Stephens College. Irons earned her PhD in art education and MFA in art from the University of Missouri. She also earned a BFA in art from the University of South Dakota.
Shannon Soldner
A figurative painter, Shannon imagines the stories people tell themselves, the personal mythologies created to make sense of the world. Her work seeks to give a glimpse into the fictitious inner worlds of her subjects. Through her narrative paintings, she asks the viewer not only to explore these myths and fables but also to question their own. Shannon, a native of Colorado, was born in 1976. She received her BFA with honors at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2015 with an emphasis in Studio Art. She lives and works in Columbia, Missouri.
Joe Dino
Kylie Williams
Linda Hays
Linda Hays is a painter and photographer based in Columbia, MO.
