CULINARY
Dr. Pamela Bouillard, Corpus Christi
Sourdough, An Exploration of the Oldest Bread Form

Dr. Pamela Brouillard is a retired Regents Professor of Psychology at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and former Chair and Graduate Coordinator of the Department of Psychology and Sociology. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and was a Fulbright Scholar in Croatia and a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Public Health in Kazakhstan. She has a longstanding interest in the psychology of the creative process and has been the recipient of the Paul Hanna Lecture award on travel and creativity and more recently presented on visual insight and imagination in self-portraiture at the 29th International School of Psychoanalysis in Almaty Kazakhstan. 

PAINTING
Joe Peña, Corpus Christi
Nightscapes

Joe Peña. Prior to receiving a MFA Degree from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2005, Peña worked in New York City for ten years with two significant galleries entitled MB Modern and Babcock Galleries of which both experiences fostered a strong appreciation for historical and contemporary art. Concurrently, he attended private classes with instructors who continued to teach classical painting and drawing processes which strengthened his studio practices. Now serving as Professor of Painting at TAMUCC, Peña continues to teach traditional methods of painting while also encouraging exploration and experimentation in the studios. His work has been noted in numerous publications including The Los Angeles Times, Artillery Magazine, Guitar Aficionado, and Texas Monthly; and selected collections include the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture, Riverside; AltaMed Foundation, Los Angeles; The Chaney Foundation, Houston; and the Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi.  In 2024, the Ambassador for Romania invited Peña to showcase his work at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest which will remain on exhibit until 2028. As reference material for his artwork, Joe has been documenting street festivals for many years from around the state of Texas. Even though the locations change, there is still an intriguing community of familiar faces and frenetic energy that arises. 

ARCHITECTURE
David Richter, Corpus Christi
Brick

David Richter was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin earning a Bachelor of Architecture Magna Cum Laude. In 1995, David was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects as recognition of his architecture, inclusive design philosophy, and design influence on architecture in Texas and beyond. David’s designs are known for their creative yet pragmatic solutions, contextual relevance, and innovative details. He is broadly recognized for designs that are harmonious with regional culture, climate, and environment, including coastal wetlands and deserts.  He has conducted Net Zero research, and his projects have received many LEED certifications, including LEED Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Under his leadership and that of his wife and partner Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA, Richter Architects has become widely recognized for design excellence, receiving more than 50 international, national, and state design awards. In 2011, the firm was granted the Firm Award by the Texas Society of Architects for consistently creating distinguished architecture.  In 2021, David and his wife Elizabeth were each granted the Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Texas Society of Architects.

PAINTING
Elena Rodz, Corpus Christi
My Obsession with Jules Bastien LePage

Elena Rodz grew up in Dallas, Texas, where she discovered her love of art at the Dallas Museum of Art and the Amon Carter Museum of Art. She attended Washington University in St. Louis from 2003-2007, earning a bachelor’s in fine art with a minor in Film and Media Studies. In 2007, she moved to New York City where she eventually attended the New York Academy of Art, earning a master’s in fine art, focused in painting. In 2013, she moved to the Texas Coast - first Rockport, then Corpus Christi. She found beauty in the flat landscape where you could see for miles, so different from the skyscraper-cluttered skyline of the city. She fell in love with Corpus Christi, where every street corner triggers dejá vu, not for a specific place, but a stage of life. She lives with her husband in a house where the pets outnumber the humans 2-1.

FILM
Matthew Thornton, Austin
The New Canvas of Exploring AI in Film and Art

Matthew Thornton is a Texas-based filmmaker and creative director with a passion for storytelling that bridges the worlds of film, art, and culture. As the co-owner of Griffyn.Co Productions, he has directed and developed thought-provoking films and documentaries that explore the intersection of history, art, and humanity. Matthew’s recent documentary, Ullberg: Wind in the Sails, delves into the life and work of renowned sculptor Kent Ullberg, reflecting his commitment to blending historical analysis with visually compelling narratives. Currently preparing for release in 2025, the film exemplifies his ability to craft engaging stories that illuminate the relationship between art, culture, and the human experience. Matthew integrates AI-generated artwork into his films, using the technology to enhance storytelling with innovative visual elements. With over 15 years as an educator in history, English, and film studies, Matthew brings a unique perspective to the creative process, inspiring audiences to think critically about storytelling as a cultural tool. He also co-hosts Creative Moonlighting, a podcast supporting artists navigating full-time creative careers. Matthew will be sharing insights on visual storytelling and the fusion of AI artwork with filmmaking, aligning with the event’s theme of “Talk Less, Show More” by highlighting the power of images to convey ideas and spark connection.

SCULPTURE
Michael Manjarris, Bayside
Manjarris Sculpture Projects

Michael Manjarris has studied sculpture in Ireland, Cuba, Spain, Mexico, and Italy. At first, he worked in whatever material was at hand: limestone, rope, clay, dirt, broken glass, cotton, or rubble. Yet, in a true Modernist vein, he always made geometric constructions of classical elegance, related to human scale. The impact of Manjarris’s work derives from its tremendous versatility.  His changing themes, however, are not accompanied, as is often the case, by skepticism or the hunt for novelty at any price. On the contrary, the different themes stem from a constantly renewed diversity of interest, an ongoing, pure and candid amazement at the world, with all its folds and creases.

SCULPTURE
Greg Reuter, Corpus Christi
Passion and Travel a Formula for Creativity

Greg Reuter earned a BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts, was awarded an MFA in sculpture and ceramics from the University of Hawaii, and in 1978 joined the faculty of Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi teaching ceramics and sculpture. Having shown his work nationally and internationally, his work is represented in numerous private and public art collections. He has lectured in Mexico, Germany, Japan, and the United States. Greg’s work is an eclectic mix that includes ceramics; bronze, aluminum, and iron cast sculptures; mixed media work; and 3D prints.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Barbra Riley, Wimberly
Muses of Mount Helicon

Barbra Riley retired as Professor Emerita following more than three decades of teaching photography at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and has relocated to her studio in the Hill Country. Riley’s photographs and paintings have been included in exhibitions at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, D.C.), Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and Laguna Beach Museum of Art, (California). In Texas, she has exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Houston Center for Photography, Laguna Gloria Museum in Austin, Abilene Fine Arts Museum, and the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi as well as dozens of universities, art galleries, and alternative art exhibition spaces. Her work resides in numerous permanent collections including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Harry Ransom Center at UT Austin, the AT&T Center and Republic National Bank, San Antonio, and the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi. Nationally, she is represented in the corporate collections of Chase Bank, New York, Kaiser-Permanente and Price Waterhouse in California.

PAINTING
Ricardo Ruiz, Corpus Christi
Stories from the Monte - The Idea of the Narrative

Ricardo Ruiz (1958) was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas and has been making art there professionally since 1986. His work examines the mysteries of life, love, and death, as well as the commonality of the life experience. His love for renaissance, in particular, northern renaissance art is evident in his attention to detail and the highly finished surfaces of his work. He uses imagery culled from religion, folklore, and the Mexican American culture of South Texas. His imagery includes devils, angels, martyr frogs, family members, and the ever-present Grackle. Ruiz earned a BFA in 1986 at Corpus Christi State University, now Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and in 2014, he received an MFA from the same University. His work is in numerous museums and private collections, including the collection of Richard “Cheech” Marin, who has described Ricardos’ work as “everything Chicano Art should be- well painted, familiar, and mysterious.”

VISUAL ART
DM Witman, McAllen
Transdisciplinary Perspectives in Eco-Distress

DM Witman is a transdisciplinary artist navigating the climate crisis employing photographic materials, video, and installation. Her practice investigates climate disruption–at the intersection of loss, resiliency, and ecology–relying on both archival impulses and ephemerality.  Witman received an MFA from Maine Media College, and she holds a BS in Environmental Science from Kutztown University. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Photography at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. Witman’s work resides in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine, and is placed within many private collections. She is affiliated with Photo-Eye Gallery, Santa Fe, NM and Maine Museum of Photographic Arts, Portland, Maine. Interviews and publications include Inside Climate News, The Guardian, BBC Culture, and WIRED. Her work has been recognized with grants from the Maine Arts Commission, The Kindling Fund (a re-grantor for the Warhol Foundation), The John Anson Kittredge Fund, and the Puffin Foundation.