Our Furman Alumni

 

Blair Knobel:  Award-winning editor, Blair Knobel, is the founder and CEO of Knobel Media, and the founder and publisher of Vessel. Prior to founding Knobel Media, Blair graduated from Furman University with a degree in studio art and honed her journalistic path as an editorial work scholar at Aperture Foundation in New York City. In 2008, she moved back to her native South Carolina, finding her creative niche in magazines. In 2011, she joined the founding team of TOWN, leading the lifestyle publication for nearly a decade as its editor in chief. In 2022, she founded Vessel, a publication celebrating the distinctive stories of the South.

Robert Milam:  Robert Milam is the Founder of ModestWorks, a Dallas-based branding and creative studio. This strategic design studio specializes in the development of memorable brands across fashion, culture and the build environment. Their process honors the critical relationship between art and commerce, resulting in solutions marked by sincerity and beauty. They partner with entrepreneurs, developers, and in-house creative leaders to uncover the best in their brand. Their pragmatic approach delivers purposeful solutions that connect with both the head and the heart. Previously, Robert led creative efforts at Swoon and J.Hilburn and worked for Fossil and Elephant in the Room. He is a 2004 Furman University graduate.

 

 

 

 

 

Dan Perkins:  Dan Perkins is an artist whose work plays in the space between the natural and the digital, using tight geometries to activate planes, shapes, and textures. Starting with images of the natural world as initial source material, Perkins edits, crops, cuts and rearranges these sources. The final paintings are combinations of these edited sources, warped and bent around optically engaging, perceptually challenging forms. Perkins lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He received his MFA from American University in 2013. Recent exhibitions include: Future Starts Slow at Launch F18 (2019), Re_Arrange at Juxtapoz Projects (2019), and Reading Between the Lines at Hashimoto Contemporary (2019). His work is held in the collections of Capital One Corporate Art Collection, Fidelity Investments, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Katzen Museum of American University, as well many private collections. His artwork has been featured in Juxtapoz, Booooooom, Art of Choice, Two Coats of Paint, Artsy, ArtMaze Mag, Bmore Art, and the Washington Post. He is a 2010 Furman University graduate.

 

Emory Conetta: Originally from Sarasota, Florida, Emory was double major in Art History and Studio Art with a focus on photography and graphic design. After graduating from Furman University in 2018, she moved to London, England, to pursue a Master’s degree in Art, Law and Business with Christie’s Education. This program combined her fervor for art history with an interest in commercial aspects of the global art market. Conetta’s strengths lie in uniting a creative and experimental style, much of which she developed during her undergraduate studies at Furman.

 

Sarah Zorn:  Sarah Zorn is an Interior Designer at Ralph Harvard, Inc. based in New York City. Ralph Harvard has an extensive network of trusted and highly specialized resources throughout America and Europe, regularly trades with the major regional and international auction houses and maintains excellent working relationships with a wide-ranging variety of dealers and workrooms. The firm also offers a full understanding of traditional construction details, techniques, and operations, from conception through installation. Previously, Sarah was an Account Executive at Ogan/Dallal Associates in New York City as well.  She is a 2005 Furman University graduate and holds a Masters in Interior Design from Florida State University.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madeleine Wiggs:  Madeleine Wiggs is a 2022 Furman University Art History and English Literature & Language major. She now works for Greenville’s Sigal Music Museum as its Communications and Exhibits Manager. Wiggs, who interned for the museum while studying at Furman, now holds an important position there. As a student at Furman, Madeleine was a member of Belle Voci, the treble voiced choir. She is thrilled to support Greenville’s Sigal Music Museum’s vision of being a leading center for preserving and celebrating historical musical instruments, objects, and information.

 

Caroline Wissig:  Caroline Wissig, originally from Simpsonville, South Carolina, is a 2023 Art History graduate from Furman University. She now works as the Marketing & Social Media Coordinator for Woodhouse, where she conceptualizes and produces print and digital assets, including email blasts, in-store signage, and content for social media channels, while also crafting and editing compelling copy across promotional channels. She also develops and executes marketing campaigns, manages online presence and maintains consistent brand voice, coordinates community donations to facilitate local engagement, and assists with the planning and execution of events.

 

 

Jackson Shaner:  Jackson Shaner has worked with clay for seven years. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art at Furman University in 2022. While there, he worked as a teaching fellow for the introductory ceramics class and fell in love with teaching. Jackson also received the Glen Howerton Award for his achievements in 3-D artwork and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society for his academic accomplishments. Currently, he works as a ceramic artist, a pottery instructor, and a production assistant for another potter in Greenville, South Carolina. Jackson has participated in several art exhibitions and has had work published in Artistonish magazine. In the future, Jackson looks forward to pursuing his MFA so that he may teach at the university level.

 

 

Caroline Bass:  Growing up in a suburb of Boise, Idaho, Caroline Bass, made her way across the country to Furman University where she was a Summa Cum Laude graduate with a BA in Studio Art with concentrations in graphic design and business administration. She finds inspiration in nature and across all styles of artwork from nineteenth century French realism to Dutch genre painting to twentieth century American realism. She has been in love with interior design since her days of watching HGTV in middle school, and now has the privilege of working as the primary Interior Design Assistant at Everett King Design and Kathleen Reynolds Interiors. On the side, she dabbles in freelance graphic design and arts management, and continues to paint.

 

Noah Henderson:  A multidisciplinary visual artist based in Tennessee, Noah graduated from Furman University in 2023 with a BA in Studio Art.  At 23 years-old, he harbored a passion for drawing and painting that has been with him since childhood. From early on, he found inspiration in the captivating world of wildlife. With each of his works, he strives to capture the soul and character of each of his subjects. While his focus primarily remains on animals, his creative endeavors extend beyond those boundaries.  After graduating from Furman University, he spent the following summer painting commissioned murals throughout Tennessee. Currently, he is concentrating on developing his practice as a full-time artist. A selection of his works was featured in Harmony 101 Art Gallery & Studio‘s Art Exhibition and Grand Opening Event in February of 2024.  Noah is also a celebrated football tight end who played for the Furman Paladins.

 

 

Rebecca Cowles:  Native to Georgia, Rebecca graduated in 2023 form Furman University with a BA in Communication Studies and Studio Art with a concentration in graphic design.  Throughout college, Rebecca interned at several companies in Greenville, including Community Journals, Artisphere and Walt’s Waltz.  In her current role as a Marketing Specialist for NAI Earle Furman, she researches and designs deliverables, including memorandums,  proposals, and market reports.

 

Margaret Spodnik:  A recent 2023 graduate Furman University receiving a BA in Studio Art with a heavy concentration in design, Margaret held two internships in the interior design industry before becoming a Junior Designer and shopkeeper for Sabbe Interior Design LLC in Nashville, Tennessee. She is very interested in the textile industry, as well as in retail/sales. At Furman, she created wallpaper samples for her senior thesis. She has significant retail and sales experience, and loves working in her current role.

 

 

Jordan Winiski:  Originally from Greenville, South Carolina, Jordan received her undergraduate BA degree in Studio Art, with an emphasis in ceramics, as well a BS in Sustainability Science from Furman University in 2021, Summa Cum Laude. While at Furman, she received the Howerton Award for high standard of craftsmanship in Three-Dimensional Arts as well as the Excellence in Service Award from the Art Department. In addition, she was the Earth and Environmental Sciences Scholar Award Recipient and completed a year-long senior thesis on the role of sustainability in art education. She has since completed 2 art residencies in Massachusetts and Georgia, was a 2022 South Carolina Emerging Artist, 2022 NCECA Multicultural fellow, and a Post-Baccalaureate student for ceramics at Southern Illinois University from 2022-2023. Jordan has enjoyed teaching at various art centers and exhibiting work throughout the country. She focuses in 3D materials with an emphasis on clay, exploring the dichotomy between what humans value and the nearby ecology often overlooked. She is a member of a community studio and has developed curriculum for a variety of courses including mediums in ceramics, bookmaking, and sculpture. Jordan is now pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Georgia at Lamar Dodd School of Art.

 

 

 

Elizabeth Mangone:  From a seven year-old from Asheville, North Carolina, drawing fireworks on the floor of her grandparents’ kitchen, Elizabeth realized that she wanted to center her life around art, and has done just that. Not only is she a Studio Art major 2021 graduate from Furman University, but she is now the Curatorial Research Assistant at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.  In her position there since 2023, Mangone explores art through research, writing, and facilitating engagement.  She is also a mixed media artist. Her portfolio includes work reflecting on childhood, the natural world, and the role art has played in her life. Elizabeth not only holds a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art, but also one in Economics, and is currently working towards a Master’s Degree in Art History at Washington University in St. Louis. Her most recent body of work includes self portraits in graphite and watercolor.

 

 

Ann Ludlow:  Ann received her BA in Studio Art from Furman University in 2020.  She continues to grow her art career through exhibitions. She has been exhibited throughout the country, as well as locally in Charleston, South Carolina. Ann uses her unique background to help her grow as an emerging therapist. She is also an abstract painter, and a photographer, originally born in Bristol, Pennsylvania, and raised in Powdersville, South Carolina. She started studying art at a young age, and during her studies at Furman, further developed her painting and photography skills. She is continuing her education at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she will pursue a doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy. There she is hoping to combine her love of art and of science.

 

Marie Baumgarner Reed:  After receiving a BA from Furman University in English and Studio Art and a Masters in Art from Columbia University in Educational Leadership, Marie Reed is now a STAB Lab Instructor at St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia.  STAB Lab  offers students the opportunity to become leaders of their own learning. Working in collaborative groups, STAB Lab students investigate a question or problem from multiple perspectives. Teachers work alongside students, connecting them with resources in the local community and providing context for their investigation. In STAB Lab, students direct their own learning, think across disciplines, collaborate with others, and interact with diverse audiences both inside and outside of the school.  They cultivate the skills and mindsets necessary for learning and leading beyond the classroom.

 

Becky Harlan:  Originally from Tennessee, yet having lived much of her life in the Netherlands, Beck came back to the States and received her BA in Art History from Furman University in 2010 and her Masters of Art in New Media Photojournalism in 2013 from the Corcoran College of Art & Design in Washington, D.C.  She is the Art Director and Video Producer for NPR’s Life Kit podcast. She has interned with NPR Music, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Conservation Fund. She was also the Associate Photo Editor for National Geographic magazine. Her work has been recognized by WHNPA, The Webby Awards, Fotoweek DC, PDN, LUCEO Images. Photography clients include the New York Times and The DC Federal City Council.

 

Nikki Pressley:  After graduating from Furman University, Nikki attended the California Institute of the Arts, where she received a Master of Fine Arts degree. It was during this time that she started incorporating organic matter and plants into her work, and this led to her more focused interest in growing things. After obtaining her graduate degree, she worked as an assistant in artists’ studios and continued making her own work, which she showed in galleries and museums. She eventually began working for Farmscape Gardens in Los Angeles where she was a designer and urban farmer. After a few years there and heading non profits, she returned to North Carolina in 2018 to work with N.C. A&T State University as a graphic designer.  Upon returning to North Carolina, she was also able to start growing on land in Winston-Salem, and has not stopped since. She loves connecting with and supporting other farmers, enjoys furthering her philanthropic organization, Kindle Project, and as always, is optimistic about the future for farmers of color.