Faculty

Faculty


		The faculty members who comprise the Electronic Arts program come from three departments in the College of Arts and Letters: Media Journalism & Film, Art & Design, and Music. A diverse group with industry ties as well as academic credentials, the EA faculty have worked as music engineers, professional web designers, sound designers, special effects animators, and filmmakers. They have studied in some of the nation's most respected programs, including the American Film Institute, Syracuse University, Mason Gross School of the Arts, and the Kansas City Art Institute. The EA faculty's creative work has been seen and heard throughout the U.S., and as far a field as Vietnam, China, Thailand, Cuba, Britain and Italy. Many of the faculty members have won national and international awards for their web designs, animations, music compositions, and documentary films. Two of the EA faculty have received the highest award given at Missouri State for excellence in teaching, and one received the Missouri Governor's Award for Teaching. Several of the EA faculty have also received Missouri State University Research Awards for excellence exhibited in their creative work.

			FACULTY MEMBERS

			MARK BIGGS Mark Biggs is an award-winning director who has been making documentaries since 1986. Trained at the American Film Institute and the University of Chicago, he has directed, produced, and edited many productions that have won thirty regional, national and international awards. His recent documentary, The Ozarks: Just That Much Hillbilly in Me (1999), looks at the history, culture, and values of the people of the Ozarks. His 1995 film, As Seen by Both Sides: American and Vietnamese Artists Look at the War, documents the first major cultural exchange between the U.S. and Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War. Distributed nationally by The Cinema Guild, this film won many awards, including a CINE Golden Eagle, a Chris Award from the Columbus International Film and Video Festival, a Silver Screen Award from the US International Film and Video Festival, and an International Gold Cindy. An earlier documentary on Vietnam, The Bicycle Doctors of Hue, is distributed nationally by Carousel Films. In addition to his independent documentaries, he has worked with clients as diverse as the National Park Service, the Department of Justice Assistance, and Wm. C. Brown Publishers. Mark has taught media aesthetics and advanced digital filmmaking courses in the Media, Journalism and Film Department since 1986. He received the 2002 Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching and an MSU Foundation Award for Service in 2007. He has served as the Chair of the Missouri Film Commission since 2006, and is currently the Acting Head of the Theatre and Dance Department at Missouri State University.



			JOHN PRESCOTT John Prescott has been a faculty member in the Music Department at Missouri State since 1986. He teaches courses in music theory, composition, and world music. His compositions include works for band, orchestra, chorus, solo and chamber works, and multi-media pieces, and have been performed nationally and internationally. His works are published by Alfred Publications, Contemporary Music Services, Dorn Publications, the International Trombone Association Press, Tezak Publications, TRN Publications, Warner Brothers, and Wingert-Jones Publications. Dr. Prescott holds degrees in music theory and composition from Florida State University and from the University of Kansas where he studied composition with John Pozdro and James Barnes. Dr. Prescott has been a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) since 1988, and has been the recipient of an ASCAP Standard Award every year since 1989 .

			DARCY STEVENS Darcy Stevens is a member of the music staff at Missouri State, where he teaches intro to audio techniques and advanced digital audio recording. He received his BS in audio recording technology from the Columbia Academy of Radio, TV and Recording Arts. He has worked in most every facet of the industry: Live Sound Reinforcement, Mobile Remote Recording, Studio Production and Engineering, Post Production, Mastering, and Studio Design/Construction. He is also active as a producer/songwriter. Darcy's advice to incoming students: "Live The Dream"

			WEIYAN WANG Weiyan Wang comes to the Media, Journalism & Film Department with seven years teaching experience at the Beijing Film Academy, one of the most prestigious film schools in the world. She participated in the award-winning feature film productions of "City Paradise", "In Expectation" as film editor or sound designer. She has also worked on TV film and drama series in China. The TV feature film “That Day That Month”, in which she was the director and editor, won Best Competition of Faculty Video at 2006 BEA’s Festival of Media Arts.

			REBECCA XU Rebecca Xu was born in Shandong, China. She teaches animation and electronic arts in the Art & Design Department. She received an MFA in Computer Graphics from Syracuse University, College of Visual and Performing Arts; a BS in Industrial Design from Beijing Institute of Technology in China. She also studied Film and Television Photography at Beijing Film Academy. Rebecca Xu has worked professionally in the fields of computer animation, film special effects, digital imaging and web design in China and the United States. Her work includes experimental animation, computer graphics and interactive web projects. It has been included in many exhibitions and won awards in both the US and abroad.

			VONDA YARBERRY Vonda Yarberry is an award-winning artist working in video and animation. She has taught animation in Art & Design Department since 1989 where she has won numerous awards for her teaching. Her creative work has been featured in exhibitions and festivals worldwide. Before coming to animation, her video works were screened across the US. She also founded Guerilla Television, a media critical television series, in New York City in 1988. Her recent animations have been appeared at: the International Film and Animation Festival, Vienna, Austria; Chiang Mai University Museum, Chiang Mai, Thailand; International Digital Art Exhibit, Havana, Cuba; Beecher Center for Art & Technology, Butler Museum of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio; Animation Exhibition, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, California; 10th Independent Film and Video Festival, Venice, Italy; Poevisioni, Milan, Italy; ArtWired International, Houston, Texas; Female Eye Film Festival, Toronto, Ontario; Experimental Film and Video festival, Los Angeles, California; Madcat International Film Festival, San Francisco, California; Women's International Video Festival, Tucson, Arizona.

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