Liberal Arts

At RMCAD, we believe the liberal arts are the essential human context within which all art is made. Artists and designers who understand the essential ideas of civilization will make better decisions and have more to contribute.

Our Liberal Arts Department teaches a full curriculum. The instructors are seasoned educators and professionals - historians, writers, sociologists, scientists, humanists - and they are passionate about what they teach. Faculty members strive to stretch and enrich students' perspectives of themselves and the world, through the study of and engagement in history, literature, the humanities, the social sciences and the physical sciences.

Sample Course

Seminar in Contemporary Thought: The Cultural Politics of Consumption
This seminar focuses on the activity of consumption in a variety of forms, emphasizing the various relations of human beings to the goods they produce, desire, exchange, and use. In this final course of the humanities series, students focus on contemporary intellectual debates within aesthetic and social theory. Students develop a broad familiarity with the nineteenth century rise and twentieth century development of economic trends and their impact on philosophical, historical and social relations. Students gain a greater awareness of the complexities of economic structures and systems that permeate every aspect of contemporary culture.

Department Chair

Kiki Gilderhus, PhD
PhD, Art History, University of Wisconsin – Madison; BA, Gustavus Adolphus College.

Dr. Gilderhus is an art historian and writer. She specializes in Modern European and Latin American art, focusing on the Mexican-themed work of artist Josef Albers. Her essay “Homage to the Pyramid: The Mesoamerican Photocollages of Josef Albers” appears in the exhibition catalog Anni and Josef Albers: Latin American Journeys (2008). Dr. Gilderhus has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kent State University, and Colorado State University. She is the arts writer for the Northern Colorado Business Report.

Department Heads

Mike Moses, Head, Liberal Arts
PhD/ABD, American Studies, University of Kansas; MA, English; BA, English.

Mr. Moses’ teaching experience and interests include composition, creative writing, family studies, youth studies, subculture, pop culture, and cultural politics.

Neely Patton, Head, Art History
MA, Art History and Museum Studies, University of Denver; BA, Education, University of Northern Colorado.

Ms. Patton is an instructor of art history. She has also worked as curatorial assistant at the Denver Art Museum. Her Master’s thesis is based on her current academic research area, Japanese art: “ENGI, a Work by Tatsuo Miyajima: Keep Changing, Connect with Everything, Continue Forever.” Ms. Patton is a member of the College Art Association.

Core Faculty

Dan James
MA, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; BA, Southwest Missouri State University.

Through a broad professional background, Mr. James brings a plethora of experiences and perspectives to his work and art. His scholarly background focuses on the rise of very early Christianity, its doctrinal and liturgical development and its associated spirituality. The exploration of personal spiritual formation remains an active subject in his research that in recent decades has expanded to include aspects of nonwestern sources. Other interests include ethics, theatre studies and the classical era of Greece. Mr. James is Creative Director and Owner of Pursuit Advertising and Design, with work extending locally, nationally and internationally. He brings his passion for the study of people and times to RMCAD students in the classroom with enthusiasm and depth.

Dr. Chris Narozny
PhD, English and Creative Writing, University of Denver; MFA, Fiction Writing, Syracuse University; BA, English and French, Rutgers College.

Dr. Narozny’s novel Jonah Man is forthcoming from Ig Publishing. His area of academic research is the contemporary English novel. He has worked as an editor at McGraw-Hill and Longman Publishers and as a college instructor of English. Dr. Narozny is the published author of several works of fiction.

Peggy Shaw
MA (Art History) University of Colorado-Denver; MA (Business Management) University of Phoenix; BA (Art History) Metropolitan State College.

Peggy is an Art Historian who has been teaching for 13 years with an MA in Art History from the Univ. of Colorado and an MBM in Business. She was a museum director and curator for 7 years and served on the board of directors for a non-profit museum for 12 years. She has been involved in historic preservation of two of Colorado’s architectural treasures for the past 20 years.

Adjunct Faculty

Sharon Adams
PhD, Religious Studies, University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology; MA, Philosophy and Theology, Iliff School of Theology; BA, History and English, University of Colorado.

Aziza Bayou,
BA, Anthropology, George Mason University.

Christina Bieloh
MA, Humanities, UT Dallas; BS, Accounting, Oklahoma State.

Alison Bowman
JD, University of Colorado School of Law; BA, Humanities, Brigham Young University.

Jan Briel
MA, Religious Studies, University of Denver; BA, Psychology, University of Denver.

Ms. Briel has 17 years of college teaching experience. She has a special interest in Native American spirituality and presented before the American Academy of Religion: “Grandmother Spider and the White Buffalo Woman—the Female in Native American Mythology.”

Sandi Copeland
PhD, Anthropology, Rutgers University; BA, Anthropology, Stanford University.

Suzanne Dulany
MFA, Writing and Poetics, Naropa University.

Phil Gerace
MA, San Francisco State University; BA, Native American Art, California State University Dominquez Hills.

Mr. Gerace teaches art history. His principal areas of research are Native American art, African art, and tourism and art. He is a member of the College Art Association and the Native American Art Studies Association.

Tamas Kish
MBA, Global Management, University of Phoenix; BS, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Metro State College Denver.

Mr. Kish is an entrepreneur with experience in all facets of operations and general management. He has expertise in JIT concepts, management of high volume manufacturing and strategic planning.

Lindsey Mikash
BA, Art History, Colorado State University

Ewa Nowak

John Zinn
MBA, Accounting and Finance, University of Hawaii; BS, Math, University of Hawaii.

Mr. Zinn’s professional background is in accounting.