Alexis Childress
Santa Barbara,CA
Overview
3
3
years of professional experience
Work History
Lecturer
University Of California, Santa Barbara
07.2026 - Current
- Courses Taught: Critical Fabulation (2026), New Media Collage (2027)
- Delivered engaging lectures on advanced topics in art theory, digital media and studio practice development, enhancing student understanding and interest.
- Designed lesson plans and curriculum aligned with academic objectives, promoting student achievement and engagement.
- Led in-class discussions, seminars, and workshops to facilitate active learning and increase student participation.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of California, Santa Barbara
01.2024 - 01.2026
- Courses Taught: Image Studies (2024), Spatial Studies (2025), Visual Literacy (2025, 2026), Lower Division Photography (2026)
- Led discussion sections and supported studio and lecture-based instruction to enhance student learning.
- Delivered rigorous written and verbal critiques, managed grading processes, and reinforced key visual, spatial, and photographic concepts to elevate student understanding.
- Mentored undergraduate students to foster academic and artistic growth.
Graduate Student Researcher
Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration
01.2025 - 01.2026
- Specializes in high-resolution 3D imaging and digital modeling of biological specimens for research and archival applications.
- This interdisciplinary work leverages a professional decade of experience as a Veterinary Technician (2013-2024) specializing in surgical and procedural anesthesia; this medical background provides the foundational anatomical precision and technical rigor required for "Realistic 3D morphology" research.
- Recruited and trained undergraduate students in 3D imaging workflows, enhancing research capacity and fostering hands-on learning.
- Managed project timelines and deliverables to align with research objectives and milestones, ensuring successful project execution.
- Coauthored manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals, contributing to knowledge dissemination and enhancing field credibility.
Education
Master of Fine Arts -
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara06-2026
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Photography
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA05-2020
Skills
- Studio instruction
- Critique delivery
- Curriculum development
- Student mentorship
- Grading systems
- Exhibition coordination
- Collection research
- Gallery operations
- Art handling
- Program coordination
AWARDS, GRANTS, & FELLOWSHIPS
- 2025: Ron Newby Award, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2024-2025
- Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowship, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2020
- Red Bull Arts Microgrant, Red Bull Arts Museum, New York, NY, 2020
- Georgia Visual Artists Grant, Judith Alexander Foundation, 2020
- Mark Phillips Scholarship in Art and Design, Georgia State University, 2020
- Anderson Ranch Scholarship Award, Georgia State University, 2019
PUBLICATIONS & SCHOLARSHIP
- Ostwald, M., Johnson, M., Youngblood, M., Childress, A., & Seltmann, K.C. (2026). Realistic 3D morphology reshapes insect heat budgets. Scientific Reports. Authorea preprint: 10.22541/au.176556295.50998322/v1
- Burnaway Magazine, “No Victim’s Song” (Feature/Article), 2021
- Burnaway Magazine, Exhibition Review: “The Teknologia of Blackness”, 2020
- New York Public Library Zine, “What Do You Know About Black Girls’ Hair?” (Essay), 2020
- Underground Journal, “Under Clouds of Shame I & II”, 2019
- Underground Journal, “Black Pocket Leaks,” “Black in the Future,” and “Fragments of Delusion”, 2019
EXHIBITIONS
- Solo Exhibitions
- 2023: Girls Beware, Wesleyan Women’s College Leadership Lab Gallery, Macon, GA
- 2021: No Victim’s Song, The Bakery Gallery, Atlanta, GA
- 2020: The Teknologia of Blackness, Camayuhs Gallery, Atlanta, GA
- Group Exhibitions
- 2026: Our Bodies, Our Stories, Planned Parenthood CA Central Coast, Santa Barbara, CA
- 2026: GLAMFA, California State University Long Beach School of Art, Long Beach, CA
- 2025: Human X Machine, Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
- 2025: Alumbrar, Echo Contemporary Gallery, Atlanta, GA
- 2025: Convergence, Red Barn Gallery, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
- 2024: Fresh Squeezed, Morean Arts Center Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL
- 2022: Local Stories Community Art Project, Digital Billboard, A&E Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
- 2021: In Pieces, Good News Arts Gallery, High Springs, FL, 2021
- 2021: Fine Arts Exhibition of The Decatur Arts Festival, Dalton Gallery, Decatur, GA
- 2021: Something’s Missing, The Bakery Gallery, Atlanta, GA
- 2020: Bringing The Law to Life, Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building, Duluth, MN
- 2020: Looking Forward to Tomorrow, Good News Arts, High Springs, FL
- 2020: Good Trouble: Ones to Watch Exhibition, Mint Gallery, Atlanta, GA
- 2020: Behind the Lens Plus, Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Virtual Exhibition
- 2020: Atlanta Photography Group Honor Roll Exhibition, APG Gallery, Atlanta, GA
- 2020: &Yet Emerging Talent Exhibition, Dalton Gallery, Decatur, GA
- 2020: Art Student Union 22nd Annual Juried Exhibition, Welch School of Art and Design Gallery, Atlanta, GA
- 2019: Emerge Juried Exhibition, Day and Night Projects Gallery, Atlanta, GA
- 2019: Art Student Union 21st Annual Juried Exhibition, Welch School of Art and Design Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Timeline
Lecturer
University Of California, Santa Barbara
07.2026 - Current
Graduate Student Researcher
Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration
01.2025 - 01.2026
Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of California, Santa Barbara
01.2024 - 01.2026
Master of Fine Arts -
University of California, Santa Barbara
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Photography
Georgia State University