The Teiger Mentor in the Arts program brings internationally acclaimed artists to Cornell on an ongoing basis to teach a graduate seminar class and conduct individual critiques with M.F.A. students. The program aspires to give students opportunities to make connections with and learn from a diverse range of leading professional artists. In addition to the teaching commitment, the program includes a public artist lecture.
The Teiger Mentor in the Arts program was created in 2012 with a gift from the late David Teiger (’51), a graduate of the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration and a champion of visionary perspectives in the arts and innovative curatorial practices. It continues today through the generous support of Teiger Foundation.
Spring 2026 Teiger Mentor in the Arts

Mary Mattingly
Internationally acclaimed artist Mary Mattingly’s interdisciplinary work spans from large-scale public sculpture to collage-based photography, imagining adaptive futures shaped by ecological interdependence. She is known for her sculptural ecosystems that inhabit civic spaces—from floating food forests to tidal water clocks — bringing attention to different conditions surrounding water, food, and shelter. In parallel, her photographic collages offer intimate, symbolic reflections that transform documentation into speculative diagrams and visual poems.
Meet Past Teiger Mentors
Past Teiger Mentors
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Erika Ranee
Fall 2025
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Tamar Ettun
Spring 2025
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Pamela Sneed
Fall 2024
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Catherine Haggarty
Spring 2024
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EJ Hauser
Fall 2023
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Wells Chandler
Spring 2023
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Emilio Rojas
Fall 2022
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Emily Jacir
Spring 2022
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Miatta Kawinzi
Fall 2021
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Candice Lin
Spring 2021
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Jessi Reaves
Fall 2020
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Josh Tonsfeldt
Spring 2020
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Wendy White
Fall 2019
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Chitra Ganesh
Spring 2019
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Paul Pfeiffer
Fall 2018
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Sam Lewitt
Spring 2018
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Dana Hoey
Fall 2017
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Sean Landers
Spring 2017
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Craig Kalpakjian
Fall 2016
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Sam Durant
Spring 2016
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Sharon Hayes
Fall 2015
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Leslie Hewitt
Spring 2015
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Alejandro Cesarco
Fall 2014
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Shannon Ebner
Spring 2014
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Josiah McElheny
Fall 2013