Selected Exhibitions:
2027 Upcoming: Nave Museum, Joint Exhibition. Victoria, Texas.
2026 28th Annual Rio Brazos Art Exhibition, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas. Work selected by Kalee Appleton.
2025 Blackout, Art on 30-Ashton Gallery, San Diego, California. Work selected by Daniel Foster: Served as Director of Oceanside Museum of art and Executive Director of Riverside Art Museum.
2024 Solo Exhibition, N 28° 48' 54.85'' E 96° 58' 47.935'' Waypoints, Victoria College Fine Art’s Gallery
2023 Shadows, San Francisco, Arts Benicia. Work selected by Renny Pritikin: Chief Curator of The Contemporary Jewish Museum, Chief Curator at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
2022 A Sense of Place, Augusta, Georgia, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art.
Juror: Erin Dunn, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Telfair Museum in, Savannah, GA
2022. Tieton 10x10x10, Tieton, WA. Tieton Arts and Humanities.
Juror: Bruce Guenther, Curator at Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. He also served as Chief Curator for Portland Art Museum, Orange County Museum of art and Seattle Art Museum.
2020 21st Annual Willis Creek Exhibition of Fine Art, Cumberland, Maryland.
Juror: Jessica Beck, Milton Fine Curator of Art at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
2020 Solo Exhibition, Place, Phylogeny Contemporary, Seattle WA. Gallery by appointment. Virtual Artist Talk and studio visit.
2020 Art Matters More Now Then Ever, Artsy, Phylogeny Contemporary, Seattle WA.
2020 35th Annual International Exhibition, Meadows Gallery@ University of Texas, Tyler, TX. Juror: Leslie Moody Castro, Independent Curator.
2019 Fresh 2019, South Bay Contemporary SoLa, Los Angeles, CA. Juror: Steven Wong,
Curator at LA Municipal Gallery, previously the Interim Executive Director and the senior staff curator at the Chinese American Museum.
2019 Small Matters, 437CO Gallery @ Costa University, Grand Junction, CO. Juror: Jared Steffensen, an artist and curator at MOCA in Salt Lake City, Utah.
2018 LA Open 2018, Tag Gallery, Los Angels, CA. Juror: James Panozzo: Director of Lawrence Asher Gallery, created the non-profit social enterprise: Launch LA, co-founder of TarFest among other LA based projects.
2018 In the Fields: Botanical Lore, Arts Benicia, Benicia, CA. Juror: Jennifer Perlmutter of
Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery
2017 5x5x5, River Oaks Gallery, Alexandria, LA. Juror: Mark Tullos Director of the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans and Interim Director for the Louisiana Veterans Museum.
2016 AQUA during Art Basel Miami, Phylogeny Contemporary, Miami, FL
2014 All Fired Up, Gallery 66, Cold Spring, NY, Jurors: Wendy Gilvey and Ronda Schaer. Schaer is the longtime owner of RAS Galleries in Napa Valley, Calif., and Gilvey is founder of Hudson Beach Glass in Beacon, NY.
2013 SCOPE during Art Basel Miami, C. Emerson Fine Arts, Miami, FL.
Education
2009 M.F.A. Studio Art (Painting and Drawing)
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
2007 Graduate Printmaking, coursework one year, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
2006 B.A. in Studio Art, Mars Hill University, Mars Hill, NC
2002 Ringling School of Art, Studio Arts coursework, Fine Arts, Sarasota, FL
1995 H.S.D. Carol Morgan High School: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
College and University Teaching Experience
2023-Current Assistant Professor of Art, Victoria College. Victoria, TX.
Victoria College is a two-year college designated by the US Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Classes taught include ARTS2316 Painting I, ARTS1316 Drawing I, ARTS1317 Drawing II, ARTS1311 Design, ARTS1303 Art History I, ARTS1304 Art History II, and ARTS1301 Art Appreciation.
Online classes taught via Canvas: Art History II ARTS1304 and Art Appreciation ARTS1301.
Synchronous classes taught: Art History II ARTS1304 and Art Appreciation ARTS1301.
2007-2009 University of Florida: Instructor of Record, TA. Gainesville, FL
Taught foundations classes for the Visual Arts Department:
Perceptual Drawing ART2305. Instructor of Record.
2006 University of Florida: TA. Gainesville, FL
WARP (Workshop of Artist Research and Practice): Team taught University of Florida’s unique foundations workshop. TA.
Teaching Experience Other
2000-2010 Youth Arts Corps: Supervisor and Instructor. St Petersburg, FL
2000-2006 Instructor of: painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation, and drawing
classes.
2008-2009 Program Coordinator: Coordinated art programming serving under-resourced youth.
2009-2010 Program Supervisor: Supported an environment of acceptance and promoted a place where youth and staff embraced diversity and creativity. Responsibilities included hiring, training and supervising art instructors and staff. Instructors included national and international professional artists trained in positive youth development. Supervisor partnered with local museums and art centers for educational purposes, curated exhibitions and organized events for studio and preforming arts programing. Supervised job training, budgeting, transportation, as well as, all studio and program management responsibilities.
2017-2023 Studio Artist and Instructor. Pine Mountain Club and Ventura, CA. (Please see exhibition record and gallery affiliation). Art sales, completed commissions, taught in-person and online individual and group art classes. Exhibition of work and working with curators and galleries throughout the country.
2011-2017 Instructor and Moderator: River Arts District. Asheville, NC
Founded and moderated the River Arts District’s Figure Workshop.
Related Experience
2011-2017 Hope for the Future: Guardian Representative. Asheville, NC
Provided guardianship services for thirty-four adults who have been court appointed a guardian due to serious mental illness or developmental disabilities. Guardian Representative reports back to the clerk of court.
2009-2011 Studio Gallery Owner. St. Petersburg, FL
Studio-Gallery owner supported art exhibitions, art sales, community partnerships, instructed on-site classes and painting commissions.
2002-2006 Artist in Residence. Tampa Bay Area, FL
Artist Residencies awarded by Youth Arts Corp: PACE Center for Girls, Gladden Park, Lakewood, Transitional Living Program and Crisis Shelter, Gulf Coast Museum of Fine Arts.
2000-2004 Mural Artist and Business Owner. St Petersburg, FL
Created murals and artwork for multiple professional and personal venues. Hired and supervised artists and coordinated various creative projects. Selected commissions: O’Gradys Bistro, Berean Book Store and multiple personal residences. Also invited to work on projects by other companies including: World Museum of Natural History, Cody’s Road House and Warner Brothers.
College Service
2026-2027 Chair Gallery Committee
2026-2027 Chair Policy, Procedure, Practice Committee
2026-2027 NEA Grant Committee
2025-2027 Faculty Senate: Art and Humanities Faculty Senator
2026-2027 Discipline Expert for Fine Arts Department Curriculum Development
2023-2026 Participated in ongoing outreach and retention which resulted in doubling/tripling course enrollment in painting and drawing classes. Partnered closely with faculty and staff to create a strong program and learning environment for VC students. Victoria College, Victoria TX.
2023-2026 Supported student participation in community events in: the college’s gallery, the Museum of the Coastal Bend, the Welder Center during Art Walks, and the International Fair. Victoria College, Victoria TX.
2023-2026 Student Art Association Advisor. Victoria College, Victoria TX.
2024-2026 Student Appeals Committee
2024-2026 Commencement Committee
2023-2026 Painting and Drawing Professional Development Workshops.
2023-2026 Gallery Committee. Victoria College, Victoria TX.
2024-2025 Facilitated a partnership with SAA and The Museum of the Coastal Bend. Supported students with completing a mural representing elements of the Museum’s collections. Victoria College, Victoria TX.
2023-2025 Collections Committee. Victoria College, Victoria TX.
Support and management of the Museum of the Coastal Bend’s and college’s collections.
2023-2025 Foster Field Project/Grant. Victoria College, Victoria TX.
2024 EQS Texas Core Scoring Team
2024 Faculty Tutoring Partnership. Victoria College, Victoria TX.
Publications:
2025 5th Annual Blackout National Art Exhibition, Published by Ashton Gallery, Catalog in conjunction with 5thAnnual Blackout National Art Exhibition. Published November 6th, 2025. 4434 30th Street, San Diego, CA 92116.
2022 10X10X10XTieton, Published by Tieton Arts & Humanities and Marquand Editions | Tieton in conjunction with the exhibition 10X10X10XTieton, Published August 6 2022, Tieton Arts and Humanities Gallery, 608 Wisconsin Avenue, Tieton, WA, 98947
Awards and Honors
2025 Juror’s Choice Blackout, Art on 30-Ashton Gallery, San Diego, California. Work selected by Daniel Foster: Served as Director of Oceanside Museum of art and Executive Director of Riverside Art Museum.
2013 National Juried Exhibition of Small Works. Maryland Federation of Art, Juried by
Laura Ammusen, Director of Exhibitions at Goucher College
Second Place
2008 University of Florida, Juried Exhibition, Gainesville, FL
Best in Show
2007 University of Florida, Juried Exhibition, Gainesville, FL
Third Place
2006 University of Florida, Teaching Assistantship, Gainesville, FL
2002-2006 Artist Residencies/Teaching Residencies awarded by Youth Arts Corp include: PACE Center for Girls, Gladden Park, Lakewood, Transitional Living Program and Crisis Shelter, Gulf Coast Museum of Fine Arts. 2000-2005
Professional Organizations and Memberships
College Art Association (CAA), New York, NY
Foundations in Art Theory and Education (FATE)
Link to Portfolios of McAlister’s work and Student Work Examples:
teaching-portfolio-mcalister.com
Artist’s Website
sonyamcalister.art