Atelier Instructors

Matt Silady

A Chicagoland native, Matt Silady taught eighth grade for six years in Champaign, Illinois, before moving west to study creative writing at the University of California at Davis. It was there he discovered comics as a medium for fine art.

In June of 2007, he published his first graphic novel, The Homeless Channel. The story about a television executive attempting to start a 24-hour cable network for the homeless was nominated for an Eisner award and was featured in Entertainment Weekly.

Today Silady is an adjunct professor in CCA's undergraduate Writing and Literature Program, where he's helped expand the college's graphic novel curriculum and has served as the senior thesis advisor. He's also an adjunct professor in the college's graduate MFA Program in Writing.

BA, University of Illinois; MA, University of California, Davis

Merav Tzur

Merav Tzur’s work investigates alternatives to vertical, linear Western thought systems. Working primarily in interactive installations that include sculpture, video, sound, and performance, Tzur focuses on methods through which cultural, personal, and political narratives are constructed and then uses those methods to create a set of alternative – albeit absurd – hypothetical and implausible scenarios.

Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and institutions, including, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco; Berkeley Art Museum; and SFMOMA. BFA, CCA; MFA, University of California, Berkeley.

Christopher West

is a painter whose work has been exhibited throughout the United States. His work is included in numerous national and international private collections. BA, Humboldt State University; MFA, Mills College