Chair • Media Arts

Sarah Hiatt is an artist and educator born and raised in the Ozarks. She uses photography to explore the ideas of grief, innocence, and growing up. Her work has been shown in various locations throughout the United States and internationally.

Faculty • Media Arts

Celia Phelan has been the animation instructor at the Academy since 2023 and a working member of the animation industry since 2020.

Faculty • Media Arts

Jake Hinkson is the author of several books, including the novels Hell On Church Street, The Posthumous Man, and No Tomorrow, the short story collection The Deepening Shade, and the essay collection The Blind Alley: Exploring Film Noir’s Forgotten Corners. He was a a guest lecturer at The Academy in early 2016 and later joined the faculty. 

Faculty • Media Arts

Jeremy Marder is a filmmaker and a manager/programmer at the historic Music Box Theatre. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana with a degree in Global Studies and Media and Cinema Studies.