Finnegan Rhys-Pierson

Finnegan Rhys Pierson, who found art "was a way to express myself and cope with the challenges I faced", had finished his Associate Arts degree at De Anza College in California when the pandemic suddenly closed schools. He found individual contract work doing illustrations for various companies: Netflix, Samsung, and the Jim Henson Co. In 2023, through a Language Exchange Program at California State University, he went to Florence, Italy, heart of the Italian Renaissance, where he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze and taught in high school art programs. Next year, he will finish a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Illustration and continue studies for a B.A. in art education, a B.A. in Italian studies, and a minor in art history of the Baroque period. Finnegan believes art can be a "tool for connection and education" and his goal is "to use my education to resonate with students in the foundations of art and history, inspiring them through teaching and creating art that reflects the rich traditions and innovations of past and present." Eventually, he would like to complete a Master's Degree in Art and teach on the collegiate level.