ENMU faculty named 'Art Educator of the Year'

PORTALES –The curator of the Runnels Gallery at Eastern New Mexico University has been named the 2022 Art Educator of the Year by the New Mexico Higher Education Department, an ENMU news release announced.

Bryan Hahn, who also serves as ENMU’s coordinator of creative services, won the award through The New Mexico Art Education Association’s professional awards program.

The award is a way for “art educators to recognize their colleagues’ achievements in the classroom and within the art education community,” the news release stated.

“The students, staff and faculty of ENMU’s Department of Art are incredibly proud of Hahn’s significant achievement.” Richard Schwartz, chair of the Department of Art at ENMU , stated in the news release. “Because of Mr. Hahn’s love and dedication for Runnels Gallery, it’s outreach programs and teaching, this award is well deserved.”

Tatyana Scott, ENMU alumna and internship coordinator at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, stated in the release that Hahn is “an individual who leverages real life experience and connections to teach the students he works with.”

Hahn stated in the news release that his most important challenge is to “encourage students to explore their own creative modes of expression. That is most exciting, seeing students discover, connect, embrace and run with their creativity.”

For over a decade, Hahn has directed the ENMU Runnels Gallery, ENMU’s premier campus art gallery. Hahn has also been a part-time instructor and contributing artist in the ENMU College of Fine Arts since 2008.

Located within the Golden Student Success Center on the ENMU campus, the Runnels Gallery features a variety of creative visual artwork from ENMU students, faculty and staff, alumni, and notable guest artists.

The gallery is open to the public year-round during the student success center’s hours of operation. Admission is free.