Celebrate Westmont's Art Alumni
This group has left a lasting impact on the creative landscape. Whether excelling in graphic design, showcasing artwork globally, or shaping the art world through curation, graduates from the Art program exemplify the versatility and influence of a Westmont art education. These accomplishments reflect the program's commitment to nurturing talent, fostering critical thinking, and instilling a lifelong passion for the arts.
Benjamin Rollins Caldwell '05
Ben has become one of the most acclaimed designers working in avant-garde furniture today. His work has been profiled in such publications as Town, Dwell, and The Robb Report, among others. His “Binary Chair” was prominently featured in the marketing materials for Lady Gaga’s ArtPop album tour.
Robin Eley '01
Upon graduating, Robin returned to his native Adelaide, Australia, where he founded a successful multimedia/concept design firm. But a desire to paint led him to study at the Illustration Academy, where he learned the skills to become a successful and highly in-demand illustrator. He then morphed his career a third time when he decided to pursue a gallery career, with numerous sold-out exhibitions now among his accomplishments. Robin has been a finalist in numerous Australian art prizes, most notably Runner Up (2010) and Highly Commended (2011) in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the world’s richest prize for portraiture. In 2014 he received the judges award for curated artists at the Fort Wayne Realism Biennial. In addition, he has also been a finalist in the Archibald Prize (2012), the Eutick Memorial Still Life Art Prize (2010, 2012) and the Nora Heysen Still Life Art Award (2011). Recognized as a premier contemporary hyperrealist painter, Robin currently paints custom commissioned works for a variety of clients and collectors.
Betsy Freeman '16
Since graduating from Westmont, Betsy has worked as a graphic designer and product designer in San Francisco. Betsy wrote and illustrated her first cookbook, The One & Done Cookbook, with Stone Pier Press in October 2022, dedicated to making cooking easier; in short, illustrated recipes and tips from one busy creative to another. Betsy comments that her years at Westmont not only “gave me strong problem solving skills that helped me see beyond the perceived confines of my title to achieve much bigger goals for my company, and therefore to excel quickly into leadership roles," but also “helped me develop a sense that success is much more than my salary or status, which gives me confidence to freely pursue the opportunities God has put before me, free of fear or self-doubt.”
Rachelle Fields
Rachelle Fields currently works as a Senior CMF (Colors, Materials, Finishes) Designer at Lifetime Brands Inc., Her work involves deciding or creating which artwork gets used for various products, creating mood boards and choosing the color palettes, determining the type of finish it receives, conducting trend research, and creating the factory ready production files. She is the visual manager of the Planetbox brand, a kid’s sustainable lunchbox line. Rachelle previously served as a surface pattern designer in-house for Tommy Bahamas, creating designs for their signature menswear shirt line, and her illustrations and textile designs have been used for product lines for Starbucks EMEA (Europe, Middle East and North Africa) and Starbucks Asia.
Kristen Gaylord, PhD ‘09
After completing BAs in English and Art History at Westmont, Kristen continued her art history studies at New York University, completing an MA, and MPhil and finally a PhD in 2021. Working under Thomas Crow, one of the foremost historians of 20th century art, she wrote her dissertation on the pop artist, Sister Corita Kent. While at NYU, a series of positions in the photography department at MoMA led her to her current curatorial position at the Milwaukee Museum of Art.
Joel Daniel Phillips '11
Since graduating Westmont, Joel Phillips has actively exhibited his work across the United States and abroad. His drawings and paintings have been shown at institutions including the National Portrait Gallery, Philbrook Museum of Art, Tacoma Art Museum, Art Museum of South Texas, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Gilcrease Museum, Ackland Art Museum and many others. His work has been selected for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery for the past three concurrent exhibitions (2016, 2019 and 2022), at which he received 3rd prize in 2016 and Honorable Mention in 2022. He is currently a Fellow at the Tulsa Artist Fellowship in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Alexis Ireland ‘14
Alexis Ireland Florals is a boutique floral design company based in Santa Barbara, California. Alexis combines her fine arts background and a love for the natural world with a decade of experience in the events industry to create truly one of a kind designs. Her work is informed by both the relaxed sophistication of Southern California and the natural tones and textures of the coastlands. She specializes in custom, organic-style arrangements, with flowers sourced from local growers and markets whenever available.
