Meet Our Faculty
Creativity and Passion
Faculty in the Art and Design area of study have rich backgrounds in higher education and possess real-world art and design experience. See the Fine Arts and Communication Department Directory for a full listing of staff and faculty.
Faculty Profiles
Meet just a few of the highly qualified Art and Design faculty members at COCC.
Venus Nguyen
Assistant Professor I of Art
Email: vnguyen3@cocc.edu
Venus has been a freelance illustrator and graphic designer for more than 15 years. Her undergraduate work was based in traditional mediums with a specialty in anatomical drawing from Arizona State University, where she was on a full athletic scholarship for track and field.
During her career in the fitness industry, she developed her skills as a digital artist freelancing in design, narrative illustration, and concept art. In addition, she has worked as a conservation fine art framer, senior marketing director, art director, and curator.
Venus completed her master's degree from the Academy of Art University in illustration and has taught at Yavapai College and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. In fall 2020, she joined COCC's faculty as assistant professor of 2-D and Digital Art. Her greatest passion is to see the development of students in the arts and help show them paths to turn their talents into a career.
Jason Lamb
Associate Professor of Art History
Email: jlamb@cocc.edu
Jason is an associate professor of Art History at COCC. He comes from a lengthy fine arts background, having completed two Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees (in painting and art history) at the University of Illinois, and a Master of Arts in art history from Northern Illinois University. Jason has been teaching visual arts and art history since 2006 and joined COCC in the fall of 2013.
His primary area of art historical expertise is early modern art, including extensive experience discussing and instructing students in the history of art from many different time periods and cultures around the world. In addition to his role as an art historian, Jason is also a practicing artist with a background in painting and digital illustration. He regularly participates in the annual Faculty Art Exhibition and has made his work and artistic expertise available to students and the local community in numerous ways, most notably as faculty advisor to the student Art Club, and through his ongoing collaborative work with Deschutes Public Library and Mountain View High School. In addition to his own studio practice, Jason has sporadically done contract work in concept art and animation for various companies in the video game industry.
One of Jason's lasting contributions to the enhancement of the arts at COCC has been his development of a field trip to the Portland Art Museum, which is open to all COCC students. The trip began as a simple caravan but has expanded into a biannual bus trip in Fall and Spring terms.
Ruth Fore
Assistant Professor I of Art
Email: rfore3@cocc.edu
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