Visual Arts Department Team

Brian Weaver is an internationally exhibited/collected artist and dedicated educator/scholar, originally from Pennsylvania. Brian Weaver received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA): Ceramics degree from the University of Florida and a Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA): Ceramics degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. With seventeen years in higher education, Brian’s eclectic experiences have brought him to now comfortably reside in Pensacola, Florida as the Visual Arts, Department Head at Pensacola State College in the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts.

Terri Nichols is an Academic Administrative Assistant with more than 6 years of experience in similar roles at a charter school in Dade City, Florida which is where she is from. She has an A.S. Degree in Graphic Design from Rasmussen College. She worked in Graphic Design roles before coming to PSC to serve in her current role. She enjoys making art for her own enjoyment, which focuses mainly on her love of plants and animals created with a variety of mediums ranging from digital to traditional.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Chelsea Weaver is the Gallery Coordinator of the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts at Pensacola State College as well as an Adjunct Instructor within the Visual Arts Department. Weaver graduated magna cum laude with her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Studio Art from Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2018. She has served as an art educator for over 10 years at various institutions where she has continually shared her knowledge and passion for the arts. Weaver has also been the recipient of various grants, scholarships, endowments, and awards throughout her academic career and has recently become an alumnus of Leadership Pensacola (LeaP), Class of 2024 as well as a new member into the class of Inweekly’s 2025 Rising Stars!

Christopher Wesley White received his A.A in General Studies from Tallahassee Community College, B.F.A in Theatrical Lighting & Production Design from The University of Florida, A.S. in Photographic Technology from Pensacola Junior College, and M.F.A in Photography from Savannah College of Art and Design. As a fine art photographer, Christopher has been exploring conceptual studio photography through traditional and modern photographic practices. The subject and style of his work expresses, explores, and interprets the boundaries of the classical renaissance ideal prescribed to the female form in relation to the abject concepts of mythology and religion. His imagery transitions fluidly between classical and abstract representations of the female form while expressing tension and inevitable resolution. Christopher’s work has been exhibited regionally, nationally, and internationally over the last five years earning accolades from Photographers Forum, International Photographic Art Community, as well as earning Regional and District American Advertising Awards.

I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts from Shorter College in Rome, GA. Upon completion of my BFA degree I was accepted into the Master of Fine Arts program at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. After receiving my MFA, I moved to the mountains of western North Carolina to participate in the artist-in-residence program at EnergyXchange. EnergyXchange is a renewable energy center constructed at a closed landfill site in Burnsville, NC. There, methane gas is harvested from the closed landfill and is used to fuel a large pottery kiln, a fully functioning glass blowing studio, and supports a large horticulture operation. After three years in western North Carolina I moved back to Rome in hopes of finding my way back into academia. Almost immediately after returning home in 2011, I was able to join the faculty at Shorter University as an adjunct instructor. The following year, I became Assistant Professor of Art instructing classes in art appreciation, ceramics, and design. Over the next seven years, I continued to develop my work and teaching philosophy until I knew it was time for a change. After the spring semester of 2019, I resigned from my position at Shorter University having accepted a faculty position at Pensacola State College in Pensacola, FL. My wife and I are excited about our new home and I look forward to working with great faculty and a wonderful clay community.

Anna Killian Cavnar holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Painting from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA, Magna Cum Laude) in Painting from the University of Montevallo. She also earned a Permanent K–12 Art Teaching Certificate from the University of West Florida. Cavnar currently serves as Instructor of Art – Art History and Foundations at the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts at Pensacola State College. With over 14 years of experience in higher education, she has taught at multiple institutions and exhibited her artwork nationally. As a painter, Cavnar specializes in photo-based realism, with a hyper-focus on detail. Her work is deeply inspired by domestic spaces and familial connections. A passionate traveler, she has explored 13 countries—experiences that continually enrich her lectures and perspective as an art instructor.

Kristen Regan received a Master of Fine Art degree at Savannah College of Art and Design and a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is currently a Professor of Photography at the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts at Pensacola State College.Her work has been published in national and international publications as well as several photographic catalogs. She has had numerous solo and two-person exhibitions and has been featured in galleries across the country from New York to Puerto Rico. In recent years her work has focused on environmental issues associated with plastic pollution.

James “Jimmy” Rhea received his Masters of Fine Art in 2007 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He worked as a founder for three years at the Inferno Art Foundry in Atlanta, and as a carpenter, after completing his Bachelor of Fine Art at the University of West Georgia. His artwork is being collected throughout the East Coast and in Germany. Currently, he works at Pensacola State College as the Sculpture Instructor.

Sarah Rhea is a visual development artist with a passion for storytelling across film, animation, and video games. She earned her MFA in Visual Development from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, specializing in Film, Animation, and Video Games, and holds a BFA in Design Arts from Memphis College of Art.With over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry, Sarah has worked both freelance and with IATSE 478 in Graphics and Props for major film and television productions. Her past collaborations include industry giants such as Disney TV, Marvel, AMC, OWN, Google, Amazon, and Universal Pictures.In addition to her film and television work, Sarah is an accomplished Art Director and Environment Design artist in the video game industry. She also brings her expertise to the classroom as an adjunct professor at Pensacola State College. When not teaching or freelancing, she enjoys illustrating children’s picture books and continuing her work as a concept artist.