OUR STAFF

Jen is a socially engaged artist and community organizer working toward a more just and loving world. Jen earned an MFA at the University of New Mexico where she also studied race, class and gender in American culture. She participated in UNM’s Land Arts of the American West program as a Teaching Assistant and maintains a strong ecological focus in her work. Jen is a nationally exhibiting artist and published author with works appearing in Ceramics: Art and Perception, Ceramics Monthly, Pottery Illustrated, and Edible Magazine. Jen works with teams of artists, growers, chefs and organizers toward experiential art events designed to strengthen and celebrate social networks.

In 2008, Jen held her MFA exhibition, Home Economics, at the Harwood Art Center where she currently serves as Director of Outreach. In this role, Jen develops and directs community outreach programs and Social Practice projects that engage youth and adults in hands-on learning and collaborative art making. Jen is the project director for Harwood’s paid summer Apprenticeship in Art & Social Justice. Jen manages teams of apprentices, artists and a network of contractors, city officials and community partners toward the creation of community-driven public artworks. She builds strong coalitions to sustain these projects and foster greater economic and professional growth for students and apprentices. Jen develops and manages Harwood’s Grant program, writing, administering and accounting contracts and awards that sustain programs across the organization.

Helen Juliet Atkins is an artist and curator from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her studio practice and public works are human focused and often socially engaged. She began her work with Harwood as an Apprentice in 2012, has since worked for many of Harwood’s programs, and in 2020 she joined Harwood’s core staff. She has created public murals, mosaics, and sculptures in Albuquerque that honor everyday people. She also collaborates with her husband and fellow artist Will Geusz on public installations across the country. Her body of work which explores notions of gender, beauty, and identity, has been shown in galleries locally and internationally in Berlin, Germany. Her current focus is on large-scale public projects and organizing opportunities for fellow artists. 

Jordyn is an artist born and raised in Albuquerque, NM. Holding a BA of Studio Art from the University of New Mexico with a minor in Arts Management, she is a ceramicist, painter, mosaic artist, and a mother who believes that art is a form of therapy and works to provide creative opportunities to all. 

She is a co-founder of Plates Against Patriarchy, a female organized pottery project that celebrates the resilience of women and works on short films with her film collective, Dust Wave. She has led numerous public mosaic artworks around the city: including mosaics installed at the Albuquerque Convention Center, Juan Tabo Library, University of New Mexico, Martineztown and with UNM Hospital Children’s Cancer Center’s “Erin’s Place”.

As the Director of Engagement at the Harwood Art Center she co-coordinates the Galleries & Exhibition program, co-directs Art Camp, and designs and manages public communications across all programs. 

Hallee Nguyen is a graphic designer and illustrator living with her husband John, son Liam, two corgis Oliver and Olivia and their backyard turtle Eugene. In addition to her roles with Harwood, she is Partner and Design Director of Matchbox Marketing, a boutique marketing firm in Albuquerque which she founded with her business partner Denise Nava Wyrick in 2019. She also teaches yoga at YogaSaar, UNM, and Harwood Art Center.

Her passions include typography and illustration, photography, karaoke, yoga, fine-tipped pens and puns. She has fifteen years of experience in graphic design, photography and marketing consultation across private, public and nonprofit sectors. 

Sharmayne is an artist and emerging art historian, born and raised in Church Rock, New Mexico, just east of Gallup. Now based in Albuquerque, she is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Arts in Art History, with graduation anticipated in Spring 2026. She previously earned an Associates Degree in Art Studio from UNM-Gallup in 2017.

Sharmayne’s artistic practice included landscape painting and is often inspired by her personal journey growing up on the Navajo Nation. Sharmayne cherishes the time she shares with her husband, Benson, whose love and support enrich her creative and academic journey. She also enjoys sharing quiet moments with her two cats, Squiggy and Cali.

Sharmayne’s passion for education is a guiding force in her life. As a first generation college graduate in her family, she is proud to carry forward the values instilled in by her parents-who encouraged her and her siblings to pursue any type of degree. She believes in the power of learning and hopes to inspire others through art and history. She looks forward to future opportunities at UNM and Harwood Art Center, where she hopes to continue exploring, creating, and contributing to the arts community.

The driving force behind Friedje’s work with Escuela del Sol and Harwood Art Center is her passion for creating supportive and collaborative environments that provide access to both academia and the arts. Friedje has directed the organization for 30 years, taking the Montessori school from a small one-room preschool to one of Albuquerque’s preeminent early childhood and elementary schools, and making possible the creation of what has become one of our city’s leading arts organizations, Harwood Art Center.

Originally from Washington, DC, Aziza Murray has proudly called Albuquerque, NM home for thirteen years. In 2015 she graduated with an MFA in photography from the University of New Mexico. Since then, Aziza has worked in the film industry in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, piquing her interest in cinematography and the industry as a whole.

Aziza’s work stems from a desire for permanence. At a young age she experienced tragic loss, and it was through creating that she learned to process emotions and events. The materiality of photography is the catalyst that has, and continues to enable Aziza in her recording of important people and life experiences, from growing up biracial in a racially polarized city, suffering additional losses in young adulthood, traveling far from home, or finding refuge in beautiful objects and still moments. She has shown her work in DC, Albuquerque, Austin, TX and Portland, OR.

Will Geusz is a New Mexico-based artist and fabricator whose work blends playful futurism, natural forms, and functional design. With a background in public art, sculpture, and collaborative installations, he brings technical ingenuity and a hands-on approach to every project. Will has served as an Installation Artist for Metal the Brand and as an Assisting Artist for large-scale public works, including the Hahn Arroyo Mosaic Project and murals with Andrew Fearnside. His projects reflect a love for interactive, site-responsive art, like East, West, Come Sit (2018), a pair of landscape inspired concrete couches installed in Las Vegas, NM, inviting passersby to rest and connect. In 2019, he launched Willin and Chillin Arts, crafting and vending handmade goods at local markets like the Growers Market and UNM Craft Fair. 

In his work with Harwood, he supports the maintenance and repair of its historic campus, and the material fabrication and installation of public works across programs. Whether fabricating monumental mosaics or functional pottery, Will’s work is rooted in material experimentation, and a belief that art should spark joy in everyday life.