Art Faculty

Valerie Haring, Art Department Chair
316.322.3173
vharing@butlercc.edu
Office: BOE 323

Valerie Haring received an Associate of Arts Degree from Butler Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Education from Emporia State University and a Master's Degree in Art Education from Wichita State University. She began teaching at Butler in 1991. She is currently the Art Department Chair and is co-director director of the Erman B. White gallery. Valerie was honored as the 2007 Butler Master Teacher.

Haring creates both two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks that range from realistic portraits to abstract, conceptual paintings.  She exhibits her art regionally and has work in many private collections.  Her passions are teaching art, making art, reading, listening to music, gardening and spending time with family and friends.  She resides in Bel Aire, KS with her husband John Oehm, who is also an accomplished painter and former art professor at WSU and BCC.

Tricia Coates, Art Faculty
316.322.3330
tcoates1@butlercc.edu
Office: BOE 313

Trisha Coates originally hails from New England where received her BFA in Studio Art with an emphasis in ceramics from the University of New Hampshire in 2005. She stayed in the area for the following six years, teaching ceramics at independent art centers throughout the seacoast region of New Hampshire. She relocated to Wichita in 2012 to pursue an MFA in Ceramics from Wichita State University, which she completed in 2015. In addition to teaching, she continues to maintain an active studio practice. Her work is represented locally by Reuben Saunders Gallery in Wichita, KS, and has been exhibited widely throughout the country including at the Holter Museum of Art in Helena, MT, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Art, in San Angelo, TX, and the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City.

Rachel Foster, Art Faculty
316.322.3373
rfoster8@butlercc.edu
Office: BOE 324

Rachel Foster was born in Virginia, and spent time in Germany, New York, and Illinois before settling in Kansas. She has been an energetic and prolific art maker since she could hold a pencil. She received her Bachelor of Fine Art degree from Kansas State University in 2007, and her Master of Fine Art degree from Wichita State University in 2013. She has taught at Wichita State University, Bethany College, Kansas State University, and became a full time faculty member at Butler in the fall of 2017. She shows nationally, and has work in collections across the country. When Rachel is not at Butler, she spends her time with her husband and children.