Join TXST alumni Alexander Kamelhair, Chantal Lesley, Jacqueline Overby, and Ryan Runcie in conversation with student Daniel Benjamin. Together they discuss their creative practices—spanning metalwork, photography, sculpture, and public art—and reflect on how their experiences at TXST continue to inform their work today.
Alexander Kamelhair is a material and process driven artist, giving equal attention to both conceptual and studio practice. These values generally manifest in the creation of substantial material objects and/or place-making through installation or intervention in remote landscapes. He is particularly interested in the physical properties of his materials and the juxtaposition of these qualities against both metaphysical and formal negative space. Through this preoccupation, an exploration of ontological concerns has become a recurring motif in his practice. He has worked as a journeyman blacksmith in Austria, Spain, Estonia, and Italy, he holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Texas State University in San Marcos TX, and a Master of Arts degree from the Estonian Academy of Art in Tallinn. He currently resides in the Big Bend region of Far West Texas, USA where he draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape and the distinct geological features and floral phenomena that distinguish the Chihuahuan desert.
Chantal Lesley (she/her) is an artist based in Austin, TX. As a multicultural, first-generation American born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley along the U.S./Mexico border, Lesley’s work is deeply informed by her experience of being stretched between four cultures. The daughter of Peruvian and German immigrants, she explores themes of identity, belonging, and contemporary social and political issues through her art.
Lesley earned her BFA in Fine Art Photography from Texas State University in 2021, and her work has been exhibited across Texas and the U.S. Notable exhibitions include the Houston Center for Photography (Houston, TX), Craighead Green Gallery (Dallas, TX), Touchstone Gallery (Washington, D.C.), and Humble Arts Foundation (New York, NY). She has been selected for prestigious residencies, including LATITUDE (Chicago, IL), The Line in partnership with Big Medium (Austin, TX), Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT), and Château d'Orquevaux (Orquevaux, France). Lesley has also held solo exhibitions at the Dougherty Arts Center (Austin, TX), LHUCA (Lubbock, TX), shedshows (Austin, TX), and Bradbury Art Museum (Jonesboro, AR).
In 2025, she will serve as an Artist in Residence at KUNSTRAUM in Brooklyn, NY, followed by a residency at kala in Berkeley, CA. Later in the year, she will debut new work in her solo exhibition, As I Lay It All to Rest, at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center in Dallas, TX.
Jacqueline Overby (b. 1991, San Antonio, TX) is a multidisciplinary artist working in painting, sculpture, social practice, and community building. A Texas State BFA graduate, her needle-felted soft sculptures explore gender, body dysmorphia, mental health, and trauma through bright, exaggerated forms inspired by childhood cartoons and pop culture and the oddities of nature. Her process is both meditative and confrontational—transforming personal history into playful, provocative works that possess a sense of humor. Overby is the Founding Director of MotherShip Studios and the San Marcos Studio Tour. She lives in Austin where she is heavily involved in the local arts community and works in San Marcos, TX. She also co-founded ATX ART HUB (Formerly Good Dad Studios), the largest studio complex in central Texas. Additionally, Overby is a member of the 20 person ICOSA art collective and serves on Co-Lab Projects' advisory board and fundraising committees.
Ryan Runcie desires to understand and ultimately improve how we value others. His large-scale murals are heavily community-focused with the intent to leave behind social and racial reconciliation in his wake. He graduated from Texas State University with his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2016. Now, he coaches artists and teaches art business workshops to improve business acumen and career outlook for emerging artists.
Runcie now has artworks privately collected across the United States and public murals across Texas. His client list includes Starbucks, Verizon, Austin FC, Capital Metro, Austin Energy, art consultants, public schools, and non-profit organizations. Runcie is currently a project coordinator for the City of Austin's Public Art Program, Art in Public Places, and a board member of Capitol View Arts, an Austin-based arts organization.
Daniel Benjamin (moderator) is a visual artist and current student working on his BFA at Texas State University with a concentration in Metals.