TU College of Fine Arts and Communication faculty members Lynn Tomlinson, MFA ’14 and Jen Figg have been recognized among this year’s recipients of the esteemed Baker Artist Awards, highlighting their significant contributions to contemporary art through distinct and innovative practices.

Tomlinson, a professor in the Department of Electronic Media and Film, was awarded the $40,000 Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize in Film & Photography. Internationally acclaimed for her distinctive clay-on-glass animation technique, Tomlinson creates films by smearing and reshaping modeling clay frame-by-frame, producing richly textured, painterly works that explore themes of memory, impermanence and the natural world. Her collaborative approach integrates music as a storytelling partner, resulting in immersive, lyrical films.

Her work is held in major collections including the Museum of Modern Art and the Centre Pompidou and has been featured at leading festivals such as the Annecy International Animation Festival and the Ottawa International Animation Festival, where she earned Best Commissioned Film honors. Tomlinson’s recent projects include “A Black Rail’s Tale,” an animated documentary narrated by MacArthur Fellow J. Drew Lanham, and immersive films shown in planetariums worldwide.

Jenn Figg, professor in the Department of Art + Design, Art History, Art Education, was recognized with a $10,000 award for her collaborative work with artist Matthew McCormack, MFA ’14. Together, the duo creates interdisciplinary installations that merge textiles, glass, engineering and digital technologies. Their practice draws inspiration from scientific research, deep space imagery and speculative literature, translating complex ideas into dynamic, tactile forms.

McCormack and Figg’s work challenges traditional boundaries between art, craft and engineering, often incorporating real-time data, robotics and sustainable kinetic systems. Their installations have been exhibited widely across the United States and internationally, including at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building and global digital arts festivals.

The Baker Artist Awards celebrate Baltimore-region artists who demonstrate exceptional creativity and vision, underscoring the impact of Towson University’s faculty in shaping contemporary artistic discourse. Established to be truly transformational to the life and career of one artist, the Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize is awarded to one exemplary artist in each awarded discipline.

Learn more about the awardees.