VAMA Faculty & Staff

Vice Chair, Visual & Media Arts
Assistant Professor of Photography
DH 309
Phone: (323) 953-4000 ext.​2830
Email: @email

Assistant Professor of Art History Art History DH 103B Phone: (323) 953-4000 ext.  Email:  lessinac@lacitycollege.edu

M.A., University of California, Riverside

B.A., California State University, Fullerton

Subjects: ARTHIST 103, 110, 120, 122, 139, 151, and 171

Angela Lessing, Assistant Professor of Art History, joined the VAMA department in 2023. She earned a B.A. in Modern & Contemporary Art History from Cal State Fullerton, and an M.A. in Modern & Contemporary Art History from U.C. Riverside. She has been teaching since 2019. 

She is what is called a "generalist," though her research emphasizes Latin American art and visual culture. Her teaching interests include decolonizing the Western canon and building students’ visual literacy. She brings an interdisciplinary approach to her teaching, encouraging students to connect art and history with broader cultural, social, and creative contexts. 

Prof. Lessing is a Southern California native. She loves to travel and explore, is an avid reader, hiker, collects stereographs, and dabbles in film photography as a hobby. She loves to teach and share her passion of history with her students. 

Game Art & Design, Animation DH 216C Phone: (323) 953-4000 ext.1519 Email: @email

Michael teaches all things 3D and game engines in the Game Art and Design certificates at LACC.

MFA, Experimental Animation – CalArts

BFA, Graphic Design – Cal Poly Pomona

Michael is a dedicated educator at the heart of Los Angeles City College’s Game Art and Design program. Michael is empowering and enlightening the next generation of game artists and animators.

Michael is an animator and technologist his graduation thesis film has screened around the world and was a finalist for the student Academy Awards. Michael has 15 years of experience teaching college courses in 3D computer graphics and animation specializing in Autodesk Maya and Unreal Engine. Many of Michael’s former students are employed in the animation and games industry at studios such as Dreamworks, Skydance, Bento Box, Marvel, and various independent studios.

Michael spent his youth in the theater with 20 years of theatrical lighting design for concerts including 10 years of national, high profile musical acts such as Lyle Lovett, The Sounds, and The Offspring. 10 years production design and management for large event productions in the greater Los Angeles area.

At LACC, Michael created the Game Art & Design certificate programs to help art and animation students train with the emerging technologies used in the games industry. The GAD certificates have been adopted by most of the community colleges in the Los Angeles region.

Sculpture, Ceramics, 3D design DH 202B Phone: (323) 953-4000 ext. 2517 Email: janacuac@lacitycollege.edu

MFA, Claremont Graduate University

BFA, University of Southern California 

Sculpture, Ceramics, 3D Design

P’Urhépecha. He was an artist in residence at MFAH CORE (Houston), Queens Museum (New York), SOMA (Mexico City), and more. He has exhibited at Rio Hondo Art Gallery (Whittier, CA), CSUN Art Galleries (Northridge, CA), Charlie James Gallery (Los Angeles), Elephant Art Space (Los Angeles), Shelter in Place (Boston, MA), Vitrine (Albuquerque, NM), and Kita Gallery (Los Angeles). He is represented by 839 Gallery, Los Angeles.

Assistant Professor of Visual & Media Arts Animation, Game Art & Design DH 208B Phone: (323) 953-4000 ext. 2525 Email: floresja4@lacitycollege.edu

BA, University of California, Irvine
MFA, University of California, Santa Cruz
Classes: Art 250, Art 634, Art 648, Animation 118, Animation 218, GAD 101, GAD 102, 

Alex Flores, Assistant Professor of Visual & Media Arts at Los Angeles City College, is a passionate educator, producer, and animator dedicated to expanding access to creative pathways in animation and game design. He holds a B.A. in Film & New Media from UC Irvine and an M.F.A. in Social Documentation from UC Santa Cruz.

Before joining LACC, Alex worked at Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros Television, and his films have been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Sundance Institute, and USC. His creative practice spans socially conscious documentaries, experimental animation, and interactive media projects.

Alex has strengthened LACC’s animation and game design programs by developing dual-enrollment pathways with LAUSD, and building partnerships with organizations like the BRIC Foundation and Games for Change. His teaching emphasizes storytelling, collaboration, and industry preparation, empowering students from diverse backgrounds to see themselves in the creative industries.

Born in Mexico, raised in Los Angeles, Alex is also Media Director for a nonprofit serving low-income families, a father, and an advocate for inclusive, culturally responsive education.

Digital Phtography & Photoshop
DH 308
Phone: (323) 953-4000 ext.​ 2838
Email: @email