Stephen Barany, MDiv, MFA
Author • Illustrator • Educator
Stephen Barany is the award-winning author and illustrator of Alphabet Parade: An Alliterative Alphabet Adventure, a self-published children's book designed to cultivate attention and bring families together.
He serves as an Assistant Professor of Visual Arts at Holy Cross College where he teaches design and leads seminars for first and second-year students.
Stephen lives with his family in Mishawaka, IN.
Stephen Barany is a versatile artist and educator with an academic background in both the arts and theology. He holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Illustration and Visual Culture from Washington University in St. Louis, where his thesis, The Wizard's Alphabet Book, explored illustration as a counter-environment to the digital world. He also earned a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from the University of Notre Dame, where his thesis focused on the theology of creation and its relevance for educating designers in the Christian tradition.
As a freelance illustrator, Barany has taken on numerous commissions and entrepreneurial projects, and his work has been featured in a variety of exhibitions. His artistic accomplishments have been recognized publicly, including the Charlotte Hunt Grand Prize in 2021.
In addition to his creative pursuits, Barany is deeply involved in church life and ministry. He has held leadership positions in numerous Catholic communities and has volunteered variously in hospital chaplaincy, parish life, and campus ministry. His dedication to merging faith and art in education is also evident in his presentations and workshops, where he frequently explores the intersection of theology, art, and culture.