Artist’s horizons broaden over a decade

Asiah Thomas-Mandlman ’18 is an artist with at least three amazing talents, with a creative life wide open before her. 

Thomas-Mandlman was on the cover of NMSU’s Panorama magazine in spring 2016 along with other art majors. Over the last 10 years, she has gone beyond painting on canvas to sculpting music with her voice and designing fantastic sets for films.

“I was working in film for a while, which is a whole other artistic beast,” she says. “I was part of the art design team. I did that for about three years and I’m very glad I had that experience. Right now, fine art is taking a rest except for the poster that I did recently for the film festival. I’ve been singing a lot more and that’s been good for me. If you’re in film, you don’t have time to do other things. I also needed to take a break from film and just sing with the band. I sing jazz primarily. I’d like to try other genres, but for now, jazz is great.”

Thomas-Mandlman performs regularly with the jazz ensemble Lush Life Quintet in the El Paso and Las Cruces area and she also sang with jazz musicians overseas in London, Amsterdam and the Czech Republic. 

She recently returned to the canvas to create an original artwork for the 2026 Las Cruces International Film Festival poster. The work was revealed and auctioned off at the LCIFF Poster Party in March 2026, and attendees received signed copies of limited-edition prints.

What’s next? She may get a master’s degree or Ph.D. in Europe, but wherever her art takes her, Thomas-Mandlman knows she’ll eventually return to the Southwest.

“My professors knew that I liked many things and they did a really good job not limiting me to just painting,” Thomas-Mandlman says. “I think this is the first time as an artist and performer that I am excited for this to be my career instead of just an idea.”