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Christina Rodriguez-Unalt
Assistant Professor, Art and Design, Dean's Office, College of the Arts
- Office:
- Calcia Hall
- Email:
- tufarorodric@montclair.edu
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Profile
Christina Rodriguez-Unalt joined Montclair State University’s Department of Art and Design in the Fall of 2020 and leads as Head of the BFA Illustration program. She uses her experience as an award-winning illustrator in the publishing industry to educate students about the various illustration markets. Her program covers topics in comics, advertising, publishing, visual development/ concept art, and character design. Through her role as President of the Children’s Book Illustrators Group of New York (CBIG), she offers professional networking opportunities with art directors and agents, in addition to career-focused business collaborations outside the classroom.
Professor Rodriguez-Unalt's students are earning national recognition including acceptance into the Society of Illustrators Student Competition, the most prestigious and competitive national competition for young illustrators. Through networking events she brings to campus every year, her students are earning agent representation and major publishing contracts.
Rodriguez-Unalt received her MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford. Her career began as a scenic painter at a creature shop where she painted murals and large-scale sculptures for mini golf courses, storefronts, windows, and parade floats. She currently works in the children's publishing market, illustrating picture books with an emphasis on Hispanic themes and culture. Her picture book, "Pedro and the Monster Eaters" was named a 2025 Bank Street of Education Best Children's Book of the Year in Spanish, an honor only given to 25 books that were published the previous year.
Most recently she was 2025 winner of the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators Portfolio Showcase. Her work has been exhibited internationally including the Chen Bochui's Original Illustration Exhibition in Shanghai, and the Society of Illustrators West 58 Competition in Los Angeles, where she received a merit award.
You can learn more about her work and her contribution to the illustration industry by visiting https://www.crodillustration.com/
Specialization
Professor Rodriguez-Unalt specializes in illustration for the children's picture book and publishing market, focusing on projects with Hispanic themes. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, children's magazines, and textbooks.
Resume/CV
Office Hours
Fall
- Monday
- 12:00 pm - 3:30 pm
- Appointments Only
- 12:00 pm - 3:30 pm
- Appointments Only
- Wednesday
- 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
- Appointments Only
Spring
- Monday
- 12:00 pm - 3:30 pm
- Appointments Only
- Wednesday
- 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
- Appointments Only
Links
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Research Projects
Pedro and the Monster Eaters
A 2025 Bank Street College of Education's Best Book of the Year in Spanish
Winner, 2024 Salinas de Alba Award for Latino Children’s Literature
Mención de honor, 2024 Premio Campoy-Ada de la Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española (en la categoría de no ficción infantil, Latino-Céntrica)
“Kids will relate to Pedro’s story, seeing themselves as contributors to their family’s day-to-day life, struggling with nightmares and using creativity and art to solve a conflict. Unalt strikes a great balance, making parts of the story truly terrifying and showing how the otherworldly alebrijes sprang from the boy’s imagination. Pedro and his family have brown skin. VERDICT: An engaging and bright treatment of a Mexican sculptor that will inspire burgeoning artists, purchase this bilingual book for elementary collections.”—School Library Journal
“Purchase this book for your library for a variety of reasons—the subject matter, dual language presentation and the beautiful illustrations. Students will be curious to explore more about the artist and the medium after such a wonderful introduction.”—South Sound Book Review Council
"Famous Faces" Draw Off Panel for the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival
Get ready to dive into the lives of superstars and the icons that have shaped Latinx culture. From Selena, Messi, Sonia Sotomayor and more famous faces, Nomar Perez (Lionel Messi Golden Book), Ellia Ana Hill (Medias naranjas: Lucy & Desi), Edel Rodriguez (The Mango Tree, La mata de mango), and Christina Rodriguez Unalt (Pedro & the Monster Eaters) are ready to draw out your requests! Bring your ideas to challenge the illustrators to draw your favorite icons.