Forensic Sculpture Workshop 2025

This world renowned annual workshop taught by Joe Mullins @joeskullguy is the result of a unique program developed by the Academy and the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, in which art students used skulls from actual “cold cases” to recreate the faces of the victims, in the hope of identifying unknown persons.

Joe Mullins is a forensic artist since 1999 with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He has helped identify and trace long term missing children, approximate unknown skeletal remains, and reconstruct faces and soft tissue, paving the way for law enforcement to solve their investigations. A Washington-based forensic imaging specialist, Mullins does workshops and demonstrations of his work across the globe, inspiring and training future forensic artists.

Mullins trained as a graphic designer and fine artist before becoming a forensic imaging specialist. He studied at Savannah College of Art & Design, James Madison University and attended The FBI Academy for his forensic skills training.

Mullins also works with talented students to help solve crimes or answer questions for families with missing relatives as an Adjunct Professor at the New York Academy of Art where he teaches a unique Forensic Sculpture course. Joe is a certified Forensic Artist by the International Association for Identification. For a decade, he has been teaching a Facial Reconstruction class to graduate students in Mason’s Forensic Science Program. In the spring of 2022, he started teaching a forensic figure sculpting class at George Mason's School of Art.