Meet the Incoming Class

Yehimi Cambrón Álvarez
MFA, Printmedia

Describe yourself in three objects.
Mirror, ashes, coffee

Why did you choose SAIC?
I chose SAIC because its interdisciplinary approach allows for exploring how personal and political topics of migration can determine the materiality of my work. I am thrilled to be part of SAIC’s Printmedia MFA community, where I can learn to expand the boundaries of print as I work to challenge the physical, political, and psychological boundaries of undocumentedness. I am here to understand my work’s place in contemporary art and develop my practice to portray a more nuanced portrait of undocumented Americans.

What is a piece of art that resonates with you? Why?
I recently purchased a massive book of Frida Kahlo’s paintings, and her portrait of Doña Rosita Morillo has been on my mind lately. This portrait was similar to one I had just painted of my mother crocheting. Seeing Kahlo’s grandmother's portrait has inspired me to start a series of yearly portraits documenting my own mother, whose figure represents home, belonging, and sanctuary.

What is your current obsession outside of art/design?
I have been obsessed with the powerlifting aspect of CrossFit. This challenging physical and mental activity became essential for my mental health, allowing me to escape from art and activism, even if just for an hour. I’m currently recovering from a fractured wrist, but I can’t wait to go back to exercising! 

Where do you find inspiration?
My inspiration comes from my family, my own experiences, and other undocumented people. Growing up in Atlanta, the civil rights movement informed my duty to activism, and I have always admired artists who are working toward social justice in their artistic practice.

What do you hope to accomplish at SAIC?
This sacred space and time will challenge me to hone in on capturing the voices, stories, and experiences of undocumented people so that they remain visible in American history. I also want to cultivate long-lasting friendships and mentorships within and beyond my department.

Emily Miller
MFA, Painting & Drawing

Describe yourself in three objects.
Chickpeas, hammer, blanket

Why did you choose SAIC?
I was so excited to discover an MFA program that pairs painting and drawing. The expanded painting practices and methodologies developed at the School are truly unique and can’t be found anywhere else. I particularly love the idea of a painting being built up over time rather than being meticulously planned and controlled. Lastly, I cannot wait to spend time with the wealth of art at the Art Institute and explore other disciplines like print and woodwork.

What is a piece of art that resonates with you? Why?
I love the painting Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth–it perfectly encapsulates the isolation and beauty of rural life.

I spend a lot of time with my rescue cat, Liath. She is named after the Irish word for gray as her hair features different shades of the color. At four weeks old, she was found under a lorry outside a petrol station I used to work at. Her rescuers handed the little kitten to me at the end of my last shift there. She’ll be two years old in October! 

Where do you find inspiration?
Nature, literature, other artists

What do you hope to accomplish at SAIC?
I hope to hone my technical and critical thinking skills and to make friends from other disciplines, cultures, and walks of life.

Mary James
BFA

Describe yourself in three objects:
Spinning top, speaker, a can of yellow Red Bull

Why did you choose SAIC?
I have always been interested in art, but I have never been able to settle on a single medium. SAIC’s interdisciplinary curriculum was exactly what I was looking for. Moreover, Chicago offers so many opportunities for self-exploration and professional growth. I want to make an impact and felt that SAIC was the place that would best support me in that.

What is a piece of art that resonates with you? Why?
Meret Oppenheim’s sculpture My Nurse. The artist’s ability to effortlessly transform an everyday object into a statement is fascinating. The image of the shoes becomes something that makes me feel understood just by looking at it. 

What is your current obsession outside of art/design?
A podcast called The Worst Idea of All Time where two comedians watch the same bad movie every week for an entire year. It is ridiculously silly, but it’s a fun ride.

Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere! My primary source of inspiration is my personal life, particularly the things I am wrestling with in my mind. I am also very drawn to odd found objects that weirdly become meaningful to me.

What do you hope to accomplish at SAIC?
I want to learn how to fail. Success is impossible without failure, as failure is how we can understand what works and what doesn't. I am a perfectionist—the idea of not reaching the ideal tends to hold me back. I want to face failure head on and conquer it.

Tamanandi Tchale
BFA

Describe yourself in three objects:
Lamp, chain, Rubik’s Cube

Why did you choose SAIC?
I felt drawn to the interdisciplinarity that the School cultivates. Such an approach allows for free artistic expression and creative materialization of concepts. SAIC teaches you more than just a skill—it encourages a holistic understanding and appreciation for art.

What is a piece of art that resonates with you? Why?
Gregg Araki’s 1997 film Nowhere. The movie’s irony and angsty sardonicism articulate really well what it’s like to be young and alive, despite it being made decades ago. Araki is so inspiring to me as an artist in how idiosyncratic his pieces are—his filmmaking feels like its own language.

What is your current obsession outside of art/design?
I’ve been really into skateboarding for a few months now, after my friends introduced me to it. It took a while to get over all the fear of falling but it's really freeing and has brought me some good friends.

Where do you find inspiration?
Film and photography inspire a lot of my pieces in terms of conceptual approach and visual composition. Even though I will be focusing on studio fine arts, I will make use of SAIC’s flexible curriculum and experiment with different mediums here.

What do you hope to accomplish at SAIC?
I hope to become more confident in my artistic practice and to understand myself better as a person and as an artist by extension. ■

by Misha Poklad (MFA 2024)
Illustrations by Dani Knight