Class Notes

2020s

Maria Burundarena (MFA 2022) installed a site-specific piece, Silver Peninsula, in Chicago’s Northerly Island Park as part of the ART-IN-PLACE public art exhibition.

Justin Ortiz (BFA 2020) had a solo exhibition, The Golden Arm, at Emma Gray HQ in Los Angeles.

Yuen Liu (BFA 2020) installed the mural installation Lucky Wall in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood.

Sumin Kim (BFA 2020) was awarded Remarkable Artist of the Year by the Korean Art Critics Association.

Zoe Minzenberger (BAVS 2020) and Fawn Penn (BFA 2016) founded The Digs, a ceramic studio that was featured by Block Club Chicago.

Denny Mwaura (MA 2021), Sophie Buchmueller (MA 2022), and Sofia Sanchez Bjorboa (MA 2021) became the curatorial residents for the HATCH residency program of 2023–24 organized by the Chicago Artist Coalition.

Sunho Bae (MFA 2021), Ále Campos (MFA 2022), Sofia Fernandez Diaz (MFA 2022), Patrick Hubbell (MFA 2021), Ajmal Millar (MFA 2021), Jess Atieno Ounga (MFA 2021), Corey Smith (MFA 2021), and Frank Vega (MFA 2022) had their works exhibited in the Ground Floor 2022 exhibition at Hyde Park Art Center.

Jewlya Sturtevant (BFA 2022) presented work in the group show Age of the Bimbo at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.

2010s

Maira Agan (BFA 2014), Rob Lentz (MFA 1997), Sarah Laing (MA 2000), and Maira Agan (BFA 2014) presented "Addressing Teen Mental Health with a Social-Emotional Art Studio" at the National Organization for Arts in Health conference in Baltimore.

Teri Carson’s (BFA 2018) artist-run space, Intersect, won the Artists Run Chicago 2022 Grant.

Stephanie Cristello (BFA 2013) joined the board of directors for Roots & Culture Contemporary Art Center in Chicago.

Biraaj Dodiya (BFA 2015) held the solo exhibition Every Bone A Song at Experimenter in Mumbai, India.

Tsehaye Geralyn Hebert (MFA 2014) and Kiela Smith-Upton (BFA 1993) cofounded Artists Design the Future, an organization that focuses on providing sustainable and affordable ownership for artists.

Annette Hur (BFA 2015) and Min Kyong Baek (BFA 2017) had a two-person exhibition, Rough Growth, at Helen J Gallery in Los Angeles.

Rashid Johnson (SAIC 2003–04, HON 2018) was spotlighted by CNN’s series Champions for Change, a collection of stories highlighting individuals who work toward enriching their community.

Assistant Professor, Adj. Cortney Lederer (MA 2009) and Terrain Exhibitions organized ART-IN-PLACE, a public art exhibition designed in response to the violence epidemic in the United States, which included work by Maria Burundarena (MFA 2022). You can view a Google map of all participating artists.

Amiko Li (BFA 2015) was included in the exhibition Voicings at Artspace New Haven, in which he also had a performance and conversation with artist Aki Sasamoto.

Yvette Mayorga (MFA 2016) opened her first solo show Yvette Mayorga: What a Time to Be at The Momentary in Arkansas.

Ashley McCusty (BFA 2012) is an architectural interior designer at Kara Mann Design.

Joelle McTigue (BFA 2010) was featured in the article “From botanics to blockchain—how Joelle McTigue became one of web3's most established artists” on Culture3.

Sabeen Omar (SAIC 2010–13) was the Designer in Residence at the Department of Human Centered Design, College of Human Ecology, at Cornell University.

Ben Ripley (MFA 2017) showed work at the University of Connecticut’s William Benton Museum of Art in the exhibition Seeing Truth: Art, Science, Museums and Making Knowledge.

Clare Rosean (BFA 2010) exhibited work in the group show New Year, New Art at Zg Gallery in Chicago.

A-B Projects in Los Angeles, run by Nicole Seisler (MFA 2011), mounted the group exhibition Carbon Copy, curated by SAIC Professor Emeritus Kitty Ross with work by Rosemary Holliday Hall (MFA 2019) and SAIC visiting faculty member Joshua G. Stein.

Sanaz Sohrabi (MFA 2014) premiered their film, Scenes of Extraction, at Berlinale 2023.

Keioui Keijaun Thomas (MFA 2016) won the MAP Fund for the work Come Hell or High Femmes: The Era of the Dolls. 

Cassie Tompkins (BFA 2010) presented a two-person exhibition, Pink Moon, with Peter Ronan at the Roman Susan gallery in Chicago.

Asha Iman Veal (MA 2017) became part of the 2023 cohort for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Emerging Leaders Class of 2023, where they will spend a year examining how to better address global challenges and bolster Chicago’s position as a global city.

Kristopher Wright’s (BFA 2014) solo exhibition of large-scale artworks that intertwine painting and printmaking, Just As I Am, was on view at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Colorado.

Jenna Xu (BFA 2012) is the co-founder of docbotic, an insomnia therapy SMS bot that helps to prevent fatigue and anxiety.

Jiyoung Yoon (MFA 2013) was selected as a fellow of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program in 2023. 

Janet Trierweiler (BFA 2015) participated in a discussion as part of the Culture Flow - The OCEAN BETWEEN VI exhibition and symposium at Oliva Gallery.

Selva Aparicio (BFA 2015) is represented by Engage Projects.

Sadie Woods (MFA 2016) was appointed the curatorial and residency director at Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Norman Teague (MFA 2016) was interviewed about his work at The Art Center Highland Park.

2000s

Kris Belden-Adams (MA 2003) was awarded as the Chair of Excellence in Art History at the University of Memphis.

Anna F. Brown (MFA 1992, MA 2000) created a year-long series of site-specific performances on national parklands.

Alex Chitty (MFA 2008) had a solo exhibition, Figs break open of themselves, at Patron Gallery in Chicago.

Atena O. Danner (BFA 2001) published their first solo book of poetry, Incantations for Rest: Poems, Meditations and Other Magic, through Skinner House Books.

Jennifer Nataya Fink (BFA 2007) produced the play Bitter Flower, which was presented at the Gonda Theater at Georgetown University, Washington DC.

Terence Hannum (MFA 2003) held the solo exhibition Perfume Our Burial at Lost Origins Gallery in Washington DC.

Mie Kongo (BFA 2006) held a solo exhibition, Correspondence, at 65GRAND in Chicago.

Kit Hung (MFA 2006) was selected as an Art Fellow in the Yale-China fellowship program.

Lindsay King (MA 2002) became the new head of Bowes Art & Architecture Library at Stanford University.

Jessica Labatte (BFA 2004, MFA 2009) presented the solo show Knee-deep in the cosmic overwhelm at Western Exhibitions in Chicago.

Kimberley Leutwyler (BFA 2009) had a solo exhibition, Queer Corporeality, at Nanda/Hobbs Gallery in Chippendale, New South Wales.

Janavi Mahimtura Folmsbee (BFA 2008) installed the Aquarius art tunnel, a 240-foot long interdisciplinary immersive tunnel art installation at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

A. Martinez (BFA 2009) won the 2022–23 In-Session Fellowship organized by Threewalls.

Robert Mertens (BFA 2008) was awarded a professional fellowship with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond.

Jamilee Lacy (BFA 2008) was announced as the new executive director of the Frye Art Museum in Seattle. 

John Opera (MFA 2005) had a solo exhibition, The Observers, at Document in Chicago.

Leah Patgorski (MFA 2006) made and exhibited sculptures in the residency at Proyecto’ace in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Edra Soto (MFA 2000) exhibited the work Draft in the group exhibition No existe un mundo poshuracan at the Whitney Museum of American Art; mounted solo shows at Engage Projects in Chicago and the Cleve Carney Museum of Art in Glen Ellyn, Illinois; and was awarded the 2022 Ree Kaneko Award from Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Ursula Sokolowska (BFA 2001) had their photographs chosen by the Museum of Contemporary Photography for the LATITUDE Chicago 10th Anniversary Exhibition. Their photographic work from the Multiples series was also featured in Jet Fuel Review, issue 24. 

Martine Syms (BFA 2007) co-authored the book The African Desperate with Rocket Caleshu through Nightboat Books.

Karen Tam (MFA 2002) participated in the group exhibition Secret Chord: An Ode to Montreal at the Andrew Edlin Gallery in New York City. Karen’s outdoor installation Dragons Chasing the Moon appeared on Rue De La Gauchetiere and in Sun Yat-Sen Park in Quebec.

Flavia Zuniga-West (BFA 2006) is the founder of the Adding Voices Conference for Art Educators. It is the only national art education conference that is intentionally committed to equity and social justice.

1990s

Carrie Ann Baade (BFA 1997) released a comprehensive monograph of her surreal self-portraits titled Scissors & Tears and held a book signing at Venvi Art Gallery in Tallahassee, Florida.

Dayna Block (MA 1990) produced the two-person show Sanctuary Between World: Windows into the Creative Sources at Gallery 901 in Evanston, Illinois.

Dexter Bullard (MFA 1992) directed the reading of the play We Will Not Be Silent for an invited industry audience.

Karen Brunsting (BFA 1993) co-authored the book Open Access Literature in Libraries: Principles and Practices with two colleagues.

Eric Dean Spruth (MA 1992) had a solo exhibition Art Therapy & Tarot: The Importance of Symbol; Then, Now, and Forevermore at the International Museum of Surgical Science.

Jeffrey Gibson’s (BFA 1995) site-specific commission THIS BURNING WORLD was unveiled at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. He also presented an immersive, site-responsive installation, They Come From Fire, at the Portland Art Museum in Oregon.

Caren Gussoff Sumption (MFA 1998) published a fifth single-author book, So Quick Bright Things Come to Confusion.

David Hartt (MFA 1994), Rashid Johnson (SAIC 2003–04, HON 2018), Jennie C. Jones (BFA 1991), and Karl Wirsum (BFA 1961, HON 2016) were featured in the exhibition Monochrome Multitudes at the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago.

Anna Kunz (BFA 1991) held the solo exhibition The Tide at Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco.

Athena LaTocha (BFA 1992) installed three large-scale, site-specific sculptures at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. The project was featured in Sculpture Magazine.

Randall Lee (BFA 1997) designed, built, and opened Leland Eating and Drinking House in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

Rob Lentz (MFA 1997), Sarah Laing (MA 2000), and Maira Agan (BFA 2014) presented on  "Addressing Teen Mental Health with a Social-Emotional Art Studio" at the National Organization for Arts in Health conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Leah Oates (MFA 1997) held a solo exhibition, The Eco Art Exhibit 2023, at Gallery 1313 in Toronto, Canada, and a group exhibition, The Life of Color, at Praxis Gallery in St. Paul, Minnesota.

kate-hers RHEE (BFA 1999) received the 2022 Korea Arts Foundation of America Award of $20,000. An exhibition of her work will follow at the Korean Cultural Center LA.

Kiela Smith-Upton (BFA 1993) and Tsehaye Geralyn Hebert (MFA 2014) cofounded Artists Design the Future, an organization that focuses on providing sustainable and affordable ownership for artists.

1980s

Kurt Fondriest (MFA 1988) published the short story Little Tree for children with fibromyalgia on the website for the National Fibromyalgia Association.

Richard Klocke’s (MFA 1982) NFT art project has received recognition in Australian crypto magazine The Chainsaw.

David Kroll (MFA 1986) opened the solo exhibition New Paintings at Zolla Lieberman Gallery.

Margaret Krug (MFA 1983) held a drawing program, Drawing to See, at Castello di Spannocchia in Italy.

Deyana Mielke (BFA 1984) presented work in group exhibitions at Gallerium in Toronto, Canada and Schaefer International Gallery in Maui, Hawaii. Her piece The Protector was selected for the airport installation Glimpse into the World of Kauai Arts and Artists in Lihue Airport in Hawaii.

Jean E. Schuler (SAIC 1985) released the book At The Table with LBJ and Lady Bird: History, Humor, and True Texas Recipes​​ through Texas Christian University Press.

Peg Shaw (MFA 1986) won the Illinois Arts Council Agency 2021 Artist Fellowship Award in Media Arts and the 40 North Champaign Arts Council 2018 Artist Ace Award.

Ellen Soffer (MFA 1983) held a solo exhibition, Ellen Soffer: Pink Sky, at artspace in downtown Shreveport, Louisiana. INSERT IMAGE HERE. Caption: Ellen Soffer, Pink Sky 3, 2022. Courtesy of the artist

Mary Lou Zelazny (BFA 1980) held the solo exhibition Whistling in the Dark at Carl Hammer Gallery.

1970s

Michele Feder Nadoff (MFA 1979) contributed to the books ​​Performing Craft in Mexico: Artisans, Aesthetics, and the Power of Translation published by Lexington Books, and Peripheral Methodologies: Unlearning, Not-knowing, and Ethnographic Limits edited by Puppo, Frederiksen, and Martinez.

Laura Lasworth (BFA 1977) showed work in the group exhibition Transcendent at Louis Stern Fine Art in West Hollywood.

1960s

Martha Hayden (BFA 1961) exhibited work in Watercolor Wisconsin at the Wustum Museum in Racine, Wisconsin.

We make a substantial effort to include as many SAIC alum accomplishments in “Class Notes” as possible. Due to the enormous talent and wide reach of the SAIC community, there may be alum updates that were not included. Please click here if you would like to submit your updates, news, and accomplishments for consideration to be included in “Class Notes” in the next issue of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago magazine. Please note, SAIC reserves the right to edit submissions.

In Memoriam

Nancy G. Canellis (SAIC 1975)

Jennifer L. Di Marco (BFA 2007)

James W. Falconer (BFA 1965)

John C. Heiti (BFA 1973)

John R. Henry (BFA 1966)

Nolan J. Hirsley (BFA 2005)

Gosia Koscielak (MFA 1994) 

Laurence J. Koshiol (BFA 1990)

Annemarie Kretschmann (BFA 1977)

Jean C. Lawrence (SAIC 1977)

Martha M. Madigan (MFA 1978)

Gerrard Pook (SAIC 1980)

Rene C. Robles (BFA 2002)

Jeremy Stephen Shedd (MA 2011)

Charles G. Staples (MA 1955)

Camila Trevino (BFA 1993)

Olga D. Wolz (SAIC 1964) ■