Class Notes

GROUP SHOWS/NEWS

Bani Abidi (MFA 1998), Sumakshi Singh (MFA 2003), Biraaj Dodiya (BFA 2015), Viraj Mithani (BFA 2015), Tanya Goel (Post-Bacc 2008), Aditi Singh (BFA 2015), Sareena Khemka (BFA 2007), and Sabiha Dohadwala (BFA 2018) were featured in the Mumbai Art Fair.

Murat Adash (MFA 2014), Bow Ty Enterprises Venture Capital (MFA 2015), Marissa Lee Benedict (MFA 2011), David Rueter (MFA 2013), Aspen Mays (MFA 2009), and Jesse Harrod (MFA 2010) were selected as artists in residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, California.

Yousif Alzayed (BFA 2022), Juan Flores (MFA 2023), and Felipe Macia Fernandez (SAIC 2023) took part in the Art and Technology festival Voltaje.

Alexandra Antoine (BFA 2014), Kittisak (Wa) Chontong (MFA 2015), Tanya Gill (BFA 1992), and Malika Jackson (MFA 2016) were part of a group exhibition at the Hyde Park Art Center titled Where a knot begins and ends.

Luftwerk, the artistic duo of Petra Bachmaier (BFA 1999) and Sean Gallero (BFA 1998), was featured at the Chicago Botanic Garden with their installation A Summer Journey, as part of the exhibition Lost & Found.

Anoush Bargamian (MFA 1990), Kapra Fleming (MFA 1983), Nazare Feliciano (MFA 1999), and Kathryn Hempel (MFA 2022) exhibited in the Small Works Member Show 2024 at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.

Robert Barnes (BFA 1956), Brian Calvin (MFA 1994), Sarah Canright (BFA 1964), Magalie Guerin (MFA 2011), Philip Hanson (MFA 1969), David Hartt (MFA 1994), Gina Litherland (BFA 1984), Rebecca Morris (MFA 1994), Celeste Rapone (MFA 2013), Rebecca Shore (BFA 1981), Diane Simpson (MFA 1978), Omar Velazquez (MFA 2016), Richard Wetzel (BFA 1968), Molly Zuckerman-Hartung (MFA 2007), and James Wright (BFA 1967) were part of the group show Hubcap Diamond Star Halo at Corbett vs Dempsey, celebrating the gallery's 20th anniversary.

Cecilia Beaven (MFA 2019), Audrey Gallacher (BFA 2023), and Anya Davidson (BFA 2005) were featured in a group exhibition, No Role Models, at Cleaner Gallery + Projects in Chicago.

Mark Booth (MFA 1995), Aaron Curry (BFA 2002), Brian Calvin (MFA 1994), Philip Hanson (MFA 1969), Rachel Harrison (MA 2011), Richard Hull (MFA 1980), Damon Locks (BFA 1991), Rebecca Morris (MFA 1994), Celeste Rapone (MFA 2013), and Omar Velazquez (MFA 2016) were part of a group show at JUBG Space in Cologne, Germany. This exhibition was done in collaboration with Corbett vs Dempsey.

Dalton Brown (BFA 1973), Jomo Cheatham (BFA 1999), Andy Paczos (MFA 1985), and Tracy Ostmann Haschke (Post-Bacc 1993) took part in the 2024 Beverly Art Walk.

Andreana Donahue (SAIC 2003) and Ingrid Olson (MFA 2021) were featured in the group show Human Resources at the Chicago Artists Coalition.

Héctor Arce Espasas (BFA 2005), Maria Ayala (MFA 1994), Angel Casiano, Sonia Báez-Hernandez (MFA 1998), Cesar Dávila Irizarry (BFA 2004), Domingo García (MA 1952), Jennessa I. Martinez (BFA 2020, MA 2023), María Luisa Penne Rullàn del Castillo (MFA 1947), Francisco Rosado, Rufino A. Silva (SAIC 1942), Bibiana Suarez (BFA 1984, MFA 1989), Brenda Torres Figueroa (MFA 2004), Yolanda Velásquez (BFA 1992), Pedro Vélez (MFA 1999), and Christian J. Roldán Aponte (MA 2020) were featured in a group exhibition titled Persistence | Persistencia: The Lions’ Roar in the Puerto Rican Arts at the Puerto Rican Arts Association in Chicago.

Victoria Fuller (MFA 1994), Indira Freitas-Johnson (MFA 1967), Liubov Mendelevich (MFA 2022), Ruth Aizuss Migdal (BA 1954), Constance Noyes (MFA 1981), Louise Pappageorge (BFA 1983), Nancy Lu Rosenheim (MFA 2006), and Olga Salimova (BFA 2022) were selected to be part of the 2024 CSI x ALMA Chicago Sculpture International Juried Exhibition at ALMA Art and Interiors.

Diana Frid (BFA 1991, MFA 2003), Kaveri Raina (MFA 2016), Claire Sherman (MFA 2005), and Soo Hyun Shin (MFA 2011) had their work featured by PATRON Gallery at the Aspen Art Fair.

Luis Gispert (BFA 1996) and william cordova (BFA 1996) were featured as panelists following the Perez Museum’s Miami premiere of Gispert’s first feature film, Cajita.

Sayre Gomez (BFA 2005) and Paul McCarthy (MFA 1980) were featured in a group exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago titled The Living End: Painting and Other Technologies, 1970–2020.

Katya Grokhovsky (MFA 2011), Kate Bae (BFA 2003), Yevgeniya Baras (Post-Bacc 2005, MFA 2007), Samantha Bittman (MFA 2010), Jazmine Catasus (MFA 2023), Sean Fader (MFA 2008), Melissa Johnson (MFA 2006), Athena LaTocha (BFA 1992), Dannielle Tegeder (MFA 1997), and Darryl Terrell (MFA 2017) were selected to be part of the Brooklyn Artists Exhibition, a show celebrating the Brooklyn Museum's 200th anniversary.

Allison Glenn (MA 2012) curated the group exhibition In an effort to be held at the Shepherd Gallery in Detroit which featured work by the late Ed Clark (BA 1951), Cameron Harvey (Post-Bacc 2007), Angel Otero (BFA 2007, MFA 2009), and Kellie Romany (MFA 2011).

Mika Horibuchi (BFA 2013) and Cheryl Pope (BFA 2003) were featured in an article by Chicago Magazine titled, "Artists in their Natural Habitats."

Carrie Iverson (MFA 1998) and Jérémy Scidmore (BFA 2003) were featured in a two-person exhibition, Union, at Tin Dallas Gallery.

Joel Kuennen (MA 2010), Athena LaTocha (BFA 1992), and Elise Rasmussen (MFA 2007) were part of a group show titled Speed of Stone at 601ArtSpace.

Thomas Lau (MA 2007), Daniel McCormack (MFA 1970), Ronald Williams (BFA 1997) and Hellen Colman (SAIC 2004) were featured in the Filter Photos Member Exhibition of 2024.

Riva Lehrer (BFA 1997), William Estrada (BFA 2000, MFA 2015), and Andy Slater (BFA 2015) received the prestigious 3Arts Next Level Award, receiving a combined total of $30,000 in grant money.

Erica Littlejohn (MFA 2022) and Kushala Vora (MFA 2018) exhibited at the Hyde Park Art Center 2024 Gala After Party.

Isabelle Frances McGuire (BFA 2016), Mika Horibuchi (BFA 2013), Shala Miller (BFA 2017), and Covey Gong (BFA 2016) were selected for CULTURED Magazine’s 9th annual Young Artists List.

Katherine Nemanich (SAIC 2007), Maya Nguen (MFA 2023), Rosalina Perez (BFA 2013), Qianwen Yu (MFA 2020), Xiaowen Bao (MFA 2024), Peicen Jiang (MFA 2024), and Adrienne Weiss (MFA 2025) were part of a group exhibition at Woman Made Gallery titled Connectivity.

Laura Newlon (MFA 2013), Amy Pleasant (BFA 1994), and Sheree Hovsepian (MFA 2002) are featured in Synchronicities: Intersecting Figuration with Abstraction at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska.

Edra Soto (Post-Bacc 1998, MFA 2000), Derrick Woods-Morrow (MFA 2016), and Hương Ngô (MFA 2004) were featured in an exhibition titled Sojourns, curated by ENGAGE Art Projects at the Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation in Ojai, California.

Adrienne Elise Tarver (MFA 2011), Deborah Sokolow (MFA 2004), Jessica Hargreaves (MFA 2006), and Rachel Owens (MFA 1999) were part of the group exhibition When the Spirit Moves You.

Norman Teague (MFA 2016), Noam Nayberg (BFA 2022), Cody Norman (BFA 2016), Eric Hotchkiss (MDes 2010) and Steven Haulenbeek (SAIC 2006) were featured in Dezeen as part of their North American Design 2024 series.

Dannielle Tegeder (MFA 1997) and Amy Myers (MFA 1999) were selected for a year-long residency at Painting Space 122 in New York City.

Allison Wade (MFA 2012), Benjamin Foch (SAIC 2000), Gary LaPointe Jr. (MFA 2016), Josh Reames (MFA 2010), and Yae Jee Min (MFA 2019) were part of the group show Tumbled Rhyme at LVL3 in Chicago that celebrated the gallery's 15th anniversary.

Erin Wright (BFA 2008) and Kristy Luck (MFA 2014) were featured in a group exhibition titled On Alchemy at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles.

2020s

Mariela Acuna (MFA 2022) was appointed as the new director of exhibitions & residency at the Hyde Park Art Center.

Abigail Afriyie (BFA 2023) curated and had garments featured in a fashion show at the Chicago Center for Arts and Technology (CHICAT). The show served as a fundraiser to support CHICAT’s upcoming culinary arts program. 

Luke Agada (MFA 2023) had a solo exhibition at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles titled Luke Agada: Between Two Suns. Luke was also one of 11 artists featured in Artsy's article, "11 Artists Having a Breakout Moment this Fall."

Regina Agu (MFA 2021) has a solo exhibition titled Regina Agu: Shore|Lines on view at the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago until May 2025.

Hyungjeong Bang (BFA 2023) had one of her films highlighted by a variety of film festivals, including those in New York and LA, this past year.

Rachael Bos (BFA 2021) held a solo exhibition titled Dead Loop at de Boer Gallery in Los Angeles. Hyperallergic later featured the exhibition in its article "10 Art Shows to Visit in Los Angeles."

Jared Brook (BFA 2020) had three solo exhibitions: Sacrifice and Revelations at FLXST Contemporary in Chicago, Gazing Through Ephemera at VLAB Gallery in Madrid, and Glimpses of Infatuation at VILLAZAN in New York.

María Burundarena (MFA 2022) had a solo exhibition titled Insula at Chicago Artists Coalition.

Eleana Grace Daniel (MFA 2024) had a two-person show titled Double Ground at Oliva Gallery in Chicago.

Kimmah Dennis (MFA 2024) was awarded the 2024–25 Terra Foundation Affiliated Rome Prize Fellowship by the American Academy in Rome, where she will participate in a six-month residency.

Nicole Fanelli (BFA 2022) was nominated for the Brother Mike Award presented by Chicago Learning Exchange, in recognition of her excellence in mentoring youth and deep commitment to social justice and racial equity.

Michael Anthony Garcia (MFA 2022) was a featured artist at the 2024 Texas Biennial. His work, a new performance piece, debuted at the Galveston Arts Center.

Eve Gordon (BFA 2021) was a vendor at Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) and Chicago Zine Fest. Gordon was also featured in a group show titled Queer Ecologies at Purple Window Gallery in Chicago.

Grace Gittelman (BFA 2020) was one of two artist fellows at the Jewish Museum of Chicago.

Jada-Amina Harvey (BFA 2020) was the curator of the Gene Siskel Film Center's 30th Black Harvest Film Festival.

Amira Hegazy (MFA 2020) curated Letters Beyond Form: Chicago Types at the Design Museum of Chicago.

Marek Hosek (BFA 2002) and Hague Williams (MFA 2003) co-hosted the 14th annual Art for Health event in support of community empowerment. This year, the event featured a special art showcase curated by Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff (BFA 2006).

Yuwen Huang (MFA 2024) co-curated 21st Century Wanderer, an exhibition at the Chicago Art Department that featured 16 artists from France, Germany, China, and the US and delved into the evolving relationship between walking, arts, technology, and society.

Jason Isolini (MFA 2021) organized and was featured in a group show in New York City in partnership with the Public Works Administration titled Incidental Container.

Linye Jiang (MFA 2023) had a solo exhibition titled Sweet, Juicy, and Rebellious at the Dittmar Memorial Gallery at Northwestern University.

Leasho Johnson (MFA 2020) had a solo exhibition at Mariane Ibrahim in Chicago titled Escaping the tyranny of meaning.

Jayne King (BFA 2022) had a solo show titled STRATA at Art City Chicago.

Hai-Wen Lin (MDes 2023) was selected by the American Craft Council to be part of their 2024 Emerging Artists Cohort.

Nour Malas (MFA 2022) had a solo exhibition titled No words attached at PATRON Gallery in Chicago.

Kristoffer McAfee (BFA 2020) had his five panel work, Universal Identity, adapted for the Democratic National Convention commission, Ether/And. It was featured as part of a moving mural project that put public art on Chicago's L trains.

Thomas McIntyre (BFA 2023) was selected as one of two artists-in-residence by the Peninsula School of Art.

Harini Nilakantan (BFA 2020) starred in Through Fish Eyes, a unique performance in Chicago parks that utilized dance to raise awareness and empathy about dwindling marine ecosystems.

Trevor Paglen (MFA 2002, HON 2021) had a solo exhibition titled CARDINALS at Altman Siegel in San Francisco.

Eia Radosavljevic (BFA 2017, MFA 2023) had work featured in a group show titled Maisons Fragiles at RUSCHWOMAN Gallery in Chicago.

William Schaeuble (BFA 2022) held a solo show titled Fights at Povos Gallery in Chicago.

Natia Ser (BFA 2023) was accepted to the esteemed Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Summer Program 2024.

Pia Singh (MFA 2020) wrote an article published in the Chicago Reader titled "An Erotics of Art" highlighting different exhibitions in the Chicagoland region this past fall.

Claire Warden (MFA 2024) was awarded the Snider Prize by the Museum of Contemporary Photography.

Yufei Xiong (BFA 2024) performed a tango for TedxChicago 2024: Lighting the Way.

2010s

Alena Ahrens (MFA 2017) had a solo exhibition of selected works at ARTROOM in Lisbon, Portugal, titled Infinite Arc.

Selva Aparicio (BFA 2015) had her work, Ode to the Unclaimed Dead, selected for acquisition by the Emerge Committee for the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Karen Archey (BA 2015) was appointed as the head of the curatorial department at Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf.

Ramona Beattie's (BFA 2019) clothing label, Shame, hosted a show for New York Fashion Week titled Lumpen. The show was later featured in an article by Interview magazine.

Pia Cruzalegui (MFA 2016) was part of a two-person show titled Stories y Deseos at Epiphany Center for the Arts in Chicago.

Anna Dilliard (MA 2018) celebrated two and a half years working at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and is currently working as the manager of programming.

Ariele Dionne-Krosnick (MA 2014) won the Graham Foundation's Carter Manny Research Award for her project Swimming Pools, Civil Rights, and the American City in the 1960s.

Penny Duff (MFA 2012) is the co-owner of Out There, a wine bar and retail shop located in Sawyer, Michigan.

Grace DuVal (Post-Bacc 2012, MDes 2015) received Supreme Winner of the Year in the Avant Garde section of the 2024 World of Wearable Arts Awards in Wellington, New Zealand.

Daphne Edgren (BFA 2018) was selected as clinical research project manager/medical writer at Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

Cory Feder (BFA 2016) was featured in a two-person booth exhibition with Smoke the Moon at the Armory Show in New York City. Her work was included in the PRESENT section of the show.

Liz Gomez (BFA 2014) had work featured in a group show titled WALDEN [verb] at Elastic Arts in Chicago.

Katya Grokhovsky (MFA 2011) was selected as the 2024–25 Padnos Distinguished Artist-in-Residence in the Department of Visual Art and Media Arts at Grand Valley State University in Michigan.

Xingzi Gu’s (BFA 2018) exhibition, Pure Heart Hall at Lubov Gallery in New York, was highlighted and reviewed by Hyperallergic. 

Gordon Hall (MA 2011) has a solo exhibition at The Kitchen in New York titled Hands and Knees, on view until May 2025. He also is part of a group exhibition Believers: Artists and Shakers at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, on view until August 2025.

Gregory Harris (MA 2010) facilitated an artist talk with photographer Kelli Connell during the 2024 Filter Photo festival in Chicago.

Lark Lyra Lou Hill (BFA 2011) presented their work as part of Off Center, a monthly experimental screening series at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

Walter Hood (MFA 2013) was awarded the 2024 Vincent Scully Prize by the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. 

Siera Hyte (BFA 2012) was appointed curator of Indigenous American Art at The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Rashid Johnson (SAIC 2003–04, HON 2018) has a mid-career survey on view at Guggenheim from April 2025 through January 2026.

Tie Jojima (MA 2015) joined the Phillips Collection as their new curator of global contemporary art.

Eunsong Kim (MFA 2010) published a book with Duke University titled The Politics of Collecting: Race and the Aestheticization of Property.

Grant Kratzer's (BFA 2013) clothing brand, Cheatin' Snakes, designed Post Malone's recent tour merchandise.

Sungjae Lee (MFA 2019) was one of 12 fellows selected for the 2025 Queer | Art | Mentorship Program.

Manuel Lopez (BFA 2010) had a solo booth exhibition with Charlie James Gallery at the Armory Show. His work was on display in the SOLO section of the show.

Yang Mai (MDF 2016) had a solo exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya, titled 怀抱 (Hold Me in Your Arms): 在非洲 - Held by Africa and was featured in a group exhibition at A Space Gallery in New York titled Container. Mai was also recently highlighted in an interview in Asian Art Contemporary, titled “Interview | Chicago and New York-based Artist Yang Mai.”

Dana Major (MFA 2011) was featured in a group show at NIU Art Museum titled Seeing Each Other | Portraits in Time and Place.

Tamara Malas (BFA 2012) opened her namesake size-inclusive clothing store in New York's Lower East Side neighborhood during New York Fashion Week this past fall.

Yvette Mayorga (MFA 2016) had a solo exhibition titled La juala de oro at the Museo de Arte de Zapopan in Mexico.

Jessica Gaynelle Moss (MA 2015) was named managing director and curator of Sibyl’s Shrine in Pittsburgh. Sybil's Shrine is an organization that advances support for Black artists locally and nationwide.

Aya Nakamura (Post-Bacc 2011, MFA 2013) had a solo show titled Sight Lines at WESTERN EXHIBITIONS CHICAGO.

Esther Peces (BFA 2016) illustrated a sticker pack for the Museo del Prado. She also created educational videos in celebration of the Prado's 200th anniversary.

Raghav Rao (MFA 2019) published his debut novel, MISSY.

Celeste Rapone (MFA 2013) had a solo show at Corvett vs. Dempsey titled Big Chess.

Rachel Robbins (MFA 2010) published her book, The Sound of a Thousand Stars.

Farah Salem (MA 2018) was the 2024 recipient of the 3Arts Award in Visual Arts.

Ray Seebeck (BFA 2018) published the inaugural installment of their independent art and poetry magazine, Magazine TM. The 2025 issue features 40 artists and writers. Seebeck’s team includes two fellow alums: Cristiaan Jackson (BFA 2020) and Joe Starling (BFA 2020).

Ana Segovia (BFA 2015) has a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles titled MOCA Focus: Ana Segovia. The exhibition is on view until May 2025. 

Mike Sidham (BFA 2012) installed a new mural titled The Three Senators on Mahalia's Mile on the South Side of Chicago. The piece celebrates three historic black senators from Illinois as well as other famous Chicagoans and landmarks.

Arvind Sundar (SAIC 2016) had a solo exhibition titled COSMOS at Anupa Mehta Contemporary Art in Mumbai.

Leonard Suryajaya (MFA 2015) was a featured artist in Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's public art project Flight of the Butterflies.

Olivia Swider (BFA 2010) was appointed as part of the 2024 Ambassador Committee for Untitled Art Fair 2024 in Miami Beach.

Adrienne Elise Tarver (MFA 2011) created public exhibitions of her work across Chicago, Boston, and New York. In She Who Sits, a collaboration with the Public Arts Fund, Tarver placed six new pieces on bus shelters throughout the three cities.

Norman Teague (MFA 2016) has a solo exhibition titled Jam Sessions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York on view through May 11, 2025.

Alice Tippit (BFA 2009, MFA 2013) had a solo show at PATRON Gallery in Chicago.

Keioui Keijaun Thomas (MFA 2016) held a solo exhibition and performance, Nasty & Full, at New York's Keith Haring Theater.

Hope Wang (BFA 2018) co-runs the vibrant community hub and creative fiber space LMRM (Loom Room) with Murat Ahmed in Chicago.

Carrie Wayne (BFA 2015) was included in New Women's Work: Reimagining Feminine Craft in Contemporary Art, a book highlighting 38 contemporary artists redefining traditional craft practices.

Brittney Leeanne Williams (SAIC 2012) was selected as the fall 2024 Artist-In-Residence at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans.

Chang Yuchen (MFA 2013) performed their public art piece Tree Hole (Your Secret is Safe with Me) on the High Line in New York City. Visitors were encouraged to come close and share a secret with Chang, who would be listening quietly from within their sculpture.

2000s

Alberto Aguilar (BFA 1997, MFA 2001) held a solo exhibition at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, titled Grid Luck.

Shira Avni's (MFA 2003) recent animated documentary film Two One Two has won 17 international awards and 10 nominations to date, including the Special Jury Prize at the Sommets du Cinéma d'animation, Best Animated Short Film at the Berlin Short Film Festival, the Nonviolence Award at Ann Arbor, Best Documentary Microshort at Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation and Technology, and a Golden Sheaf Award nomination. The film has had more than 130 film festival screenings worldwide.

Wafaa Bilal (MFA 2003) has a retrospective show titled Wafaa Bilal: Indulge Me up at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago until October 19, 2025.

Dayton Castleman (MFA 2008) and Ben Fain (MFA 2008) were featured speakers during the ULI Northwest Arkansas Place Summit where they discussed how their background in the arts has shaped their careers in real estate development.

Stephen Eichhorn (BFA 2006) had a solo exhibition, VOIDGROUND, at Secrist | Beach in Chicago.

Dave Essinger (MFA 2000) released his second novel, This World and the Next.

Jorge Felix (MFA 2001) curated Persistence | Persistencia: The Lions’ Roar in the Puerto Rican Arts, an exhibition at the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance in Chicago that featured 15 other SAIC alumni.

Dianna Frid (BFA 1991, MFA 2003) had a solo show titled DIANNA FRID: TIME IS TEXTILE at Alan Koppel Gallery.

Pedro Antonio Guerrero (MFA 2004) founded the business magazine Hispanic Executive to highlight successful Latinos in the United States, featuring figures such as former Housing Secretary Julian Castro and Jessica Alba

Margo Handweker (MA 2005) was appointed dean of the Core Residency Program at the Glassell School in August 2024.

Radhika Kapoor (BFA 2006) opened a new studio space and art education center in Mumbai.

Jason Karolak (MFA 2006) had a solo exhibition of paintings and drawings at Grölle Galerie in Düsseldorf, Germany. He also participated in the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation THREAD Residency in Sinthian, Senegal.

Jenny Kendler (MFA 2006) presented her first solo exhibition in New York, Other of Pearl, at the Governors Island National Monument. 

Jungsoo Kim (MFA 2005) opened a new design firm, Atelier Kim, in partnership with Beemok Hospitality Group. The firm's first major project will reimagine The Charleston Place, a luxury hotel in Charleston.

Young Joon Kwak (BFA 2007) was named as one of the six new artist mentors for the 2025 Queer|Art|Mentorship program.

Sia Kyriakakos (MFA 2000) won Maryland State Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for National Teacher of the Year. She also ran for Congress during the November elections.

Juliette Ricci Lagman (BFA 2001) published a visual memoir titled Be Like Water.

Matteo Lane (BFA 2009) completed a national comedy tour. He also has a comedy special coming out on Hulu later this spring along with the release of his cookbook, Your Pasta Sucks.

Benjamin Madeska (MA 2009) had two paintings selected to be included in a group show at Nicolet College in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, titled The Art of Culinary.

Matthew Mazotta (BFA 2001) was selected to create a public art installation to inspire voters outside of the newly constructed Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office.

Laura Moore (BFA 2006) was featured in two exhibitions, Deep Dive 2 at Bath House Cultural Center and Convergence at Art on Main, both in Dallas.

Andrea Myers (BFA 2002, MFA 2006) completed a Riverbox, an artist-created vessel inspired by the hobbies of letterboxing and geocaching, in Dublin, Ohio. Her work is titled Soft Rock and can be found in Donegal Cliffs Park.

Laura Nova (MFA 2001) was named the Harpo Foundation 2024 Grantee.

Meg Onli (BFA 2008) was promoted to the position of Nancy and Fred Poses Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

John Opera (MFA 2005) had a piece featured in a group show titled DOCUMENT x Mrs. Cosmic Disco at DOCUMENT gallery in Chicago. He was also featured in Captured Earth, a group show at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago.

Joey Orr (MA 2008) was appointed deputy director and chief of Curatorial Affairs at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

Tory Reiff (BFA 2003) has been elected Vice President of Hera Gallery, a pioneering feminist arts organization based in Wakefield, Rhode Island. Hera Gallery has been a vital platform for promoting contemporary art and social change since its founding in 1974.

Nathaniel Robinson (MFA 2005) had a solo show titled Rooms with Rooms and Games at Devening Projects in Chicago.

Clare Rojas (MFA 2002) was included in About Place: Bay Area Artists from the Svane Gift at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

Sterling Ruby (BFA 2002) had a solo exhibition titled The Flower Cutter Rests on Dust Covered Steps at Shinsegae Gallery in Seoul, Korea.

Claire Sherman (MFA 2005) was part of the group show Who is There? at DC Moore Gallery in New York.

Ursula Sokolowska (BFA 2001) was honored with the 2024 Meier Achievement Award for her innovation, past achievements, and community contributions.

Edra Soto's (Post-Bacc 1998, MFA 2000) installation, La Casa de Todos, was featured on the cover of Newcity's Fall 2024 issue. Her new installation, Graft, is on view in Central Park until August 2025. Soto also won the $100,000 Joyce Award to complete a project with The Sculpture Center of Cleveland.

Kianja Strobert (BFA 2004) has a solo exhibition with MARINARO in New York.

Steven Summers' (MFA 2005) film, War Movie: The American Battle in Cinema, was selected for screening by the Gene Siskel Film Center.

Martine Syms (BFA 2007) had her first retrospective exhibition in France, titled Total, at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris.

Karen Tam (MFA 2002) collaborated with Art Souterrain to install a public artwork and exhibition titled Pour chaque mile de voie construit... / For every mile of track laid... on the fences surrounding the Place Michel Hébert construction site in Montreal, Canada.

Rachel Wakeman (BFA 2004) curated Bernece Berkman-Hunter and Ethel Spears, an exhibition at Madron Gallery in Chicago that highlighted two Depression-era SAIC alums and their stories.

Erin Wright (BFA 2008) had a solo booth exhibition with Sow and Tailor at the Armory Show in New York as part of the PRESENTS section. 

Sara Zalek (BFA 2006) showcased her performance, Summer Soundwalk Series: Expanding Awareness, with Norman Long in Big Marsh Park in Chicago.

1990s

Petra Bachmaier (BFA 1999) and Sean Gallero (BFA 1998) were featured in MANIFEST at SECRIST | BEACH in Chicago.

Sandra Binion (MFA 1992) was commissioned by the Musée d’Orsay to create a 10-minute video, Dans la lumière d’Harriet Backer, in dialogue with their exhibition of Harriet Becker's work.

Marianna Buchwald (BFA 1990) organized The Ocean Between International Art Symposium, a project that she has been curating in partnership with Oliva Gallery in Chicago and Hannover, Syke, and Berlin in Germany since 1990.

Brian Calvin (MFA 1994) was part of a two-person show, Brian Calvin & Vivien Maier, at Corbett vs Dempsey's North Gallery.

Jim Dempsey (BFA 1991) co-chaired the Hyde Park Art Center 2024 Gala.

Jeffrey Gibson (BFA 1995) unveiled a mural titled Your Spirit Whispering in My Ear in Boston in partnership with MASS MoCA and the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. He also was named Artist of the Year by the 2024 Apollo Awards. Gibson is represented by Hauser & Wirth as of October 2024.

Gary Graham (BFA 1992) was selected to be the costume designer for the figures in Kara Walker's new installation, Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine), at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Pablo Helguera (BFA 1993) had work that was included in the construction of the new Far Rockaway Public Library in Queens, New York, as part of the Percent for Art program. He also designed and hosted Librería Donceles, a social engagement art piece in Fresno, California, that simulated a librería on Calle Donceles, a Mexico City street famously lined with bookstores.

Patrick Jacobs' (MFA 1999) piece Dandelion Cluster #3 is part of a permanent installation at the Museum of Art and Design in New York

Jennifer J.L. Jones (BFA 1994) unveiled new paintings at her studio in Port Royal, South Carolina, and at the Hillary Whitaker Gallery in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Jones celebrated 25 years as an independent artist this past summer.

Jennie C. Jones (BFA 1991) received the 2024 Heinz Award for the Arts.

David Kaplan (SAIC 1993) was elected as a member of the board of trustees at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Kerri Mangold (BFA 1992) is part of the group art exhibition titled 1868: The Exhibition at Busey Bank in Glenview, Illinois, on view through June 2025.

Aeron Maxwell (MFA 1997) had a solo exhibition titled Changing Visions in Hyperspace at The Epiphany Center for the Arts in Chicago.

Jodean Rousey Meleski (MA 1999) was the 2024 recipient of the Quad City Arts Harley Award.

Rebecca Morris (Post-Bacc 1992, MFA 1994) was selected as a 2024 Joan Mitchell Fellowship recipient.

Ian Muirhead (BFA 1996) was a speaker at How to Make a Scene, a series at Co-Prosperity discussing artist-run spaces in Chicago.

Claudia Navas (BFA 1997) curated Herbarium, Seen & Dreamed at the Serralves Foundation in Porto, Portugal.

Soumya Netrabile (BFA 1995) was part of the Christmas in July exhibition at Andrew Rafacz Gallery.

Leah Oates (MFA 1997) had her work included in the international juried photo exhibition Water ~ Sky at Praxis Photo Art Center in Minneapolis. Her work was also part of the following group shows: Dodecahedron: Quintessence of the Universe at Lichtundfire Gallery in New York City, CAPIC Xposé Exhibition 2024 in Toronto, Art on Paper NYC 2024, and Summer Break Group Show at Station Independent Projects in Toronto, Canada.

 Louise Pappageorge (BFA 1983) participated in a group show and reception, Sunny Sentiments: A Tribute to a Summer's Glow, at The Gwen in Chicago.

Amy Pleasant (BFA 1994) participated in two group shows: Florida Room No. 3: Snowbirds at KDR Gallery in Miami, and Invisible Forces at Johnson Lowe Gallery in Atlanta.

Stephanie Powell (SAIC 1996) participated in Short Shorts, a film screening on Governors Island in New York.

Damon Lamar Reed (BFA 1999) was the Chicago Public Art Group’s inaugural Artist of the Year.

Susan Anne Russell (BFA 1996) published a textbook titled B.A.D. Bold and Daring Women in The Arts.

Deborah Stratman's (BFA 1990) Last Things was presented at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

Elisabeth Subrin (MFA 1995) was a guest speaker at Conversations at the Edge at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

Christine Tarkowski (MFA 1992) had a solo exhibition at the Arts Club of Chicago titled The Old Moon in the new Moon's arms.

Geoffrey Todd Smith (BFA 1995) had a solo exhibition at Western Exhibitions Chicago.

Lauren Was (BFA 1999), co-founder of arts collaborative Ghost of a Dream, curated a show for the 2024 Upstate Art Weekend and completed permanent installations titled REMEMBER WHEN TOMORROW CAME at PS653 in Brooklyn and Chateau de la Napoule in France.

Richard Wlodarczak (MFA 1996) had a solo show, The Inherent Icon, at Art Works Gallery in Vancouver.

1980s

Richard Doherty (MFA 1980) had his archives acquired by the University of North Texas, which also published a book of his photographs titled Framing Oak Cliff: A Visual Diary of a Dallas Neighborhood.

Markus Dohner (MFA 1982) completed the design for the beLonging: Lithuanian Artists in Chicago 1900 to Now exhibition at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, Chicago.

David Kroll (MFA 1986) had a solo show titled Distant Clouds at Zolla/Lieberman Gallery in Chicago.

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

Sharon Louden (BFA 1988) was appointed executive director of the Women's Studio Workshop in Hudson Valley, New York.

Paul McCarthy (MFA 1980) was featured in a virtual solo exhibition by Xavier Hufkins titled Soiled – Paul McCarthy’s Early Performance Works (1971–76).

Jason Messenger (BFA 1988) participated in the Cornelia Arts Building Open Studio event celebrating its reopening.

Deyana Mielke's (BFA 1984) piece, The Executor, was selected for Art Kauai 2024 and awarded The Edward M. Eaton Contemporary Art Memorial Award in Kauai, Hawaii.
She was also selected for Unreal, an international juried exhibition in Vancouver, Canada, with her surrealist photograph, She Spins.
During Fall ArtScene, a biannual gallery walk In Rockford, Illinois, hosted by the Rockford Area Arts Council, Mielke participated at Kith and Kin Gallery.

Laura Migliorino (BFA 1982) participated in Motion, a group show at PH21 Gallery in Budapest. Migliorino also co-curated No Place Like Home: The Diaspora with London-based artist KV Duong, presented by Xia Gallery in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Connie Noyes (MFA 1981) was featured in the online exhibition titled Think As Water, which highlighted some of her archived works.

Melanie Parke (BFA 1989) was part of a group show titled Inside for Winter at Kenise Barnes Fine Art in Kent, Connecticut.

Kim Piotrowski (BFA 1988) held a solo show titled Extended Play at Grölle Galerie in Wuppertal, Germany.

Hong Sangsoo's (MFA 1989) films A Traveler's Needs and In Our Day were selected for screening at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

Nicholas Sistler (BFA 1980) had a solo exhibition at Sona Chicago Contemporary Art.

Ellen Soffer (MFA 1983) presented a solo exhibition, Shimmer, at the SAS Gallerie in Bossier City, Louisiana.

Sara Varon's (BFA 1989) graphic novel, Robot Dreams, was adapted into a feature film that was shown by the Gene Siskel Film Center.

William Wahlgren (BFA 1987) had a solo show, Both Sides Now, at the Davis Gallery in Austin.

1970s

Colette Wright Adams (MFA 1977) hosted Notan Project: A Free Meditation & Drawing Art Experience in Chicago. She was also featured in a Members Show at the Elmhurst Art Museum, curated the inaugural Art Exhibition at the North Park Village Nature Center, and had three pieces showcased in the CAVA x ALMA exhibition in Chicago.

Terry Berkowitz (MFA 1973) was part of a group show titled ENDGAME: WhiteBox’s Fifth Presidential Election Exhibition at WhiteBox gallery in New York.

Dalton Brown (BFA 1973) exhibited dynamic paintings done in glass at the 11th annual Beverly Art Walk in Chicago.

Judith Geichman (MFA 1978) gave an artist talk for the Society for Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Lou Mallozzi (BFA 1978) was featured in a group exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago titled Captured Earth.

1960s

Robert Donley (BFA 1960, MFA 1966) was featured in a two-person show at Corbett vs. Dempsey's North Gallery titled Robert Donley & Rosofsky.

Tom Palazzolo (BFA 1965, MFA 1966) had a collection of his films featured at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

Jimmy Wright (BFA 1967) had a solo booth show with Fierman and Corbett & Dempsey at the Armory Show in New York, where his work was featured in the FOCUS section.

1950s

Vincent Arcilesi (BFA 1956, MFA 1961) had work featured in the exhibition (All) The Winner Takes It at AHA Fine Art.

Robert Earl Paige (SAIC 1952) had a solo exhibition, The United Colors of Robert Earl Paige, at Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago. It was the largest exhibition of his work to date.

Wadsworth Jarrell (BFA 1956, HON 2020) was part of a three-person show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York with Kavi Gupta.

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

Bruce Axelrod (BFA 1973)

Willie O’Neal Bragan

Kelly Bigelow Becerra (BFA 1998)

Margo Mensing (MFA 1987)

Howard Hughes (BFA 1980)

Tim Jackson (BFA 1985)

Bita Turban (BA 1954)

Joseph Zucker (SAIC 1964, MFA 1966, HON 2013) ■