Six Alums Named 2023 Guggenheim Fellows

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced the Guggenheim Fellows for 2023. School of the Art Institute of Chicago community members Amber Bay Bemak (MFA 2006), Maura Brewer (BFA 2006), Maris Curran (MFA 2006), Jac Jemc (MFA 2008), Martine Syms (BFA 2007), and Sheri Wills (MFA 1992, MA 1996) are among the 171 writers, scholars, and artists awarded this fellowship.

Bemak is a filmmaker, artist, and educator; her work is based in experimental and documentary film.

Brewer is a video artist with essayistic, research-driven projects that critique the relationship between feminism and capitalism.

Curran uses film to delve into the drama of the everyday and tell stories that take on race, disability, illness and sexuality.

Jemc teaches creative writing at UC San Diego and is the author of three novels and two collections of stories.

Syms is an artist who has earned wide recognition for a practice that combines conceptual grit, humor, and social commentary.

Wills is an artist who works with film, video, and sound to make single-channel videos, installations, sound works, and live video performances.

Guggenheim Fellowships are intended for mid-career individuals who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts and exhibit great promise for their future endeavors.