Graduate Students

Yehimi Cambrón Álvarez (she/her/ella) is a DACAmented artist and activist raised in Atlanta and born in San Antonio Villalongín, Michoacán, México. She became undocumented at seven when she immigrated to Georgia with her family. 

Cambrón has served as a monument-maker asserting the humanity of immigrants in Atlanta through public art. She has claimed barren walls to paint landmarks that belong to undocumented people who, through her community-responsive process, share their desire to be defined by more than their immigration status. Agency and vulnerability coexist in the murals; her subjects choose to come out publicly as undocumented while valiantly facing a system that forces them into the shadows. 

The monuments Cambrón has painted in Atlanta institute a space for immigrants within the South's dominant racial binary. From her first mural on Buford Hwy—the immigrant heart of Atlanta and where she grew up—to her mural at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, she confronts the idea of who is worthy of public celebration in the home of the largest Confederate monument in the nation. 

Although she initially became known for her murals, Cambrón's art and activism found a place in museums through mixed-media pieces, paintings, and installations. She became the first known Undocumented artist to exhibit at Atlanta's High Museum of Art in 2019 with "Family Portrait," a series of individual portraits depicting her mixed-status immigrant family. Since then, she has exhibited at the MOCA GA, the Atlanta Contemporary, and the University of South Carolina’s Upstate Art Gallery, among others. Her most recent mural in Atlanta, "Monuments: Atlanta's Immigrants," is part of The Art Collection at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

Cambrón is pursuing her MFA at SAIC as a 2023 Fellow of the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. She earned a B.A. in Studio Art in 2014 from Agnes Scott College as a recipient of the full-ride Goizueta Foundation Scholarship. In 2015, Cambrón was accepted into Teach for America (TFA) as a Corps Member, becoming one of the first DACAmented educators placed in Georgia by TFA and serving on TFA's DACA Advisory Board for two years. After completing her TFA commitment as an elementary school teacher, Cambrón returned to her alma mater, Cross Keys High School, to teach art from 2017-2019. She has been a full-time artist, activist, and national public speaker since 2019.

Personal Statement: Processing the metaphorical and literal battles of my life, my artwork focuses on expressing myself and learning who I am as an individual. Growing up as a queer person in a conservative Catholic household in South Louisiana along with battles I currently face with familial bonds and expressing my queerness proudly in life are all things that influence the direction and themes of my studio practice. Through my artwork I hope to gain more of an understanding of who and what I am, the culture in which I actively chose to reject when growing up, and aggressively dismantling the belief systems of my childhood such as religion, homophobia, and self-hatred. 

My artwork focuses on my personal self and lived experiences, thus it is the main way I understand myself and why I have a never-ending need to create. My understanding and perception of both my past and current art is constantly changing as I continue to learn and accept more about myself. My studio practice is experimental in nature, and I focus on selecting what processes can best convey the specific idea and themes of a piece. Common themes of my work are queerness, familial bonds, religion, and the idea of costume. My artwork often appears dark, macabre, and melancholic because of the subtlety and somberness of my subject matter. My work crosses the disciplines of printmaking, painting with acrylic and watercolor, sculpture, and even academic typography research. Most recently my artwork has been focused on the processes of printmaking due to the vastness and tactility of the medium, specifically experimenting with manipulating screen printing.

Mehdi Darvishi (he/him) was born in the summer of 1988, coinciding with the Iran—Iraq peace resolution. In his war-stricken hometown, Mehdi grew up unexposed to art galleries and museums. In 2007 he left home to earn a BFA in Painting at the University of Tehran where he learned basic printmaking techniques such as relief and intaglio. After receiving his degree in 2011, his interest in printmaking grew into a life's pursuit. He has since exhibited in over 30 countries and has participated in more than 200 global exhibitions, competitions, residencies, and as a visiting artist. His works have been widely collected by museums such as the China Printmaking Museum, the Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Art, Jyvaskyla Museum of Fine Arts, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, and the US Library of Congress. He is the recipient of the Southern Graphics Conference fellowship as well as the Pritzker fellowship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Personal Statement: Much of my current work is fed by curiosity in the persistence of psychiatric disorders and the ways in which humans fall into cognitive traps. I use my art not only as a means of externalizing internal processes and giving form to underlying negative thoughts, but also as a narrative tool to echo the minds of those with similar struggles. I want to give form to thoughts that many may share, yet are unable to say out loud, in order to make them feel less alone. My hope is that new avenues and approaches to expression will arise as a result of being immersed in SAIC’s diverse artistic community.

Haley Kim works with monoprint and artist books that explore the dream, memory, landscape, and virtual space. Creating prints and making a constructed artist book in three dimensions, her works allow the audience to interact with a visual reconstruction of the artist's dream space. These images are constructed through continuous, abstract mark-making and the afterimages which recall the aesthetics of photographic film. She uses the physical space of the exhibition to construct a three-dimensional, interactive narrative embodying the space between dreaming and waking. 

Personal Statement: The work I create uses various types of mediums including drawings, printmaking, and sculpture. Ethnic identity is a recurring theme within my work. I dig deeper into subcategories such as trauma, and resilience. I take the time to reflect on my own past experiences, as well as collective experiences from African-American communities. Depending on the viewer's own placement within today’s racial structure, each person will see the images differently. However, it is my hope that the viewer is able to emphasize and leave with a better understanding of racial issues.

CHema (he/his/him) is a graphic artist. An enthusiast of popular graphics and traditional printing techniques, his work reflects parallel universes, includes polysemy, and is often inspired by popular culture, cartoons, and music as well as social issues.

Tom White (he/him) is an artist from Omaha, NE. He moved to Chicago in 2020 after graduating from he University of Nebraska at Omaha with his BFA in Drawing and a minor in Art History. Tom is a substitute teacher within Chicago Public Schools. Although drawing in pen and ink is his current area of study, he is excited for the opportunities the Printmedia department will open him up to. 

Personal Statement: My process is an appreciation for the historical context of contemporary social issues. My art invites viewers to examine socio-political challenge, encourages critical reflection, and explores the historical trajectory of these issues. In addition, I seamlessly integrate traditional printmaking with modern technology. This synergy demonstrates both the historical root of printmaking as a powerful political tool as well as the complexities and opportunities presented by technology. I use technology judiciously as an effective medium of artistic expression, while also recognizing its potential to both address social problems and encroach upon individual freedoms.

At the same time, my artistic path is a fusion of political awareness, historical acumen, and technological ingenuity. This multifaceted approach enables me to make contemporary art that challenges dominant narratives and, at the same time, amplifies voices that are often silenced. Ultimately, I want to provoke reflection, inspire dialog, and encourage action through my artwork. By interweaving threads of politics, history, and technology, I hope to create a form of visual expression that resonates with the spirit of the times and leaves a lasting impression on those who engage with it. Through my work, I hope to provide a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between society, history, and technology, while celebrating the enduring resilience and stories of the everyday individuals who shape our world.

Personal Statement: I studied printmaking at Luxun Academy of Fine Arts for my undergraduate degree in China. My works are deeply rooted in my personal experiences, and I enjoy using art as a medium to express the relationships between different elements. Through my creative practice, I aim to convey the connections and interactions that I have experienced.

Personal Statement: Within the trajectory of my artistic exploration, the realm of visual representation has invariably constituted my inaugural point of ingress. In its nascent stages, my creative oeuvre inclined towards superficial expression as a means to convey personalized perceptions. Nevertheless, as temporal progression has unfurled its tapestry, I have undergone a gradual metamorphosis, evolving from the mere portrayal of visual stimuli to the articulation of abstract concepts. This transition has led to the expansion of my individualized perceptions into the broader arena of public consciousness.

Perception, in its multifaceted manifestations, occupies a paramount role within the crucible of my creative process. The senses, encompassing touch, vision, audition, and olfaction, serve as propellants, impelling me to confront not only the innermost recesses of my psyche but also the societal milieu, thereby engendering a fortified nexus with the world at large. In the act of creative genesis, I initially externalize my self-awareness, subsequently embarking on the enunciation of my expressive cognizance. Consequently, my primary focus gravitates towards an assiduous exploration and a holistic assimilation of the external milieu. I hold interpersonal interactions and connections as the fundamental pillars upon which my creative edifice is erected, assuming the mantle of an intermediary, effecting a symbiotic connection between disparate individuals. In the panorama of my artistic compositions, I proffer a reinterpretation of self-awareness, diligently striving to orchestrate a harmonious interplay among variegated individuals, all the while navigating the intricate contours of cognitive transformation.

Personal Statement: Through exploration of Catholic iconography, queer history, and self image, my work seeks to reconcile religious and childhood trauma. Having distanced myself from organized religion, I've been on a years-long journey to cultivate a spirituality that revolves around my own selfhood. This exploration has materialized in my recent artwork, where I delve into the intersection of sexuality and the residual effects of religious guilt. Recognizing how queer affinity can serve as a conduit for spirituality and a catalyst for creative expression, I’ve forged intimate and platonic relationships with the people in my community. The confidence, compassion, and connection I have received through these bonds have unearthed facets of myself that were previously buried beneath years of shame. Embracing a new, confident identity as a sacred slut, I've found a sense of holiness and purpose that my Catholic upbringing failed to instill. Articulating this revelation through my interdisciplinary work has not only provided me with a unique, other spirituality but has also allowed me to dedicate my creative pursuits to self-discovery and the higher powers inherent in my synthesized cult of self.

Originally hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, Alex Blom’s (he/they) studio practice centers on his queerness and spirituality. Blom holds a BA in Studio Art with minors in Art History and Business Administration from the University of Denver (‘23). At DU, he was a four-year NCAA Division I swimmer. After graduation, Blom served on the Media and Marketing Committee for Mo’Print Colorado and completed the Create Award Residency at Art Gym Denver. 

Kelsie Hogle was born and raised in Ohio. She graduated SAIC with a BFA in painting and printmaking. 

Personal Statement: I am a conceptual artist focusing on the production of ephemera. By engaging an interdisciplinary approach, my work investigates nostalgia through print media combined with sculpture, performance, and installation.

I communicate and translate personal stories and memories through formalized prints as a form of archiving. Through play and experimentation in color and material my work arrives through questions that explore our relationship with the everyday experience.

Working with memory helps navigate the painful reality of growing old and losing one's memory. By creating pieces as an extension of those memories it helps to immortalize them to never be lost; to then be able to let go of the narrative of once was and what will be.

Personal Statement: I am a Chicago-based print maker, and my work is founded on examining the city with two objectives: to discern the larger forces at work and examine their impact on me and my fellow citizens; and to examine the tiny role me and my relatives have played/are playing in shaping the city during a century of living here.

At the moment my favorite mediums are relief, screen, lithography, and metal point. I use materials found around the city as substrate whenever possible, and spend a lot of time contemplating the impact and evolution of 20th century commercial design.

Emma Difani (she/her) is a visual artist working primarily in printmaking and installation. She received a BFA in Printmaking from the University of New Mexico and has exhibited prints and drawings throughout the US. She is a member of the Factory Obscura art collective and co-founder of Connect:Collect, an annual international print exchange. Appreciation of materials and collaboration guide her process. Her work uses the obsessive layering of printmaking to explore connection and the complex relationships between the natural and constructed environments.

Yan Wang (she/her) is an artist and printmaker from Beijing, China, currently based in Chicago, IL. Yan's works assemble images that embody the monochromatic and metaphorical qualities of childhood memories, and the female experience of growing up in China. She turns prints into sequential animated films, utilizing the textures created by printmaking approaches. 

She has experience in various print mediums including silkscreen, monotype, lithograph, relief, etching with aquatint, and drypoint printing.

Outside the framework of traditional printmaking, Yan Wang is also experienced in crafts such as ceramics and book-binding. She is currently exploring interdisciplinary possibilities through concepts closely associated with social political feminism.

Talia Tacy (they/she) is a printmaker and painter from Salt Lake City, Utah. They completed their BFA in Painting and Drawing at the University of Utah, with minors in Sculpture and Book Arts. Prior to beginning their MFA, they studied printmaking with Karen Kunc at Constellation Studios in Lincoln, Nebraska. Their favorite things in life include: getting to know new people, taking 15-minute midday naps, cooking large meals for good friends, and eating watermelon directly out of the rind with a spoon. 

Laura Bejarano (they/them/theirs) (b.1995 Ibague, Colombia) uses their practice to explore self-identity, the human experience, and the makings of the universe through a queer immigrant lens. Their process-based work uses gouache, colored pencil, graphite, and printmaking techniques such as copper plate etching, dry point, and relief. Using a combination of abstraction, line work, and color-layering, Bejarano creates multidimensional spacescapes that aim to draw the viewer into an existential dialogue. They received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2017.

Bejarano has completed residencies at Second State Press and 1817 Studio C in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Hyattsville, Maryland. They have taught workshops at the Smithsonian Postal Museum, the University of Delaware, the Maryland Multicultural Youth Center, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, and with I Learn America. Their work has been shown around Atlanta at MOCA GA, HiLo Press, Mint Gallery, in Los Angeles at Lei Min Space, and in Philadelphia at Ice Box Gallery. Laura currently lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia.