Michael Chesnick, Author at School of Art

Antebi receives prestigious MacDowell Fellowship

Posted on March 6, 2026March 9, 2026 by Michael Chesnick

School of Art Assistant Professor Nicole Antebi has been awarded a prestigious MacDowell Fellowship to work on an animated essay that will explore “the hug” — both visually and textually as a gesture that “is as complex as it is political,” she said.

Antebi is among 135 artists across seven disciplines chosen from a pool of over 2,600 applicants for the spring/summer 2026 season at MacDowell — the nation’s first artist residency program, founded in 1907. She’ll be working on her project March 16-30 at its historic campus in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

“I’m really looking forward to this opportunity,” said Antebi, part of the school’s Illustration, Design & Animation program. “The project I will be working on … will focus on four consequential hugs that took place in El Paso, Texas, from 2019 to 2025, which demonstrate the restorative love of a border city perpetually traumatized by federal policies.”

Context for her animated essay, she said, will begin with the dismantling of “Hugs not Walls,” a Border Network for Human Rights initiative that began in 2016 that let families who could not visit each other because of their immigration status to meet in the middle of the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) River once a month to embrace.

Nicole Antebi wrote and animated an Oct. 7, 2024, essay for The Texas Observer “Reclaiming Friendship across borders.”

Makeshift platforms on the river allowed families wearing different T-shirts — one color for those on the U.S. side and another for those in Mexico — to hug without fear of deportation or any other repercussions. The events were hosted in partnership with the Border Patrol, the International Boundary and Water Commission and the El Paso and Juárez police departments. The initiative was cancelled May 10, 2025, on Mexican Mother’s Day, because the Trump administration had designated a second stretch of the border as a National Defense Area to enforce immigration laws, according to news reports.

Sama Alshaibi, a Regents professor from the University of Arizona School of Art, was awarded a MacDowell Fellowship last year.

Also offering a fall/winter season, MacDowell hosts 300 fellows annually from around the world, including architects, composers, filmmakers, interdisciplinary artists, theater artists, visual artists and writers.

Antebi and others “will be granted the gift of uninterrupted focus,” supported by a private studio, accommodations and three prepared meals each day, according to the residency’s website, macdowell.org.

“MacDowell is a safe haven for artists from around the world,” said Courtney Bethel, the program’s admissions director. “In the current political climate, it’s especially meaningful to create opportunities for artists to build connections and foster community at both the national and global levels.”

In 2025, Antebi was named an Early Career Scholar Award recipient by the University of Arizona for her cross-cultural work that centers on animation as a form of community-engaged storytelling. She is co-director of the Wonder Studio at Biosphere 2, which serves as an animation, data visualization and film production laboratory dedicated to developing solutions for environmental change.

“Nicole is an amazing teacher who encourages her students to build better communities through storytelling, animation and collaboration,” said Professor Kelly Leslie, who chairs the School of Art’s Illustration, Design and Animation program.

For this year’s Spring Summer session, MacDowell received applications from artists in all 50 U.S. states along with Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, and 71 countries. Accepted artists represent 27 states, 16 countries and five continents.

Founded by composer Edward MacDowell and pianist Marian MacDowell, the MacDowell program was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1997. Over the past 119 years, more than 16,500 residencies have been awarded to distinguished artists such as James Baldwin, Charlie Kaufman, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Louise Erdrich, Suzan-Lori Parks, Ayad Akhtar, Laura Poitras, Faith Ringgold, Meredith Monk, Osvaldo Golijov, Sam Grabiner, Ersela Kripa, Alyson Shotz, Maya Ciarrocchi, and jaamil olawale kosoko.

“I am once again in awe of the remarkable talent arriving on our grounds this spring and summer,” said Chiwoniso Kaitano, MacDowell’s executive director. “Representing … an extraordinary breadth of ideas, these artists — at every stage of their careers—are true groundbreakers. It is a deep honor for MacDowell to play even a small role in the impact our Fellows have on art and culture.”

More about Nicole Antebi

Early Career Scholar story: art.arizona.edu/antebi-receives-early-scholar-award
Artist’s website: nicoleantebi.com
School of Art bio: art.arizona.edu/profile/nantebi

3 students to present art education research at national conference

Posted on March 4, 2026March 4, 2026 by Michael Chesnick

Three University of Arizona doctoral students in Art & Visual Culture Education will present their research during the 2026 National Art Education Association Convention in Chicago.

Ziyu Feng, Seoyeon Jenn Kim and Yuqing Wang will join School of Art Assistant Professor Ilayda Altuntas, who will be leading the Seminar for Research in Art Education (SRAE) Interest Group Chairperson’s Panel on March 6.

The panel features Graduate Student Research Lightning Talks — a mentored national session designed to support emerging scholars as they share current research, build professional networks, and engage in conversations about research development, publishing and academic career pathways.

Feng integrates climate data visualization with sustainable handmade papermaking to explore how knowledge emerges through embodied and ecological engagement. Rather than treating climate data as abstract information, her work re-materializes it through tactile processes, positioning fibers, water, environmental forces, and human bodies as active participants in meaning-making. This transdisciplinary approach bridges art and science while foregrounding sustainability and climate education.

Kim will present “From Page to Practice,” which investigates how picturebook pedagogy and arts-based inquiry cultivate critical consciousness in art teacher education, with attention to race-conscious and socioculturally responsive teaching.

Wang will present “Self-Expression and Body Marks: Community-Based Art Practices for Healing and Body Awareness.” Her arts-based research is grounded in embodied epistemology, and during the community engagement portion of the session, she will facilitate a participatory activity connected to relational meaning-making through body marks.

“The Chairperson’s Panel is intentionally structured as a mentorship space where graduate students not only present research, but also connect across institutions and engage with current issues in the field,” Altutnas said. “It reflects SRAE’s long-standing commitment to rigorous, community-oriented scholarship in art education.”

Altuntas will be joined by other School of Art AVCE faculty at the March 5-7 convention, including Professors Amy Kraehe and Ryan Shin and Associate Professor Carissa DiCinido.

Shin and Kraehe will co-present the Invited Studies in Art Education Lecture: “Principled Leadership in Art Education: Understanding and Promoting Change in Teaching, Research and Administration.”

Kraehe will be part of “Sociological Art Education: Methods and Applications for Today,” a panel presentation that takes stock of sociological approaches in art education and gauges interest in a book proposal on critical and reflexive sociological methods used by art education researchers and teachers. Sociological framings may be a useful pivot that keeps art education discourse mobile during trying times.

Kraehe also will participate in “Beyond Binaries: Creative Acts in Precarious Times,” a session that responds to the challenges that art educators experience in their classrooms and communities in these precarious times and the productive ways to navigate art teaching and learning.

From left: Amy Kraehe, Ryan Shin and Carissa DiCindio

Altuntas and Kraehe will be part of the SRAE Business Meeting session: “Networking and Research Advice for Graduate Students and Emerging Scholars.”

Shin will attend the Asian Art and Culture Interest Group executive board meeting and be part of the
Studies in Art Education Panel Session for International Authors. He also will help lead an advisory session, “Writing for Studies in Art Education,” for prospective authors interested in submitting manuscripts for review.

In addition, Shin will be a panel member of the session, “Policy & Action in Difficult Times: Supporting Art Educators’ Diverse Perspectives in Contested Art Educational Contexts.” The panelists will offer strategic policies for inclusive curricula, ethical pedagogies, and advocating for art education programs that address recent challenges to the field.

DiCindio will help present “Centering Critical Consciousness Through Local History, Public Art, and Monuments: Research Commission Sponsored.” She and the panel will discuss public art, local history and social practice to investigate the role of the arts in civic engagement, collective care and advocacy. DiCindio also will be part of the Journal of Social Theory in Art Education Author Roundtable, focusing on the theme of “Movement and Momentum.”

Alumni show highlights school’s photo legacy

Posted on March 3, 2026March 4, 2026 by Michael Chesnick

For Kaitlyn Jo Smith, the University of Arizona MFA Studio Art program in Photography, Video and Imaging not only “helped build confidence in myself and my voice,” but it also “encouraged me to set big goals and apply for big shows,” she said.

In turn, it was students like Smith and five fellow alums — part of this month’s “Under the Sun” exhibition at Tucson’s Steinfeld Gallery — who helped faculty build the School of Art PVI program into a powerhouse with a No. 3 ranking by U.S. News & World Report behind Yale and UCLA.

“I felt a genuine support and care from my faculty and peers, many of whom I am still friends with today,” said Smith, a 2020 MFA alumna and now a lecturer for the school. “It is this nurturing environment that I try to implement within my own classroom. I want my students to feel safe in the exploration of their identities. I want them to experiment and to push themselves further than they thought they could go.”

Smith and fellow MFA alums Stephanie Burchett (2018), Daniel Cheek (2013), C. E. Fitzgerald (2018) and Serge J-F. Levy (2015) and Jacinda Russell (1999) will hold an opening reception Saturday, March 7, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Steinfeld Gallery, 101 W. Sixth Street. The exhibition continues until Sunday, March 29, when the photographers will hold a panel discussion at 2 p.m.

Kaitlyn Jo Smith *(photo by Julius Schlosburg)*

School of Art Professor Emeritus Joseph Labate, curator of “Under the Sun” and a 1986 MFA alum, said the six photographers’ work “has been shaped by study and teaching in the PVI program and reflects a shared commitment to rigorous inquiry, experimentation and critical engagement fostered through university-based photographic education.”

“I am quite proud of the program and my long history in it,” Labate said. “I entered the program as an MFA student and left it as a professor of art. In those early days as a student, I learned of the wide range the medium of photography as art could cover. That extended my previous educational experience and understanding of the medium and showed me the strength of diversity in its practice.”

Labate stressed that the PVI program’s strength begins with faculty — including current Professors Sama Alshaibi, Martina Shenal and David Taylor, Assistant Professor Marcos Serafim and Smith — “whose art practices may be quite different and distinct from their colleagues, yet they still value and respect what those others do,” he said.

“It’s collegiality with diversity and the ability to work toward a common goal, creating a strong program,” Labate said. “This behavior moves to the graduate and undergraduate students and creates an energetic and safe space in which to practice your art.”

It also helps that the internationally recognized Center for Creative Photography is located across Olive Road from the School of Art. “The CCP’s exhibitions, archive, presentations, visiting artists, scholars and opportunities for students are of huge value to the photography program,” Labate said.

In his curator’s statement, he said this month’s group exhibition at Steinfeld not only “highlights a lineage of teaching and learning that has shaped generations of photographers and contributed meaningfully to the field,” but it also is “presented at a time when universities and education in general are under attack.”

“The works on view do not address this political moment directly; rather, the quality and range of their work stand as evidence of what education makes possible: conceptual depth, technical mastery and sustained artistic research,” Labate said.

Here’s a look at the photographers in “Under the Sun”:

Kaitlyn Jo Smith

Bio: Smith’s interdisciplinary studio research examines the socioeconomic impact that emerging technologies have on America’s working class. She is the 2023 recipient of the Alice C. Cole ’42 Fellowship in Studio Art, was longlisted for the 2021 Lumen Prize in Art and Technology (London) and received the College Art Association’s Services to Artists Committee Award for her video Lights Out. Smith has been featured in PDNedu, Art IDEAL, and Al-Tiba9 Magazine. She has presented her work at FEMeeting: Women in Art, Science & Technology (Évora, Taos, and Windsor), Technarte International Conference on Art and Technology (virtual), and Homecoming, Society for Photographic Education Annual National Conference (Denver).

Images she’ll be showing: “A selection from my project ‘Antithesis of a Revelation,’ which was created as a coping mechanism during Covid, the death of both of my grandmothers, my parents’ separation and the loss of my childhood home. While I had been making these images behind the scenes of my public practice for nearly a decade, it did not become clear to me that these photographs come together to tell a larger story of love, loss and acceptance until very recently. ‘Under the Sun’ will be the first time that images from this series will be on display for a larger audience.“

Website: https://www.kaitlynjosmith.com/

Jacinda Russell

Bio: As a conceptual artist with a longstanding interest in edges, borders and topographical extremes, Russell has examined the impacts of human-accelerated climate change in the polar regions since 2017. She works primarily in the mediums of photography, sculpture, installation and bookmaking. Her artwork has been exhibited at numerous locations nationally and internationally, including the southernmost place on earth, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Born in Idaho, she received her BFA from Boise State University in Studio Art before getting her MFA from Arizona. She currently lives and works in Tucson.

Images she’ll be showing: “My series in the exhibition is titled ‘Art Department, 2013 – present.’ I was born into an Art Department and have spent all but three years of my life there. My father was a painting and drawing professor at Boise State University where, as a child, I watched him grade, helped him rearrange drawing chairs to face the modeling stand, and stared out the windows while he completed administrative tasks. Later, I would attend the same school, switch my major from creative writing to studio art, and enroll in the courses of the professors who had known me since birth. I moved to Tucson for a graduate degree and after seven years as an adjunct instructor, obtained a tenured photography position.

“It was not long before I noticed history repeating itself in the stories my father told and those that I witnessed firsthand. In 2013, I began documenting 66 years in an Art Department from the perspectives of the student and the professor. In Under the Sun, straightforward photographs of the pedagogical environment depict emptiness as a blank slate for creativity, what remains after moving to a new building, an early retirement, a loss of voice, and a resignation.“

How did the program shape her career? “I spent 17 years as an Assistant and Associate Professor at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The professors at UA modeled how I would teach in the future (Harold Jones, Carol Flax, Ken Shorr, Joe Labate, Gayle Wimmer, Ellen McMahon, Barbara Penn, Paul Ivey) as well as nurturing my interests in photography as an object, installation as an art form, and bookmaking — mediums I primarily use to this day.“

Her favorite memories: “All the late night hours spent in front of the color processor. The warehouse studio space off Euclid next to the railroad tracks which smelled like the bread factory. The 30-year friendships. The photo program is special in the way that I am not only close to the people who attended at the same time as me, former mentors, and a handful of students … but I have formed lasting friendships and collaborations with people who graduated long afterward (Camden Hardy through the Postcard Collective, Anh-Thuy Nguyen and Clare Benson were visiting artists at my institution in Indiana, etc.). The element of belonging by association runs deeper than I ever would have thought after graduating in 1999.“

Website: https://jacindarussell.com

Stephanie Burchett

Bio: Burchett is an and educator whose work explores themes of place, identity and environmental infrastructure. She currently serves as the Assistant Chair of the Arts & Humanities Department at Glendale Community College in Arizona, where she teaches photography. Born and raised in Greeley, Colorado, Burchett’s interest in photography began in her youth, inspired by a camera left behind by her grandmother. She pursued a BA in Graphic Arts and Photography from the University of Northern Colorado before earning her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Arizona.

Images she’ll be showing: “A new body of tintype work that documents the tools and makers of Greeley Hat Works, a custom cowboy hat shop in Greeley, Colorado, named Greeley Hat Works. They opened in 1909 and have made custom hats for ranchers and the local community but also for George W. Bush and members of the Yellowstone Cast.“

Her thoughts on the School of Art: “I chose to pursue an MFA so I could teach photography at the college level. The opportunities that I had to teach while pursuing my MFA and working with our faculty who modeled how to balance a life of teaching and making were incredibly valuable. Earning the degree was an essential stepping stone to my current position at Glendale Community College. I am so grateful for the opportunity.“

Her favorite moment at U of A: “Although it’s hard to call it a single memory, one of my favorites is David Taylor’s field research class, which I took during my second year of graduate school. About every two weeks, we would travel to different landmarks throughout the Sonoran Desert. Some of these destinations included San Xavier del Bac, Baboquivari Peak, Ajo, and Pinal Air Park. We camped and spent time together at all hours, traveling, sharing meals, and learning about the local artisans and
communities we visited. I’ll always be grateful for the camaraderie formed with my peers during that experience, and I hold our memories close to my heart.“

Website: https://www.stephanieburchett.com/

Daniel Cheek

Bio: Cheek’s work examines the ways people experience the world around us. Whether working in national parks or museums or in his neighborhood, he is interested in looking for authentic experiences and the ways we directly interact with our surroundings. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States. His work was part of a three-person exhibition titled “Great Basin Exteriors” funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Western Arts Federation that was shown in fifteen venues throughout Nevada. Daniel’s work was featured in Denver Art Museum’s “Other People’s Pictures: Gifts from the Robert and Kerstin Adams Collection” as well as in “To Bough and To Bend” at The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University in 2023. He had a solo exhibition at Andrew Smith Gallery in Tucson in 2022.

Artist statement: “Working in national, state, and local parks, as well as public lands, I am looking at the historic and contemporary ways people travel through and experience the outdoors. I am interested in authentic experiences and the ways we directly interact with our surroundings. I believe that through interpretation of the ways we experience places that are considered natural, we learn more about how we want to live in our own environment. When we want to experience nature, we often drive to the nearest park, when we have made our way past the parking lots and visitor centers, we are guided by trails and signs and guardrails. My work looks at this experience and how these types of things may affect our view of what nature is. Where does nature begin and where does the built environment end? What does it mean to be “out in nature” versus just being outdoors?“

Website: https://www.dancheek.com/

C.E. Fitzgerald

Bio: Fitzgerald is an artist who works primarily in self-portraiture. He often photographs himself in inhospitable environments, where he positions his body in awkward poses. His photographs draw attention in equal parts to place and the body. Fitzgerald grew up in New Mexico and currently resides in Tucson after receiving his MFA in photography from the University of Arizona. His work has been exhibited at the Phoenix Art Museum, the Tucson Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson.

Artist statement: “I never imagined myself making self-portraits. Somewhere along the way that all changed. I placed my camera on a tripod, disrobed and stepped in front of the lens. I think about place more than I think about my body. I am drawn to certain spaces like a moth to a flame, or a naked mole to a cholla. There is an awkwardness to many of my pictures, a distilled version of life reflected back at me. Total desperation. Pure vulnerability. That is what I am aiming for.”

Website: https://cefitzgerald.com/

Serge J-F. Levy

Bio: Levy did his graduate work with Frank Gohlke at the University of Arizona and received his MFA with distinctions. He earned his BA in Sociology from Vassar College. Levy’s limited-edition two-volume book, “The Fire In The Freezer,“ won Special Recognition from the Dorothea Lange/Paul Taylor Prize out of Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies. In 2022, Levy was part of the show “Chasing Ghosts“ at The Vision Gallery in Chandler, Arizona. In 2021 he had work in the Human/Nature show at the Lishui Museum in China. Serge was a Critical Mass finalist in 2020. That year, he was also selected to participate in the Arizona Biennial at The Tucson Museum of Art. Additionally, Levy has exhibited his photography at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Galerie Friedrichshain (Berlin), the Phoenix Museum of Art, Schroeder Romero Gallery, and The Leica Gallery (New York City and Tokyo) among many other national and international solo and group exhibitions. Levy, a former newspaper and magazine freelance photographer, runs a consulting business for photographers. He writes essays and articles about photography for various publications. And he works with LensCulture as a reviewer and consultant.

Artist statement: “Veni, Vidi, Flevi (I came, I saw, I wept). If I could step back far enough, I’m sure I could see the earth falling off its axis. There’s no need to measure how many meters a glacier has receded, nor personally witness Texas-sized garbage islands floating in the ocean: I hear fewer birds, I see plants marching toward the poles, and I can smell the brown particulate hovering over the remote horizons I walk upon. Civilization is dying, yet somehow humans persist. With each search, swipe and like, black holes of innovation swallow more pieces of our humanity. Landscape falls in there too; it’s a hungry abyss where nothing is spared. The tea leaves frown upon our future. A world where everything—plant, animal, rock formation—was granted citizenship might be slower: perhaps slow enough to give us the time to adapt to our human mistakes. Yet if we granted plants their rightful personhood, we would realize we are pillorying our people. I hang my head even lower in grief for the injustices imposed upon fellow animate beings who share consciousness and feeling. When I look at how we treat each other, it is no wonder how we treat the non-human world. When I look at how we treat ourselves, it is no wonder how we treat each other. So now I travel to the places where my apologies can be heard, alone, with the citizens of the world I believe in.”

Website: https://www.sergelevy.com/

Alumna Farrar named UAMA director

Posted on February 24, 2026February 24, 2026 by Michael Chesnick

School of Art alumna Chelsea Farrar has been appointed permanent director of the University of Arizona Museum of Art.

Farrar, who had been interim director for the past four months, received her BFA and MA in Art & Visual Culture Education from the University of Arizona in 2004 and 2013, respectively. As a graduate student, she taught classes for the School of Art. At UAMA, she helped mentor School of Art students through internships and workshops as curator of community engagement and assistant curator of education.

“Chelsea held a steadfast commitment to making UAMA a place where everyone is welcome and feels like they belong,” said Carissa DiCindio, associate professor and chair of the school’s Art & Visual Culture Education program. “For AVCE students, her educational programs and community-based exhibitions are models for what a university art museum can achieve, as both a site for learning and a bridge between the university and the broader Tucson community.

“I am thrilled that she is going to lead UAMA as director and excited to see this next chapter for the museum.”

Farrar’s work with community engagement has included programs such as Art Sprouts, a story time and art-making event for children ages 3 to 5; and Mapping Q, an art-making workshop series that invites youth ages 14-24 to explore topics centered on the LGBTQIA+ experience — including self-care, community building and harm reduction. She also has curated community-based exhibitions in UAMA’s Our Stories gallery, working with faculty, artist and local groups to amplify underserved artistic voices.

“I am truly honored to step into the role of director at UAMA, a place that has been my home for the past 10 years in academic and community engagement,” Farrar said. “I am excited to continue fostering connections through art and to explore new opportunities for growth, innovation and creative belonging.”

Arizona Arts Dean Hasan Elahi, in announcing Farrar’s promotion, called her “an accomplished arts leader whose extensive experience, institutional knowledge and deep ties to both the university and the broader community make her exceptionally well-suited for this role.”

“Chelsea brings a clear understanding of UAMA’s significance as a resource for interdisciplinary teaching, student engagement and research,” Elahi said. “Her background will further strengthen the connections between the museum and the School of Art.”

Under Farrar’s direction, UAMA reopened to the public on Jan. 17 after with free admission for all. The policy change came after the museum completed installation of a new, state-of-the-art HVAC system.

“This new approach reinforces UAMA’s commitment to accessibility and public service,” Elahi said. “While campus visitors have long enjoyed free entry, extending this privilege to the wider community removes financial barriers and ensures that UAMA can inspire, educate, and connect people from diverse backgrounds. This shift strengthens the museum’s role in the vibrant cultural landscape of Tucson and Southern Arizona, aligning closely with the university’s land-grant mission.”

During her tenure as interim director, Farrar secured multiple gifts totaling over $500,000 in new philanthropic support for UAMA. “Her ability to build authentic, clear, and caring relationships with donors shows her operational fluency and readiness to guide the museum at scale,” Elahi said.

“Chelsea’s leadership is characterized by integrity, collaboration, and a genuine care for people,” Elahi said. “She has earned the full endorsement of the UAMA staff and has fostered trust across teams through mentorship, accountability and a thoughtful, steady approach to decision-making. Her clear vision for UAMA’s future builds upon existing strengths, positioning the museum for long-term growth and impact.”

Prior to joining UAMA, Farrar taught visual art, art history and theater arts at Amphitheater High School.

Arizona Arts and the University of Arizona Museum of Art contributed to this story.

Anderson Ranch hires MFA graduate Caswell

Posted on February 10, 2026February 10, 2026 by Michael Chesnick

Austin Caswell, a recent University of Arizona School of Art MFA graduate, has landed a studio technician position in digital fabrication at the prestigious Anderson Ranch Arts Center near Aspen, Colorado.

Starting Feb. 16, Caswell will support, maintain and help run the digital fabrication studio, working with workshop participants, artists in residence, and visiting artists and instructors.

Anderson Ranch, established in 1966 in Snowmass Village, Colorado, brings together aspiring and internationally renowned artists to its campus nestled among the Rocky Mountains. Caswell knows the area well. He grew up and attended college in Colorado and still has family there, including his mom in Denver, where he was born.

“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to support such an amazing and storied art center and its participants,” Caswell said. “They just shared their workshop lineup for the summer, and it looks awesome. I’m really fortunate to be in a place where I can come into contact with such a vast array of ideas and processes. The location definitely isn’t bad, either.”

Anderson Ranch Arts Center, 15 minutes from Aspen, Colorado, hosts workshops for aspiring, emerging, established artists, children and teens in seven disciplines: photography & new Media, ceramics, painting & drawing, furniture design & woodworking, sculpture, printmaking and figital fabrication.

Caswell received both a BA in Integrated Visual Studies and a BA in History from Colorado State University before earning his Studio Art MFA in 3D and Extended Media at Arizona in May 2025. He then taught at the School of Art as an adjunct during the fall 2025 semester — drawing on his experience as a graduate teaching assistant.

“I loved my experience teaching at the School of Art,” Caswell said. “Working with students in 3DXM courses and being there to witness their discoveries and successes was really rewarding.”

He also enjoyed his time as a student, including being featured in the 2024 Arizona Biennial at the Tucson Museum of Art, where his installation “The Finder” was a speculative, future archaeological site that used lifespans of plastics to seek meaning and knowledge within lost contexts, including playground slides found around Tucson. The installation won the Biennial’s Pat Mutterer Sculpture and Architecture Award.

Caswell’s “The Finder” included playground slides found in Tucson, scrap rebar, Palo Verde branches, a shark tooth from Cape Hatteras (N.C.), Nike running shoes found under a bush near campus, a serenity prayer gold chain necklace found in Hollywood, fragments of a dinosaur bone from a dig site in Southern Utah — and an In-N-Out french fry from under his car’s driver seat.

“My MFA gave me the time, feedback and additional resources to develop a stronger foundation in navigating between material processes and conceptual inquiry,” Caswell said, “which I think translates well to supporting artists in a studio environment where they’re working through both technical and creative challenges.”

Calling him “a model student,” Professor Gary Setzer worked closely with Caswell and chaired his MFA thesis exhibition committee.

“Austin has a tireless work ethic and a sharp intellect with a distinctive command of metaphor,” said Setzer, associate director of the School of Art. “His layered and sophisticated approach to content in his artwork stems from his developed scholarly curiosity. And while studio art and history are separate fields, his practice appears to be a unique hybrid that employs strategies from both.”

Caswell’s thesis installation, “The Fault, the Raft, and the Current,” presented a landscape of human stewardship and consumption.

“The Fault, the Raft, and the Current,” by Caswell, featured pine wood sculptures, acrylic paint, medium-density fiberboard, steel, fossil, pearl and fragments of asteroid and flint. (Photo by Alexis Joy Hagestad)

“Austin’s installations address the quandary of human ‘progress,’ and they do so through a nuanced approach that grapples with consumerism — highlighting its necessary evils, its glory, and its long-term impact on our planet,” Setzer said. “Never shying away from the true complexity of what is at hand, Austin’s artworks are as frank as they are guised in a thick and wonderfully bewildering poetry.”

Added Setzer: “Lensed through a distanced and futuristic anthropological look at humanity and our shortsightedness, Austin creates installation-landscapes riddled with the detritus of a people long gone. A future that’s not necessarily apocalyptic — but definitely bleak. A future that’s not necessarily beautiful — but seemingly romantic, nonetheless.

“Austin is a young Caspar David Friedrich for the Anthropocene,” said Setzer, referring to the famous 19^th century German Romantic landscape painter.

Caswell has exhibited across the United States in venues such as the parkeralemán-El Paso Community Foundation in Texas, the Museum of Art- Fort Collins in Colorado and 311 Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina. He also holds professional experience as a studio instructor, carpenter, landscape designer and fabricator.

Caswell, with University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella and current School of Art Interim Director Karen Zimmermann, during a 2025 MFA Thesis Exhibition reception.

While at Arizona, Caswell was awarded a summer residency at the Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Maine and was a resident at the School of Art’s Lionel Rombach Gallery. He also received the school’s coveted Helen Gross Award, which provided generous funding for his thesis project, and a Medici Scholar travel grant to support his research.

In Caswell’s new role at Anderson Ranch, Setzer said the artist’s supportive teaching methods will help him excel.

“Austin meets people where they are, builds trust, and leads them to new things,” Setzer said. “Wherever there are complications, he sees possibility and problem-solving.”

• Artist’s website: austincaswell.com
• On Instagram: @austinmcaswell

UAMA exhibition, alums honor Doogan

Posted on January 22, 2026January 22, 2026 by Michael Chesnick

School of Art alumni are remembering Professor Emerita Bailey “Peggy” Doogan as the University of Arizona Museum of Art celebrates the late artist with an exhibition that highlights her life’s work.

In “Bailey Doogan: Ways of Seeing,” on view until April 4, 2026, 80 selections from each phase of Doogan’s career are being displayed together for the first time, highlighting her artistic processes and evolution.

After obtaining a BFA in Illustration from the Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, Doogan began her career as a graphic designer. Among her most well-known designs is the Morton Salt Girl, “Mortie,” an iconic symbol of the brand that remains mostly unchanged today — and one that the artist later reimagined in the large pastel drawing, Pour It On (1998). Her early work shows the influence of her design background, as well as the pressures she faced as a woman in a largely male-dominated industry.

Bailey Doogan self-portrait — Self-Portrait, Fingered I (Chin Finger), Bailey Doogan, 2009, Oil on panel

In 1969, Doogan moved to Tucson to teach graphic design at the University of Arizona. She was promoted to Professor of Design, Painting and Drawing in 1982 after receiving her Master’s in Animated Film from UCLA. Much of Doogan’s 1980s work features bright colors and cartoon-like figures as seen in If You Can Scream Loud Enough You Get Hopp’in Mad (1982).

At the end of the decade she began creating her signature works focused on the human body. Detailed and visceral, these drawings and paintings interrogate traditional artistic conventions of female beauty by centering the aging female body, a subject which has been largely avoided in Western art and popular culture.

In works like RIB (1988-1989) and Self-Exam (2003-2005), Doogan explained she was not aiming to depict “The Nude” or “The Figure.” Rather, “I deal with the real body,” she said. “Our bodies are diaries of our experience. Whatever happens to us is recorded there: wrinkles, scars, the way we stand. That specificity fascinates me. I think it’s beautiful.” Doogan often painted her own body at a monumental size and in great detail, drawing attention to aspects of the female form that society often shies away from.

Doogan retired from the School of Art in 1999 and became a professor emerita of Painting and Drawing. She remained a vital part of Tucson’s arts community and a driving force in the downtown arts scene before her death in July 2022 at age 80.

“With powerful imagery, combining bite and humor, she called out sexism and misogyny in academia as well as in the Tucson art community and the art world,” School of Art Professor Ellen McMahon said in the school’s website obituary for Doogan. McMahon took three classes from Doogan while a graduate student at the University of Arizona.

Other former students remembered Doogan as the UAMA exhibition opened on Jan. 17:

Eve Calderaro
BFA ’98, Studio Art
Art teacher, K-8, New Jersey

Bailey was a painting professor during my time as an art student at UA and I took one of her classes. I remember her very distinctly. She was sharp, sassy and undeniably talented. Her work wasn’t easy to look at and I think that was very much the point. She wasn’t easy … or afraid of being honest in her work and in life.

She told us about designing the Salty Girl logo in her early graphic design days. To this day, I keep a Salty Girl label pinned at my desk…in my art class where I am an Art teacher myself, K-8 public school in New Jersey. She made us get custom sheets of glass as our palettes for oil painting and she always told us how she liked the empty jars from her martini olives to clean her brushes.

As an artist, I take these little pieces with me on the journey and I’m grateful to have had exposure to someone like Peggy Bailey Doogan. I can think of other teachers who were more likeable or supportive in general, but there was a motivating factor and daring that came from Bailey. She was staring you down and not taking anyone’s excuses. Challenge accepted, thank you, for being you, exactly as you were. RIP and I’m so happy to see your life’s work recognized.

Chris Carls
MFA ’98, Studio Art
Art Director, Cirrus Visual, Tucson

Margaret Bailey “Peggy” Doogan is most famously known as the designer of the Morton Salt Girl, but I remember her as an incredible painter and teacher. She was on my Masters of Fine Arts panel and I had a few classes with her. I was her assistant in the Advanced Painting class my final year, and was also her intern for a summer at the Anderson Ranch Arts School in Snowmass, Colorado. I even worked around her house, helping with various projects. After graduation, I’d visit and take her out to lunch since she lived close to work.

I loved her straight-forward talk. She was a true badass, and one helluva strong lady that would take no $hit. But she always had a precious smile to share.

My favorite line is when she’d suggest painting for your favorite part: “If you did it once, you can do it again.”

She fought for us young and dumb artists. She dedicated her life to helping us grow. She inspired me to want to teach so many years ago.

Thank you, Peggy! Miss you!

Deb Kahn
BFA ’73
Commercial art, Florida

Bailey Doogan was a major influence in my career as I pursued a major in Commercial Art and a minor in Scientific Illustration.

The memory that stands out the most was the time she stopped to talk with me in the hallway. I don’t remember the details, but I do remember the inspiration. It carried me through my lengthy career in Commercial Art.

I understand the title “Ways of Seeing.” I have become legally blind, but still practice my evolving art.

Tricia Amato
BFA ’86, Studio Art
MA ’07, Art History
tamato design, Phoenix

Peggy, as she was known then, was teaching graphic design and we were so intimidated by her! But she was an amazing teacher, and something she told me has continued to inspire me.

“There are no bad ideas,” she said. “It’s only the execution that can suck.”

So true!

I also remember her telling us that when she interviewed for her academic position, they asked her if she would start crying in front of the class. This was in the late ’60s.

Mark Fina
BFA ’84, Studio Art
Creative Director, New York City

As a graduate, enthusiastic designer, and artist, I can look back fondly and proudly on the inspiration that Professor Doogan provided for me. She challenged me and instilled in me a drive that propels me every day in my career and creative pursuits. She also ignited the idea of inspiring others, which has led me to become a professor myself.

Thank you, Professor Doogan. You have given us all so much and enriched our artistic minds, for that we are forever grateful.

Send us your memories of Professor Emerita Doogan at artinfo@cfa.arizona.edu.

Profs Kraehe, Shin join elite art education class

Posted on December 15, 2025January 5, 2026 by Michael Chesnick

University of Arizona School of Art Professors Amy Kraehe and Ryan Shin have been elected to the National Art Education Association Distinguished Fellows class of 2026 — among only four members nationally chosen for next year’s prestigious award.

“Membership in NAEA Distinguished Fellows is a mark of excellence in art education research and is widely considered one of the highest honors in the field,” Kraehe said. “It serves as a reminder of the opportunities and mentorship I have been given, for which I am immensely grateful.”

Dr. Kraehe and Dr. Shin, part of the school’s Art & Visual Culture Education program, will be honored March 5 at the NAEA national conference in Chicago.

Dr. Amy Kraehe (photo by David R. Randell Photographics)

“This recognition not only celebrates my journey thus far,” Shin said, “but it also inspires me to continue advocating for excellence in art education.”

Kraehe, a national leader and researcher in the arts, culture and education, also was selected to serve a four-year term as a Trustee of the National Art Education Foundation. “We are confident that your experience and perspective will be a valuable addition to the Foundation and will contribute meaningly to advancing (our) mission,” said Chris E. Guenter, the foundation’s past chair, said about Kraehe.

She has 25 years of experience in universities, public schools and museums. She has been a part of the College of Fine Arts since 2018 and was named Associate Vice President for Organizational Excellence and Impact at Arizona Arts in 2025. She received the Excellence in Fundraising Award for her contributions to development and advancement at Arizona Arts and garnered the Women of Impact Award from the University of Arizona for driving discovery, interdisciplinary collaboration, community outcomes and the empowerment of others.

Her writings, podcasts, public lectures and workshops illuminate how sociocultural, economic, and political contexts influence the development of professional identities and organizational capacity within educational and cultural institutions. Kraehe has published four books, and her work appears in the top research journals in her field. She has received numerous grants and professional honors, including the prestigious Manuel Barkan Memorial Award from the National Art Education Association.

Shin’s research focuses on Asian popular media and culture, Asian critical theory and decolonization, global civic engagement, and new media and visual culture. In 2025, he was elected as associate editor for “Studies in Art Education,” a prime national research journal in the field of art education. He will serve two years as associate editor, and automatically move to editor position of the journal in 2027.

He has co-edited several notable books, including The Intersectionality of Critical Identities in Art Education (InSEA, 2024). In 2021, he was honored as the USSEA Kenneth Marantz Distinguished Fellow. His scholarly articles have been published in renowned journals, and he has authored numerous book chapters and presented his work at both national and international conferences.

“We are thrilled that Professors Kraehe and Shin are receiving this fellowship,” said Professor Karen Zimmermann, interim director for the School of Art. “No one is more deserving of this honor than these two. Their significant contributions to the AVCE program at the University of Arizona and to Art Education nationally and internationally are incredible as mentors, researchers and scholars, teachers and colleagues. We are so lucky to have them as part of our community.”

Top senior Margalit soars as animator, comics editor

Posted on December 11, 2025January 14, 2026 by Michael Chesnick

For her dedication to animation, illustration and creative storytelling, Sela Margalit has been named the School of Art’s Outstanding Senior for fall 2025.

The Studio Art major carries a near-4.0 grade-point average with a minor in Film & Television and Art History, is a paid intern at Arizona Public Media (AZPM) and helped produce animation projects for Biosphere 2, the Borderlands Restoration Network, Semiconductor USA and AZPM.

But Margalit has had the most blast — “no pun intended,” she said — creating her “Atomic Age Adventures” comic strip for the Arizona Daily Wildcat. Since fall 2023, she’s produced over 40 strips in the series, which features Sylvania Spaceray — a modeling-sensation-turned-government-recruited lunar ranger — and Crater the dog carrying out missions on the moon, including trying to outsmart a small alien.

“I think writing comes the easiest when characters feel like real people and I’m just checking in on their lives, which is definitely how I feel about Sylvania Spaceray and Crater the dog,” Margalit said. “So much, that I also made my capstone film, ‘Atomic Age Adventures!’ about them. My favorite recurring character is definitely the alien. I have a hobby interest in alien theory, and he’s just a really funny little guy.”

Her mom encouraged her to join the campus newspaper as a sophomore. “At first I was shy,” Margalit said, but she quickly rose to become comics and illustration editor while mentoring other artists. The confidence she gained led to more successes as Margalit:

Worked on “Small Seeds; Big Change,” a Center for University Education Scholarship-supported initiative and class collaboration with Borderlands Restoration Network (BRN), in which she developed a short animation about the Sky Islands ecosystem. The clip was shown at the “What’s Up, Docs?” showcase at The Loft Cinema, where Margalit also participated in a Q&A on stage.

Met award-winning documentary filmmaker Lisa Molomot, who hired Margalit to deliver a short animation sequence for Semiconductor U.S.A. to help teens learn how semiconductors work and are part of everyday life.

Participated in The Wonder Studio at Biosphere II Summer Residency, where Margalit produced a humorous short about a curious scientific researcher from Mars who investigates the history of biomes at the living laboratory north of Tucson. Following the residency, she curated a short animation program of her fellow residents’ work for First Friday Shorts at The Loft Cinema.

Sela Margalit works in the Daily Wildcat newsroom.

“Sela has sought out every opportunity in animation throughout her degree path and delivered consistently polished, creative, and conceptually impactful work,” School of Art animation Assistant Professor Nicole Antebi said in a nominating letter for the Outstanding Senior Award. “She has also positioned herself as a leader among her peers through her collaborative efforts.”

Last fall, Antebi introduced Margalit to Arizona Public Media producer Andrew Brown, who offered the student an internship with Arizona Illustrated in spring 2025.

“Sela worked successfully with our producers across a variety of projects that have helped us tell more engaging and dynamic stories and better serve our audience,” Brown said. “She has a good work ethic, is professional and easy to communicate with and takes direction well.”

Following the internship, Margalit became AZPM’s first paid student intern in animation. She contributed a key sequence to the story, “Eveli: The Algerian Born Jeweler of the Southwest” — a collaboration with Antebi’s animation class and another “high-stakes professional opportunity with a public-facing audience,” Antebi said. “Once again, Sela delivered strong, visually compelling, and polished work.”

Said Margalit: “When Eveli producer Özlem Özgür reached out to me about how she wanted more animation to be woven through the piece, I was ecstatic. It was a bit daunting as it was more animation than you typically do in the class, but with my film background I gained knowledge of editing and was able to pull it together quickly.”

In addition, Margalit pulled together her 4-minute animated senior capstone project for the spring 2025 BFA Capstone Show in Illustration, Design & Animation, despite an ambitious timeline. She “held auditions for voice talent, storyboarded the entire piece, animated and colored it, added audio, and had everything finished before the end of the semester,” adjunct instructor Valentin Mancha said.

“I’ve had memorable moments with so many of my professors,” Margalit said. “Professor Antebi really showed me the breadth of possibilities in animation, as well as offered constructive critique for my technical skills and advice about animation as a real career. I was unsure of design at first, but Prof. Watanabe made design both fun and actually digestible. Lastly … Prof. Mancha believed that I could finish my ambitious capstone and went out of his way to connect me with the resources and feedback I needed.”

Born in Los Angeles, Margalit moved to Tucson later in her childhood. “Being around a lot of art museums and media in L.A. “led me to having a passion for the arts,” she said. “Furthermore, my mom showed me so many different books, TV shows, movies — both educational and entertaining — that really ignited a spark for storytelling and creativity. I loved animated content from Cartoon Network, PBS Kids, and Disney, as well as comic books (especially X-Men).”

All those experiences helped her excel at the School of Art and with the campus newspaper.

“The Daily Wildcat is truly my home on campus,” Margalit said. “Coming into the comics desk, it was a great opportunity, but I wondered how it could be better. With the support of my fellow student members, as well as our advisor Susan McMillan, the comics desk has grown so much and I’ve had the opportunity to guide so many artists in creating their work, both in comics and editorial illustrations.

“Making art that supports the journalistic work the paper does is so important,” she said, “but it is also awesome that the completely creative pursuit of comics also has a place in the Daily Wildcat.”

Sela Margalit designed a van wrap for the Daily Wildcat.

As for the future, “I feel like being open to any creative opportunity is crucial,” Margalit said. “I’m planning on staying in town for a while and continuing to seek out as many opportunities as I can while promoting my work and continuing to develop my portfolio skills. I plan to do freelance work, try to participate in local events and keep integrated in the community.”

In her recent Halloween comic strip for the Wildcat, Margalit’s Sylvania Spaceray creates a lunar latte for Crater the dog, similar to a pumpkin latte. Crater doesn’t like it, calling it “dirt in a cup,” and Slyvania admits, “I didn’t say it was going to be good.”

For Margalit, though, even Crater the dog would agree that her future looks bright.

“Sela’s consistent determination, forward-thinking, and ability to creatively perform at a high level will ensure that she will make a significant impact wherever her career takes her,” Antebi said. “Through her numerous successful collaborations and the positions mentioned here, Sela has already taken the first steps in positioning herself on a strong career trajectory.”

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University of Arizona School of Art seeks new director

Posted on November 6, 2025December 1, 2025 by Michael Chesnick

The School of Art at the University of Arizona is thriving and ready for its next chapter. If you believe art is not just a discipline but a transformative force that shapes culture and society, this is your opportunity to lead one of the nation’s most distinctive and forward-thinking art schools.

Our programs rank among the best in the country, guided by faculty who are internationally recognized artists, educators, and scholars redefining creative practice. With revitalized facilities, robust resources, and a student body that is diverse, curious, and fearless, we stand at the forefront of innovation and impact. We seek a director who will harness this momentum. Someone who honors our achievements, expands our reach, and leads with imagination and purpose.

This is a rare chance to lead from strength and shape the future of a school grounded in excellence, both academically and operationally. We are looking for a leader who values creative inquiry, champions interdisciplinary connections, and cultivates an environment where faculty, staff, and students thrive and push boundaries.

Why Arizona, Why Now

Here in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, the light, the land, and the community shape creativity in extraordinary ways. Tucson is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, a crossroads of cultures, and a city that values expression, experimentation, and authenticity. It is the perfect setting for artists and thinkers who want to explore how place shapes practice.

The School of Art is part of the College of Fine Arts and the larger division of Arizona Arts, a nationally recognized model for how a public research university can elevate the role of the arts. Together with the Center for Creative Photography, the University of Arizona Museum of Art, and Arizona Arts Live, we have built a collaborative ecosystem that connects teaching, research, and community engagement. It is a rare structure that allows students and faculty to move seamlessly between classrooms, studios, galleries, and world-class creative institutions, all within steps of one another.

This is a pivotal moment for both the university and Arizona Arts. As the University of Arizona enters a new chapter of growth and transformation, there is a powerful opportunity to affirm the role of the arts in shaping its future. Arizona Arts is on the rise, and the School of Art is central to that story. The next director will have the chance to lead boldly, advancing a legacy of excellence and defining the next era of arts education, research, and engagement in the Southwest.

What You Will Lead

As Director, you will join a school that believes in the arts as a force for transformation, personally, intellectually, and socially. You will guide an extraordinary faculty, nurture a community of students across multiple disciplines, and champion work that matters: research that expands understanding, art that sparks dialogue, and education that shapes future leaders in creative industries and beyond.

You will have the support of a financially sound, forward-looking university that values the arts as central to its mission. You will also have the partnership of Arizona Arts, where cross-disciplinary collaboration is not only encouraged but expected, and where you can connect the School’s strengths to broader university research, public impact, and innovation.

About the School

Founded in 1927, the School of Art currently enrolls nearly 700 majors and 60 graduate students. We offer nationally ranked programs and a broad range of undergraduate and graduate degrees in Art History; Art and Visual Culture Education; Studio Art (including 2D Studies; 3D & Extended Media; Illustration, Design and Animation; and Photography, Video and Imaging); and Design Arts and Practices. Our Photography program is ranked No. 3 nationally by U.S. News & World Report.

Alongside newly renovated facilities that foster experimentation and collaboration, the School of Art also maintains about 65,000 square feet of instructional and research space, including the nearby Visual Arts Research Studios (VARS). This space provides graduate and faculty studios, exhibition areas, and additional classrooms, creating an extended environment for creative work and learning.

Our visiting artist program brings global voices to Tucson, our alumni shape creative industries around the world, and our 30 full-time faculty and 14 adjunct faculty earn Fulbright and Guggenheim fellowships, exhibit at major biennales, and publish field-defining research, as do an impressive number of alumni.

About Tucson and the University of Arizona

The University of Arizona is a top-tier, AAU/R1, land-grant institution with more than $1 billion in research expenditures annually. It is also a place that deeply believes the arts belong at the center of the university experience.

Arizona Arts unites the College of Fine Arts with the Center for Creative Photography, the University of Arizona Museum of Art, and Arizona Arts Live. This unique structure integrates arts education, research, and public engagement, creating an environment where collaboration is constant and creativity is visible across campus. The division has become a national model for how a major public research university can elevate the arts while serving its land-grant mission.

Tucson itself is a city of makers and dreamers, affordable, beautiful, and welcoming. With its thriving arts scene that blends Indigenous, Latinx, and Western influences, Tucson provides a rich cultural context for artistic exploration. From vibrant downtown galleries to verdant desert trails that surround campus, it is a place where creative people come to build meaningful lives.

Key Responsibilities

Academic Vision and Excellence

Lead faculty in sustaining and evolving a forward-looking curriculum that merges artistic rigor, conceptual exploration, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Encourage innovation in teaching and research while strengthening the School’s deep traditions of studio practice and art scholarship.

Faculty, Staff, and Culture

Cultivate a community built on respect, transparency, and shared purpose.
Champion the professional growth of faculty and staff and nurture a culture of collaboration, creativity, and inclusion.

Student Experience and Success

Strengthen recruitment and retention through programs that connect learning, professional practice, and community engagement.
Champion opportunities that prepare students for meaningful, sustainable creative careers.

Research and Creative Practice

Support faculty and student research, exhibitions, publications, and practice-led inquiry across disciplines.
Enhance the School’s visibility and impact within the University’s AAU/R1 research ecosystem.

Partnerships and Advancement

Collaborate with College and Arizona Arts development teams to build relationships with alumni, donors, and community partners.
Serve as an ambassador for the School locally, nationally, and internationally, amplifying its reputation and reach.

Operational Leadership

Manage budgets, personnel, and resources with care and transparency.
Ensure facilities and equipment remain exceptional and responsive to the evolving needs of art and design education.

Minimum Qualifications

An appropriate terminal degree or equivalent
Professional activity to warrant tenure at the rank of Professor or Associate Professor.
Demonstrated capacity to inspire and unify a dynamic academic community, cultivating excellence across a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary landscape.
Commitment to support the professional development of faculty, appointed professionals, and staff.
Interest in developing strong ties and connections with external constituencies and individuals, amplifying the School’s reach and relevance.
Commitment to engaging in strategies for successful development on behalf of the School and the College.

Preferred Qualifications

Academic administrative experience commensurate with the demands of the position.
Established record of research and leadership that aligns with the School’s programming and mission.
Experience working with financial models of large complex universities.
Experience administering academic and professional programs in the context of a research institution
Experience and qualifications sufficient for appointment at the rank of Professor

Learn More and Apply

Please visit https://talent.arizona.edu/ to apply with CV and cover letter. Review of Applications begins January 5, 2026, and will remain open until filled. The University of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity Vets/Disabled institution.

Apply Now!

Macias charms Cheech, others with art and teaching

Posted on November 4, 2025January 7, 2026 by Michael Chesnick

Alejandro Macias felt a mix of nerves and pride as he introduced his work to actor and Chicano art collector Cheech Marin at a recent exhibition opening. Then Marin smiled and told him something unexpected: He’d dreamed about one of Macias’ paintings the night before.

“I’ll go ahead and take that as a good sign that I’m doing something correctly,” the University of Arizona associate professor said with a laugh.

Macias has been honored for doing a lot of things correctly since joining the School of Art faculty in 2019 as a painting and drawing teacher — including an Arizona Higher Education Award and multiple residencies, fellowships, grants and other awards. The New York Times even used his “American Mexican” painting as a supporting image to Pulitzer-winning opinion writer Carlos Lozada’s Oct. 20 essay, “You Caught Me. I’m Speaking Spanish.”

Alejandro Macias, with his three paintings in “Soy de Tejas” at the Cheech Center: (from left): “Man on Fire (III),” “Ascension III” and “Turning Point.”

So far this year, Macias has presented work in six group exhibitions, including “Soy de Tejas: A Statewide Survey of Latinx Art” at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, California. It features nearly 40 Chicano and Latinx artists from across Texas and the borderlands like Macias, who was raised near the Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas.

Macias is exhibiting three self-portrait paintings in the show, including the one Marin dreamed about, “Turning Point” — featuring a video loop of Macias’ own navigation across the desert terrain in Mesa, Arizona — along with “Man on Fire (III)” and “Ascension III.”

“I described my work to Cheech as an exploration of identity, assimilation and place,” Macias said, “particularly how the U.S.–Mexico border continues to shape the lives, bodies and narratives of those connected to it.”

Marin rose to fame in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s as part of the comedy duo Cheech & Chong, the television series “Nash Bridges” and the movie “Tin Cup,” filmed in Tubac and Tucson. He established “The Cheech” in 2022 with the Riverside Art Museum as the first North American facility dedicated exclusively to Mexican American and Chicano art — donating his collection of over 700 pieces.

“Meeting Cheech Marin was definitely surreal because I had an opportunity to speak about my work on such a personal level to a cultural icon,” Macias said. “Because he’s such a passionate art collector, he was deeply invested in what the artists had to say.”

Marin did a walk-through with 25 artists in early October, spending several minutes with each.

“Cheech Marin (left) has built a lasting legacy that has supported a lineage of important Chicano artists for decades.”
— Alejandro Macias

“Meeting (Macias and) so many talented artists in ‘Soy de Tejas’ was inspiring,” Marin said. “Each one offered a unique perspective on what it means to be connected to Texas and to identity. I was especially struck by the emotional honesty that runs through all of the works.”

That honesty is what sets Macias’ work apart, according to one of his former students, Vanessa Saavedra, a 2025 MFA graduate and now a School of Art adjunct instructor who took over Macias’ painting and drawing classes this semester while he’s on sabbatical.

“His work is visually pleasing, but the content can be challenging or uncomfortable for the viewer,” Saavedra said. “Alex isn’t afraid of criticism or rejection, and that fearlessness is incredibly inspiring. It’s powerful to see someone so grounded in their beliefs and so committed to expressing them for the greater good.”

Macias draws from his personal and regional histories in the borderlands to explore themes of assimilation and migration. His practice integrates traditional rendering, abstraction and multimedia approaches, using the human figure — often himself — as a central point of his works.

“These remain challenging times, but I do still believe that art has the power to foster dialogue, empathy, and understanding, even if the progress seems to be incremental,” Macias said. “My hope is that the work continues to offer a more nuanced, humanized view of the border experience, countering the harmful rhetoric and narratives that often dominate the mainstream. Having hope is the first step and I have plenty of it.”

Local exhibition has university ties

He and Saavedra are part of a group exhibition at the Tucson Desert Art Museum, “Cruzando La Línea: Contemporary Art in the Borderlands,” through June 27, 2026, alongside School of Art Professor David Taylor and Professor Emeritus Alfred Quiroz.

Alejandro Macias saw his “American Mexican” painting used as a supporting image in New York Times columnist Carlos Lozada’s Oct. 20 essay, “You Caught Me. I’m Speaking Spanish.”

“We all have a connection to the University of Arizona as either educators or former students, and it feels special to be part of such an esteemed group that has contributed to important local and national conversations about the tensions and complexity of border life,” Macias said. His work in the show stems from his 2024 solo exhibition, “Land of Wolves,” at New York City’s LatchKey Gallery, where he held “a mirror to Border Patrol agents of Mexican descent who have surveilled the borderlands” he said.

Taylor, who is also associate dean of Faculty Affairs for the College of Fine Arts and a 2008 Guggenheim Fellow in photography, has seen Macias’ influence in and out of the classroom.

“Since joining the School of Art, Alex has been an outstanding colleague and teacher,” Taylor said. “His studio practice, which is deeply reflective of both his first-person expertise and research program, complicates and expands upon Latinx representation. Working across painting, drawing and multimedia, his output is innovative while also acknowledging a legible set of influences.”

Saavedra, who grew up in Nogales, Sonora, also received her BFA from the School of Art. She was one of Macias’ first students when he started teaching at Arizona. He also mentored her in Saavedra’s MFA thesis year and hooded her at graduation in May, which Macias called “one of the most significant and important professional moments of my life.”

“Now that both Alex and the university have trusted me to cover his classes during his sabbatical, I can see things from the other side — perhaps how he once saw me — and that makes me even more appreciative of his patience with my process and trajectory,” she said.

Saavedra’s work in the Tucson Desert Art Museum exhibition highlights the complexities of migration and cultural intersection. With her paintings and drawings, she also gives voice to the silenced lives of women across Latin America.

Vanessa Saavedra (center) received support from faculty members Alejandro Macias and Jennifer Saracino at her MFA graduation in May 2025. Saavedra and Macias started at the School of Art in 2019, with Saavedra as an undergrad in Studio Art.

“It’s incredibly fulfilling to see Vanessa contribute to our art community through her own practice,” Macias said. “Her work is meticulous, profound, and is already making an impact in such a short amount of time. … To see her grow in the span of six years makes you realize how important higher education can be.”

Teaching honor ‘means a lot’

Not only did Macias participate in the University of Arizona’s 2024-25 Research Leadership Institute cohort, but he also was honored in late September for his commitment to teaching and mentorship in receiving the Alberto “Tito” Rios Outstanding Literary/Arts Award at the Arizona Higher Education Awards in Tempe.

“Being recognized by peers and institutions that understand the intersection of art, education and community engagement means a lot to me,” Macias said. “I found the whole (Tempe) ceremony to be incredibly overwhelming and emotional because I shared space with educators who dedicated their lives to sharing knowledge with others.”

Through Nov. 29, he’s sharing another space at Tucson’s Etherton Gallery with School of Art Professor Lawrence Gipe and MFA alum Jim Waid. Macias’ solo show, “In the Cases,” includes a variety of drawings and mixed media works from 2017-2025, mostly figurative and on paper, that explore his ongoing interest on the border as “a physical and psychological construct,” Macias said. He added that presenting with Gipe and Waid “has been inspiring, and both artists bring decades of experience and visual language that have contributed to the Tucson community” and elsewhere.

During his sabbatical, Macias is focused on developing new work for more exhibitions, including projects that further integrate painting with video documentation and installation. He’s part of a group exhibition, “The Armor We Wear,” at 516 Arts in Albuquerque, New Mexico, curated by Olivia Amaya Ortiz, a 2018 School of Art BFA graduate. The show, which also includes 2018 BFA alumna Elizabeth Denneau, runs from Nov. 8 to Jan 31.

“My work will continue to explore themes of culture, migration and belonging,” Macias said, “but in a more intimate approach that respectfully documents the lives of people who contribute to their border communities.”

Alejandro Macias received the Alberto “Tito” Rios Outstanding Literary/Arts Award from the Pete C. Garcia Victoria Foundation at the Arizona Higher Education Awards in Tempe.

Meanwhile, his paintings will stay on display at the Cheech Center through Jan. 11. Macias’ work also was included in the first two iterations of “Soy de Tejas” in San Antonio and Fort Worth, Texas. He has high praise for the exhibition’s curator, Rigoberto Luna, whose exhibition explores migration, indigeneity, race, gender and mythmaking, while also celebrating the joy, resilience and traditions that define Latinx communities.

“Rigoberto has been building bridges across the coasts of the United States to recognize and uplift artists on a national level,” Macias said. “It’s honestly history in the making.”

Since 2019, Macias has presented his work in at least 65 selected exhibitions across the nation, including six with Luna as a curator. Macias participated in the 2024 Texas Biennial at Sawyer Yards in Houston, the 2024 Border Biennial at the El Paso Museum of Art and the 2023 Arizona Biennial at the Tucson Museum of Art. In 2023, he was the recipient of the Lehmann Emerging Artist award, which included a two-person exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum. He’s held solo shows at Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts in Lubbock, Texas; Presa House Gallery in San Antonio; Tucson Museum of Art; and LatchKey in New York.

Macias’ work is included in the permanent collections of the Newark Museum of Art, Phoenix Art Museum, El Paso Museum of Art, University of Arizona Museum of Art (which acquired his first “Man on Fire” painting), Tucson Museum of Art, Mexic-Arte Museum and the Brownsville (Texas) Museum of Art. He participated in notable residencies at Elizabeth Murray in Troy, New York; Vermont Studio Center; Chateau d’Orquevaux in France, Studios at MASS MoCA, Wassaic (N.Y.) Project, CALA Alliance in Phoenix and Uncool Artist in Brooklyn, New York.

“The accolades Alex’s work has received are a clear indication of its significance,” Taylor said. “It’s been a pleasure to see his art career flourish, and we are enormously fortunate to have his influence and mentorship in our program.”

When Macias returns to the Arizona campus in spring 2026, he can’t wait “to bring these new experiences and perspectives back to the classroom … and to continue guiding students as they find their own voices and purpose as artists,” he said. And in the summer, he will be a workshop instructor in mixed media portraits at North Carolina’s prestigious Penland School of Craft.

“Teaching remains one of the most rewarding parts of my career,” Macias said. “My students’ energy and curiosity constantly reinvigorate my practice and desire to share everything I can.”

Artist website: alexmaciasart.com
Instagram account: @alex.macias.art

Author: Michael Chesnick