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Home › News & Events › 2022 Alumni Highlights

2022 Alumni Highlights

Alex Turner (MFA Studio Art, ’20) and Ryan McIntosh (BFA Studio Art, ’07) showed their work at “The Intimacy of Distance” exhibition at the Douglas Marshall Gallery this fall in Santa Monica, California, along with Prof. Sama Alshaibi. Turner (photo above), McIntosh and Alshaibi chatted with the SoCal Cats alumni chapter and School of Art Director Colin Blakely during a special event on Oct. 23. The exhibition was co-curated by Prof. Lawrence Gipe.

Bella Maria Varela, (MFA Photo/Video/Imaging, ’21 ) has been named to the 2022 Provost’s Early Career Fellows Cohort at the University of Texas at Austin. Varela moved to El Paso, Texas, after receiving her master’s at the University of Arizona to attend the Border Art Residency (BAR), where she helped establish a new arts and philosophy program — Transformative Learning Communities — in elChamizal, a barrio on the US/Mexico Border. Read story

Dorsey Kaufmann (MFA ’20, Illustration + Design) Kaufmann exhibited her multimedia installation, “Ripple Effect,” in Venice, Italy as part of the ACM Conference on Creativity and Cognition, “Cities of the Future: Living Together.” “Ripple Effect” is an interactive sound installation that visualizes contamination data of local water quality and then translates the data into sound waves. Read story

Kaufmann was listed as one of ArtConnect magazine’s “Artists to Watch 2021,” stating “Dorsey Kaufmann’s series Years of Lost Life exemplifies the power of when art and science merge. The project … visualizes the dangers to a whole community in the Sonoran Desert due to corporate mining … is clearly well researched … with a clear educational baseline.” Read Q&A

Cherise Smith (MA ‘97/BA ‘91, Art History) received the Eldredge Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in American Art by the Smithsonian American Art Museum for her book “Michael Ray Charles: A Retrospective.” The book is the first in-depth examination of the artist’s provocative paintings that sample images of racism from consumer culture. Dr. Smith is an inaugural Scholar in the African American Art History Research Initiative at the Getty Research Institute for 2021-2022, and she is the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in African American Studies and a professor in the African and African Diaspora Studies and art and art history departments at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research has been supported by the Getty Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African American Research at Harvard University. She has worked in the curatorial departments of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Saint Louis Art Museum among other institutions. Read story

Chris Gall (BFA ’85) has created a Wilbur and Wilma Homecoming illustration for the University of Arizona for the past 10 years. Gall has received over 50 major awards from the Society of Illustrators, Communication Art Magazine, The New York Art Directors Club, and Print Magazine. His artwork has been shown major national publications like Time, Newsweek, People, New York Times, and Washington Post.

Adriana Gallego (BFA ’97, Painting and Drawing) was appointed executive director of the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona. “I’m trained as a painter, but I am at the service of other artists,” Gallego said.

Jessica Gonzales (BFA ‘12, 2D Art) created this mural, “Seeds of Wonder,” in two days outside the Wonder House / Fogo de Chao at SXSW in Austin, Texas, in March. The mural depicts the excitement of finding and pursuing your passions, while also incorporating a taste of Tucson flare.

Clare Benson (MFA, ’13), a photographer and interdisciplinary artist, is being featured in a three-person exhibition, “On the Arctic Edge — Artists Explore the Far North” at Scandinavia House in New York City from Oct. 22 to Jan. 28, 2023. Benson’s work in Arctic Sweden in coordination with space scientists and indigenous Sámi reindeer herders has been exhibited internationally and published in the 2017 book “The Shepherd’s Daughter.” Website

Nassem Navab (MFA, ’19) and Anh-Thuy Nguyen (BFA, ’10) were featured in a compelling four-woman exhibition “Dialogues” at Tucson’s Yun Gee Park Gallery. Read story

Sadie Shaw (BFA, ’19, Art & Visual Culture Education) landed a new position with the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona. Read story

Sarah Hardesty (MFA Painting ’05) saw her solo show “Time Binding” reviewed by the Washington Post. Read story The show was held at the Arlington Arts Center in Arlington, Virginia, where Sarah is a resident artist and an assistant professor at Marymount University. See the show’s catalog and her website.

Adam Rex (’96 BFA Studio Art) mentored aspiring illustrators and writers as the fall writer-in-residence at the Himmel Park and Woods Memorial libraries in Tucson from August to October. Read Q&A

Aline Kominsky-Crumb (BFA, ’71) died Nov. 29 in France. She was 74. A close collaborator of her cartoonist husband, Robert Crumb, she was a founding member of the influential all-female collective that produced the anthology Wimmin’s Comix, a long-running feminist comic published from 1972 to 1985. A documentary about their life, “Crumb,” was released in 1994. Read obit

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University of Arizona School of Art
23 hours ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Creative director John Meyer (BFA '82, Studio Art) — the College of Fine Arts Alumnus of the Year — calls his 2012 Walgreens branding campaign (“At the Corner of Happy & Healthy”) his favorite. Read our profile of John at tinyurl.com/SOAMeyerprof and the CFA announcement at tinyurl.com/SOAMeyernews. The former SOA adjunct instructor also appeared on the AMC television series "The Pitch." Arizona Arts The University of Arizona ... See MoreSee Less

Creative director John Meyer (BFA 82, Studio Art) — the College of Fine Arts Alumnus of the Year — calls his 2012 Walgreens branding campaign (“At the Corner of Happy & Healthy”) his favorite. Read our profile of John at https://tinyurl.com/SOAMeyerprof and the CFA announcement at https://tinyurl.com/SOAMeyernews. The former SOA adjunct instructor also appeared on the AMC television series The Pitch. Arizona Arts The University of ArizonaImage attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art
2 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

This content isn't available right now ... See MoreSee Less

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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
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University of Arizona School of Art
2 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Ellen McMahon and Tioni Collins from Arizona Arts will give their “Perspectives on Resilience” for the Arizona Institute for Resilience on Feb. 2, 1-5p.

An eye-opening afternoon of idea sharing, learning, and networking around the theme of resilience with TED-style lightning talks, speed networking, and an interactive speaker panel. Attend in person (ENR2 Room S107) or on zoom.

azart.fyi/RSVPResilience

McMahon, associate dean for research, is the opening speaker and she’ll talk about the relationship between "Art, Knowledge, and Resilience." Collins, our student diversity programs specialist, will present “Predictable and Hidden Challenges of Higher Education.”

Learn how other faculty, researchers, and students approach resilience from their diverse backgrounds and disciplines. Meet potential collaborators across campus.

This half-day hybrid occasion will culminate with the unveiling of exciting new funding opportunities for future resilience-themed endeavors. A reception will follow.

azart.fyi/ResilienceInfo

Arizona Institutes for Resilience
The University of Arizona
University of Arizona School of Art
UArizona Research, Innovation & Impact
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University of Arizona School of Art
4 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Congrats to Robert Edward Gordon (Ph.D. Art History, '15), who recently published "Buddhist Architecture in America: Building for Enlightenment" through Routledge (tinyurl.com/2yzn7t2y). The book draws from Robert's dissertation, "The Heart in the Matter: Design, Belief and a History of Buddhist Architecture in America," under Professor Paul Ivey. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Center for Buddhist Studies ... See MoreSee Less

Congrats to Robert Edward Gordon (Ph.D. Art History, 15), who recently published Buddhist Architecture in America: Building for Enlightenment through Routledge (https://tinyurl.com/2yzn7t2y). The book draws from Roberts dissertation, The Heart in the Matter: Design, Belief and a History of Buddhist Architecture in America, under Professor Paul Ivey. Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Center for Buddhist StudiesImage attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art
1 week ago
University of Arizona School of Art

We were delighted to host the Visions Program from Scottsdale today with a series of tours and workshops with our faculty — and to show students what it’s like to be an Art Wildcat!

The program brings together 42 art students from diverse Maricopa County high schools for a yearlong series of activities designed "to cultivate artistic skills, collaboration and civic engagement," Visions says.

Opening speeches from Colin Blakely, (School of Art Director), Karen Zimmerman (Associate Director), lydia see (Gallery Director) and Ashley Rubin (Art Advising) welcomed students and gave them a glimpse into the workings of the school. Visiting Profs. Danielle Jones (3DXM) and Erin DiGiovanni (2D) and Assistant Prof. Nicole Antebi (IDA/Animation) held workshops, while Denise Angulo (Administrative Associate) and student workers Kayla Bradshaw and Alex Allen led the tours. Thanks everyone for an amazing day! (Photos by Ava Sheppard)
... See MoreSee Less

We were delighted to host the Visions Program from Scottsdale today with a series of tours and workshops with our faculty — and to show students what it’s like to be an Art Wildcat! 

The program brings together 42 art students from diverse Maricopa County high schools for a yearlong series of activities designed to cultivate artistic skills, collaboration and civic engagement, Visions says.   

Opening speeches from Colin Blakely, (School of Art Director), Karen Zimmerman (Associate Director), lydia see (Gallery Director) and Ashley Rubin (Art Advising) welcomed students and gave them a glimpse into the workings of the school. Visiting Profs. Danielle Jones (3DXM) and Erin DiGiovanni (2D) and Assistant Prof. Nicole Antebi (IDA/Animation) held workshops, while Denise Angulo (Administrative Associate) and student workers Kayla Bradshaw and Alex Allen led the tours. Thanks everyone for an amazing day! (Photos by Ava Sheppard)Image attachmentImage attachment+5Image attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art
1 week ago
University of Arizona School of Art

The upcoming "Soy de Tejas" exhibition in San Antonio will feature Assistant Professor Alex Macias and Bella Maria Varela (MFA '21). They are among 40 native Texan and Texas-based contemporary artists "who reflect the diverse and beautiful complexity of Latinx identities," say the organizers of the exhibition, which is curated by Rigoberto Luna. The opening reception is Feb. 9 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Centro de Artes. Congrats Alex and Bella!

• Facebook evite: fb.me/e/2wlRIMy2C
• Website: www.getcreativesanantonio.com/Galleries/Centro-de-Artes

Arts & Culture, City of San Antonio #GetCreativeSA #CentrodeArtesSA #SoydeTejas Arizona Arts
... See MoreSee Less

The upcoming Soy de Tejas exhibition in San Antonio will feature Assistant Professor Alex Macias and Bella Maria Varela (MFA 21). They are among 40 native Texan and Texas-based contemporary artists who reflect the diverse and beautiful complexity of Latinx identities, say the organizers of the exhibition, which is curated by Rigoberto Luna. The opening reception is Feb. 9 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Centro de Artes. Congrats Alex and Bella!

• Facebook evite: https://fb.me/e/2wlRIMy2C 
• Website: https://www.getcreativesanantonio.com/Galleries/Centro-de-Artes

Arts & Culture, City of San Antonio  #GetCreativeSA #CentrodeArtesSA #SoydeTejas Arizona Arts
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