Studio Arts

Assistant Professor, Kira Dominguez Hultgren received a Berresford Prize from United States Artists. Please visit here. The Berresford Prize is an unrestricted $50,000 award given annually to a cultural practitioner who has contributed significantly to the advancement, well-being, and care of artists in society. Introduced in 2019, the award was conceived of by several USA Fellows in response to the lack of acknowledgment for those who have dedicated their careers to the betterment of artists. Named for our co-founder Susan V. Berresford, this prize reinforces our commitment to artists by acknowledging the remarkable administrators, curators, scholars, and producers who are building platforms and creating conditions for artists to thrive. Each year’s recipient is selected by an internal nomination and review process. Chicago Sun Times article here.

Skeena Reece is a Tsimshian/Gitksan and Cree artist based on the West Coast of British Columbia.  She has garnered national and international attention, most notably for Raven: On the Colonial Fleet (2010), a bold installation and performance that was presented as part of the celebrated group exhibition Beat Nation and debuted at the Sydney Biennale.  Her multidisciplinary practice includes performance art, spoken word, humor, “sacred clowning,” writing, music, video/film, photography, and visual art.  She studied Media Art at Emily Carr University.  She was the recipient of the Reveal - Hnatyshyn Award (2017), British Columbia Award for Excellence in the Arts (2012) and The VIVA Award (2014). For Savage (2010), Reece won a Leo Award for Best Performance in a Short Film.  She performed at the 17th Sydney Biennale, Australia. Recent exhibitions include Interior Infinite at the Polygon Gallery (2021) and the Women and Masks Research Conference for Boston University, Massachusetts.  Currently, she is working on a pottery collection for York University. EVENTS (all open to the public) Art & Design Visitors Series talk Reece will share a curated review of her favorite works.  A reception will follow. Room 210 Levis Faculty Center, 919 W Illinois St, Urbana, IL Thursday, February 1 | 7:00-9:00 p.m. THESE ARE ALL MINE! Anticolonial sticker-making workshop in collaboration with the Native American House. Art and Design, Room 9 Monday, February 5 | 5:30-7:30 p.m. "Access Granted" Is it a performance?  An installation?  A presentation?  Come find out…  A reception will follow. Spurlock Museum, 600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL Thursday, February 8 | 5:30-8:00

BFA 2012 alumna, Leah Guadagnoli, was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal, with Mollie Katzen, author of the “Moosewood Cookbook.” Read article here.

Studio Art Program Chair, Patrick Hammie, and ART 499/PHYS 495 class were recently featured in The Daily Illini for their exhibition, CANVASSING THE UNIVERSE.

WBTV, Charlotte, NC recently featured the Men of Change exhibition currently in town. Please visit here for the video. The Men of Change Exhibition website is here.

Victor Font, lecturer of media and cinema studies, and Cristobal Bianchi, assistant professor of studio art, created the three-minute film-poem Factories at Sea. The Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies screened the film followed by a Q&A during a welcome event. Read the full story below or view the original College of Media article by Kelly Youngblood.

Second year Studio Art undergraduate, Ellie Rebellón, was recently in Smile Politely discussing the Kingfisher. Please read the article here.

Bea Nettles will be inducted at the 2023 Hall of Fame Induction & Awards ceremony on November 3, 2023. The IPHF annually awards and inducts notable photographers or photography industry visionaries for their artistry, innovation, and significant contributions to the art and science of photography. Visit the site here.

Kamila Glowacki (BFA 2013 Art Education & Painting / MA 2018 Art Education) is the 2023 IAEA Art Education Museum Educator of the Year. Kamila Glowacki is employed at Krannert Art Museum. Annually, the IAEA recognizes the top art, design, and media educators for their excellence and service to the field. The IAEA awards and scholarship committee found Kamila Glowacki’s professional performance, service, and leadership to be exemplary in every regard and selected her for this recognition. The Illinois Art Education Association (IAEA) is the premier professional development provider for art, design, and media educators in Illinois. The organization serves thousands of teachers statewide through a wide range of programs and services. Learn more at ilaea.org.

Kira Dominguez Hultgren was recently featured in the New York Times Style Magazine on September 11, 2023. Read the article here.

Yvette Mayorga (BFA 2015 Painting) was recently featured in VOGUE magazine. You may read the article here.

Ellen McDowell, 1947 BFA Painting alumna, passed away Thursday, August 17, 2023. With other volunteers, she helped found the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Champaign, IL, which still thrives, serving meals to almost 400 individuals on a daily basis. Her obituary may be found here.

Patrick Earl Hammie, Contributor, “The Lunar Codex,” Earth’s Moon, Sol System, Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy, July, 2023. Curator: Samuel Peralta, physicist, author, composer, film producer. The Lunar Codex is four time capsules holding digital archives that feature 30,000 artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers from 157 countries. It will travel to the moon between 2023 and 2026 as part of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program where it will permanently reside. Reproductions of my artwork with interviews and reviews that were originally published in PoetsArtists Magazine are included. Dr. Peralta said, "Our hope is that future travelers who find these time capsules will discover some of the richness of our world today... It speaks to the idea that, despite wars and pandemics and climate upheaval, humankind found time to dream, time to create art.” https://www.lunarcodex.com New York Times ARTnews  

1995 BFA in Painting alumna, Mary Anna Pomonis, was recently featured in Art & Cake.

1958 MFA alumna, Ruth A. Migdal was recently featured in the Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Tribune.  

Alumnus Tom Goldenberg, BFA 1970 Sculpture will be in a group show "Material Sustenance & Family Snapshots" at the Re Institute. The Re Institute 1395 Corners Road Boston Corners, New York May 27th to July 15th. Opening is May 27th from 4 to 6

Ben Grosser was recently featured in La Presse, Montreal’s main daily. Ben Grosser, l’antinumérique (Ben Grosser, the anti-numerical), focuses on his social media research broadly, from Demetricator projects to Zuckerberg film to Minus. À la recherche du réseau social idéal (In search of the ideal social network), quotes Grosser extensively and discusses his Minus project.  

1969 MFA alumnus, Vernon Fisher, has passed away. Obituary from the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Article from Denton Record Chronicle.

Studio Art: New Media Associate Professor, Ben Grosser, was featured on April 19, 2023 of the New York Times. "The Future of Social Media Is a Lot Less Social" by Brian X. Chen.  

School of Art & Design Re-Fashioned Fashion Show Saturday, May 6, 2023 6:30 p.m. Siebel Center for Design