Summer 2021 Herron Highlights

Every three months, we publish a roundup of the most recent Herron community updates. Here's a look at what our students, alumni, and faculty were up to between July and September, including exhibitions, publications, career moves, accomplishments, and accolades.

  • The Blackford County Arts Center's 2021 annual art show was juried by Kathryn Armstrong (M.F.A. Visual Art '10), executive director of the Columbus Area Arts Council.
  • Isaac Arthur (B.F.A. Visual Communication '09), a partner at CODO Design in Indianapolis, spoke about craft beer branding with VinePair, the largest digital media company focused on the culture of wine, beer, and cocktails.
  • Emily Bennett (M.F.A. Visual Art '17) served as a juror for the Gaslight Art Colony's Fiber Art Show, which took place in Marshall, Illinois, from Aug. 21 to Sept. 11.
  • "The Skylight," a new sculpture created by three Herron graduate students, Leena Dobouni (M.F.A. Visual Art '21), Anastasya Halsema, and Karri Leamon (M.F.A. Visual Art '21), was unveiled in the Magnolia Courtyard on Aug. 27. The Christel DeHaan Family Foundation funded the public art sculpture, which honors Christel's contributions to the IUPUI campus.
  • In July, the Indianapolis Business Journal interviewed Lenny Wood Floyd (B.F.A. Printmaking '09), owner of Salty Siren Tattoo Lounge in Greenwood, Indiana.
  • Aaron Ganci, an associate professor of visual communication design, was part of a team of researchers who received a grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging to create a caregiver-supporting app.
  • Herron alums Gary Gee (B.F.A. Integrative Studio Practice '16), John G. Moore, Kevin Nance-West, and Shamira Wilson displayed their work at the Indianapolis Art Center in "EIGHTEEN: 365+," which opened on Aug. 23 and will be on display until Oct. 15. Gee, Nance-West, and Will Watson (B.F.A. General Fine Arts '11) also participated in "BUTTER", a multi-day fine art fair in Indianapolis that featured over 30 Black artists from across the country.
  • Hi-Fructose Magazine interviewed and featured Jose Di Gregorio's (B.F.A. Painting '06) mathematical abstract murals in Volume 60.
  • Stacey Holloway (B.F.A. Sculpture '06) displayed new work at Gallery VOX in Tarrant, Alabama, in a solo show titled "The Whys and Wherefores," which ran from Sept. 9 to Oct. 9. She was also featured in a film directed by Lisa Cordes that aired at the 2021 PBS Short Film Festival.
  • Melissa Hopson (M.F.A. Visual Art '15) participated in "Muscle Definition" at Critical Path Method in Baltimore, Maryland, which featured a variety of human figure representations. The group exhibition was on display from July 24 to Sept. 4.
  • Herron administration announced the faculty and staff awards for 2021. Associate Professor Robert Horvath received both the Harry A. Davis Teaching Award and the Frank C. Springer Family Innovative Faculty Award; Sarah Jones received the Adjunct Instructor Teaching Award; Associate Professor Pamela Napier received the IU Trustees Teaching Award; and Assistant Professors Eileen Misluk and Uranchimeg Tsultem received Alice and Robert Schloss Faculty Support Fund Awards.
  • Lowell Isaac (B.F.A. General Fine Arts '09), a lecturer in drawing and illustration, Dean Greg Hull, the Valerie Eickmeier Professor in Sculpture, and Stefan Petranek, an associate professor of foundation studies and photography, gave artist talks about their work in August as part of the 2021 Biennial Faculty Exhibition.
  • Samuel Levi Jones (B.F.A. Photography '09) discussed his artwork and studio practice on Sept. 2 in person and virtually as part of the Eskenazi Museum of Art's Fall 2021 Visiting Artist Series.
  • The DeHaan Artist of Distinction Group Exhibition at Gallery 924 at the Arts Council of Indianapolis, which opened on Sept. 3 and will be on display until Oct. 29, featured Samuel Levi Jones and Beatriz Vasquez (B.F.A. General Fine Arts '06). On YouTube, you can see videos about Jones' and Vasquez's art practices.
  • From July 10 to Sept. 5, Yasmine Kasem (B.F.A. Sculpture '15) exhibited in "SD Practice" at Bread & Salt in San Diego, California. The exhibition, which was co-organized with the City of San Diego's Commission for Arts and Culture, featured public artworks acquired by the city as part of a recent initiative of the same name.
  • Skyler Lawson (B.F.A. Visual Communication Design '12) presented his independent feature-length film "Whelm" in 35mm roadshow screenings across the country this summer, providing audiences with a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience.
  • Chase Palmer (B.F.A. Painting '18) exhibited figurative paintings in the final installment of "Fragmented Bodies," a three-part group show at Albertz Benda in New York, N.Y. The exhibition opened on Sept. 9 and will be on display until Oct. 1.
  • Melissa Parrott Quimby (B.F.A. Ceramics '95), an adjunct instructor in art therapy, foundation studies, and elective arts, and Megan Smith (B.F.A. Ceramics '18) were named to the Indiana Arts Commission's On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator program's 2021 cohort. The Arts Council of Indianapolis also awarded Parrott Quimby an Indy Keeps Creating Fund grant in August.
  • Associate Professor Stefan Petranek was selected as a 2021 Critical Mass Finalist, joining 200 other visual artists from 37 countries. Photolucida's annual Critical Mass program is one of the most prestigious photographic competitions, drawing applicants from all over the world and at all levels of their craft.
  • Associate Professor Danielle Riede, the Randolph H. Deer Professor in Painting, had a solo show from Sept. 5 to 30 at Armadillo Gallery in Leipzig, Germany, titled "Body Electric II."
  • Joshua Ross (B.F.A. Photography '15) was one of 40 artists featured in the group exhibition "Salon de Imperfectionism," at the Los Angeles-based gallery Wönzimer, which ran from July 16 to Aug. 11.
  • Jordan Ryan (B.A. Art History '10), principal at The History Concierge, led a series of informal conversations along the White River in September to connect the waterway to nearby places and people through a historical lens. These events were planned as part of Ryan's involvement with the White River Vision Plan.
  • Robert Young (B.F.A. General Fine Arts '13) was featured in "Work Behind the Work," an exhibition at Demuth Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, highlighting the artist's creative process. The exhibition debuted on Sept. 25 and will be on display until Nov. 14.

Want to be featured in the next Herron highlights roundup? Submit your news via our online form or email herrext@iupui.edu.