Spring 2022 Herron Highlights

Every three months, we publish a roundup of the most recent updates from the Herron community. Here's a look at what our students, alumni, and faculty were up to between April and June 2022, including exhibitions, publications, career moves, accomplishments, and accolades.

  • Amory Abbott (B.F.A. General Fine Arts '04) was chosen as one of several visual artists to contribute to the Terminus Project in residency at Olympic National Park in Washington this summer.
  • Olivia Adam (B.F.A. Visual Communication Design '22), Teaosha Cunningham (B.F.A. Visual Communication Design '22), Denver Doub (B.A.E. Art Education '22), Jessy Fearnow (B.F.A. Integrative Studio Practice), Christopher Pack (B.F.A. Visual Communication Design), and Ria Vavhal (B.F.A. Visual Communication Design) were included among this year's IUPUI Top 100. Read the Q-and-As with Olivia, Teaosha, Denver, Jessy, Christopher, and Ria to learn about their campus and community contributions.
  • Kathryn Armstrong (M.F.A. Visual Art '10) left her position as executive director of the Columbus Area Arts Council to become director of development at the Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists' Residency in Saugatuck, Michigan.
  • Karen Baldner, an adjunct instructor of printmaking, installed a Holocaust Memorial at the Beth Shalom synagogue in Bloomington, Indiana. It was dedicated during the Yom HaShoah ceremony on April 27.
  • Tasha Beckwith (B.F.A. General Fine Arts '06) was chosen by the Arts Council of Indianapolis to create the second mural in the "Indianapolis Legends" public artwork series. Madam C.J. Walker, the first self-made female millionaire in the United States, will be depicted in Beckwith's mural at 315 N. Senate Ave.
  • Shae Beechler (B.F.A. Drawing & Illustration '21) designed this year's Indianapolis 500 "wings" mural for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition, J.D. Bills (B.F.A. Integrative Studio Practice '16) was one of five artists chosen to create artwork for the Indy 500. "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," by Bills, was on display at the State Fairgrounds on E. Fall Creek Parkway North Dr. during May.
  • In June, AIGA named Andrew Blauvelt (B.F.A. Visual Communication '86 + Photography '19) an AIGA Medalist for "his vast work in the field of art and design in service of the public." The AIGA Medal is the highest distinction in the communication design field.
  • On June 15, Torry Brown (B.F.A. Photography '22) debuted a solo exhibition in the Herron Galleries' Marsh Gallery. "If I Stay Before I Leave – Images by Torry Brown" will be on display until Aug. 31.
  • Enlace, a nonprofit Christian development organization, hired Annie Brzezinski (B.F.A. Visual Communication Design '18) as a videographer in May.
  • Five local muralists and Herron alumni, including Rafael Caro (B.F.A. Drawing & Illustration '20), Erica Parker (B.F.A. Integrative Studio Practice '16) and Hailee Smith (B.F.A. Drawing & Illustration '20), opened the Chromatic Collective gallery in Indianapolis's Broad Ripple area.
  • "Below the Surface: Recasting Reality with Ultrasound" featured works by Herron students Jasmine Cortez, Carter Franklin, Macey Hackleman, Corrin Larson, Katie McAninch, Nasya McGee, Andrew Schmoll, Megan Schoen (B.F.A. Integrative Studio Practice '22), Squid Stewart, Alexander Toms, Chelsie Walsman, and Connor Wright. The artworks were developed as part of a fall semester collaboration between the Herron School of Art and Design, the Purdue University School of Engineering and Technology, and the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at IU School of Medicine.
  • Tim Crist (B.F.A. Visual Communication '81) and Kyle Kingen (B.A. Art History '20) launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the installation of a historical marker at the grave of Ollie Jackson, one of Herron's first Black students, at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
  • Stephany Doty, a senior lecturer of art history, exhibited her work in "Places In Between" at the Harrison Center in Indianapolis for the month of April.
  • A cast aluminum sculpture by Karl Hauser (B.F.A. Sculpture '79) was included in the group exhibition "Character," presented by the Artists Alliance via Artsy.net. The exhibition debuted on June 20 and will be available online through Aug. 15.
  • Visual communication design student Teresa Hoang's photography was published on The Phoblographer, a popular website dedicated to exploring the psychology of photographers, news, gear, and tutorials.
  • Yasmine K. Kasem (B.F.A. Sculpture '15) was featured in "In the Adjacent Possible" at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The exhibition opened on April 5 and will be on display until March 26, 2023.
  • Taylor McLane (M.A. Art Therapy '22) was named to IUPUI's 2022 Elite 50 list of graduate and professional students. Learn more about McClane's work and contributions to campus and Indianapolis by reading a Q&A with her.
  • Assistant Professor Gürkan Maruf Mihçi's piece "Echo Chamber" was on display at the ALC VideoArt Festival in Alicante, Spain, from May 5 to 14.
  • In April, Alex Moore (M.F.A. Visual Art '20) was hired as the program manager for exhibitions at the Indianapolis Art Center.
  • From May 6 to 26, Katrina J. Murray (B.F.A. Painting '12) presented a solo exhibition, "This Is Us," at the Arts Council of Indianapolis's Gallery 924, in which she explored American civil liberties and internalized cultural biases.
  • Associate Professor Stefan Petranek served as a juror for the Anderson Museum of Art's 2022 "IN-Focus" exhibition featuring Indiana photographers. The group show debuted on April 1 and ran through June 4.
  • Chancellor's Professor Emerita Jean Robertson was the juror for the Indianapolis Art Center's biannual "Art From the Heartland" exhibition, which opened on June 20 and will be on view through Aug. 8.
  • Stuart Snoddy (B.F.A. Painting '09), an adjunct instructor of foundations and painting, opened a solo show, "The Poet Aster," at Massey Klein Gallery in New York, New York, on June 3. The exhibition will be on view through July 16.
  • From May 12 to 27, the Visual Communication Design Senior Capstone Exhibition at the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute in Indianapolis's 16 Tech Innovation District presented students' user experience and service design projects. Visit HerronVCD2022.com to learn more.
  • Shamira Wilson (B.F.A. Furniture Design) and Danicia Monét collaborated on "Seed Swap," an interactive mural for the Indiana State Museum's new 5,000-square-foot Gallery One space, which debuted on June 25. More information about the project can be found on the museum's blog.
  • The Indianapolis Star published a tribute to James Allen Young, a photojournalist and Herron alumnus from 1959 who had a knack for being in the right place at the right time with his camera.

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