Director Notes
While this time of year brings stormy, darker days, autumn quarter here on campus is bustling with activity. Both students and faculty have returned and are busy exploring ideas, making unique work, and engaging with new course material.
In this issue, you’ll find stories that capture the dynamic spirit of our community and offer a glimpse into what fall looks like at the School – fascinating research and exhibitions, new faculty and graduate students joining us, alumni making bold moves, and information about our graduate programs.
We’re also looking forward to several exciting events featuring renowned guests such as Abigail DeVille, Rachael Ziady DeLue, and Indira Allegra. I invite you to dive in, explore the stories, and experience the energy that fills our galleries, studios, and lecture halls this quarter.
Autumnal Alchemy
Rob Rhee's eerie gourds blur the lines between nature and art in his recent exhibition "Crossings."
An Indian-American Artist’s Self in Pieces (Art Review)
John Yau of Hyperallergic provides a nuanced review of Sangram Majumdar's works in his solo exhibition, The Sleep of Reason, at Nathalie Karg Gallery in New York. The exhibition will remain on view until October 6, 2025.
Art Faculty Research + Exhibitions – Summer/Autumn 2025
Highlights include solo exhibitions at major galleries, a VIA Art Fund grant, residencies, and a curated show.
Three Tenure-Track Faculty Appointments
Amanda Lee, Leila Weefur and Akshaya Tankha have been appointed as assistant professors and will begin teaching in Autumn 2025.
Student Stories
Incoming Graduate Students 2025-2026
Introducing the graduate students starting the MFA, MDes, and Art History MA/PhD programs this fall.
Art History in the Digital Age
Last spring, Adair Rounthwaite, Professor of Art History, taught "Introduction to Digital Art History," a course in which students explored open data from art museums and cultural institutions. Check out a selection of student projects.
Alumni Stories
Kim Van Someren: Fostering Community Through Printmaking
Kim Van Someren (MFA 2004) is an artist, educator, and advocate whose career has been dedicated to printmaking. For nearly two decades, she has worked to sustain and grow the printmaking community in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Recent MFA Grads Making Their Mark
Only months after earning their degrees, these recent MFA alumni are making impressive moves in their artistic careers.
New Digs for Traver Gallery
Alum Sarah Traver (2002) pushes the boundaries of an art gallery that's been in her family for nearly five decades.
Jacob Lawrence Gallery Stories
2026 Jacob Lawrence Legacy Resident: Indira Allegra
Indira Allegra will join us in January 2026 to create new work, conduct research, and connect with our community as part of their residency.
Liberation Book Club 2025-26
This year-long program series hopes to honor the gallery’s commitment to social justice and to gather community to think about the work of liberation through shared texts, art, film, music, conversation, and workshops.
Inspired Acts: A Conversation with Rob Rhee & Dineo Sheshee Bopape
Rob Rhee and Dineo Seshee Bopape discuss the power of living materials, ongoing processes, and finding levels of acceptability as artists.
Other News
Apply to Graduate programs for Autumn 2026
Ready to take your creative practice and research to the next level? Explore our graduate programs in Art, Art History, and Design. Applications for Autumn 2026 open December 1 and close January 15.
James Pierce's Patent Success Story
James Pierce, Associate Professor and Chair of Interaction Design, has been working with UW CoMotion to commercialize technologies his lab developed for responsible AI-sensing platforms. His project was featured as a patent success story (the only Arts faculty included) and was also selected for the Fall 2025 Innovation Gap Fund. Read more about Pierce’s research on Arts & Sciences Perspectives.
Jordan Jones Contributes Essays to New Studio Museum Publication
Jordan Jones, Director and Curator of the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, contributed three essays on Betty Blayton Taylor, Nanette Carter, and Elizabeth Catlett to Meaning Matter Memory: Selections from the Studio Museum in Harlem Collection. Learn about the publication.
UW Design Class of 2015 Celebrates 10-year Reunion
Organized by VCD alums Donna Seo and Clara Lam, the UW Design Class of 2015 gathered this fall for a reunion featuring Pecha Kucha presentations reflecting on their careers over the past decade. View image gallery.
Art Faculty News from Near and Far
- Ann Gale’s recent exhibition at Dolby Chadwick Gallery was reviewed by artist Emilio Villalba on Robaran Review. Read the review.
- Leila Weefur’s curatorial project Landscapes of Myth: Westerns After The Searchers opens this November at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Read more here.
- Flint Jamison’s solo exhibition Of Contact Prints Of Open Broadcaster Software Screen Shots Of… opened October 19 at Air de Paris. Find out more here.
- Helen O’Toole is Artist-in-Residence at the Siena Art Institute in Italy this fall. Read the announcement.
Retired Art Faculty Are Back in the Studio
- Timea Tihanyi’s exhibition Interiorizing is on view at Greg Kucera Gallery from November 6–December 20. View exhibition details.
- Ellen Garvens shared insights into her latest work in this short video for PCNW’s 2025 Benefit Artist Spotlight.
Alumni Exhibitions
Alumni are active across Seattle this season, with many featured in exhibitions highlighted by local media. You can find several of these shows on The Seattle Times’ “10 Must-See November Exhibitions” and “Best Exhibits to See in Fall 2025,” as well as The Stranger’s “November Things to Do: Visual Art.”
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Media Contact
Leo Carmona, Media Relations Specialist, soanews@uw.edu