M.A. Art History
Aurora Bell is pursuing an M.A. in art history. She is interested in exploring intersections between fine art and craft. Originally from Austin, Texas, Aurora received a B.A. in comparative literature from NYU. After several years working as book editor in NYC, she moved to South Carolina to join the staff of the University of South Carolina Press, where she is currently associate editorial director.
M.F.A. Studio Art
Amy Chalmers is a second-year M.F.A. candidate who uses image and text to illustrate experiences of new parenthood. She holds a B.A. in Art History and French from Wofford College and an M.A. in Illustration: Authorial Practice from Falmouth University.
From curatorial work to comics, Amy’s enduring interests are in drawing, graphic narrative, and design.
Instagram: @amy.chalmers
M.A. Media Arts
M.A. Studio Art
M.F.A. Studio Art
M.A. Art History
Russell Facemire is a second-year candidate for the Master’s of Art History program at the University of South Carolina. He is originally from Braxton County, West Virginia and received a BFA from Shepherd University and an MFA from SUNY Buffalo. His research interests include Italian art of the Renaissance and the Novecento, the politics of power, finances and propaganda in visual mediums, and the vision of the working class in the art world. He speaks Italian and has basic proficiency in Spanish.
M.A. Media Arts
"I want to use videography and photography to focus on expanding the narrative of Latinos in media. There is a common perception of Latin American/Hispanics as low skill manual laborers in the United States. I want to both increase the amount of representation shown and the “higher level” jobs occupied by Latinos. Currently, I’m focusing on the Thoroughbred industry."
Instagram: @Silvi0Gonzales
M.F.A. Studio Art
Addison Graham is a fine artist from Fort Smith, Arkansas. She received her BFA from Arkansas Tech University in 2020 and is currently working on her MFA at the University of South Carolina.
Graham was a member of the Arkansas Society of Printmakers and has exhibited in multiple cities in Arkansas including Arkadelphia, Little Rock, Russellville, Van Buren, and Fort Smith. In 2019, she was given the opportunity as the first student solo exhibition at the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum.
The fine artist and her dog now reside in Columbia, South Carolina, to further develop her work. This previous summer, she worked as a press operator’s assistant at The Half and Half, which is a local award-winning screen printing company specializing in music merchandise and fine art reproduction, taught printmaking workshops at the Columbia Museum of Art, and attended Penland School of Craft. During the school year she works as a graduate instructional assistant for beginning and intermediate painting classes.
Instagram: @addison.graham.art
Website: www.addisongraham.com
M.F.A. Studio Art
"My reasons for making come from a Black female perspective. Issues of race, equality, and justice are at the forefront of my artistic expression. I choose to incorporate metaphors and meaning I find in the symbolism of birds, nature, and ecology. My current research includes issues such as the 13th amendment, the effect of incarceration on the black family, and trauma caused from watching police brutality in the media. My materials are varied, watercolor, acrylic, sculpture, and print transfers. I believe to change negative systems and value Black identity it is important for me as an artist to express those things in a visual form. I want my work to propose questions and narratives that provide a platform for change. To open the door of discussion is just one step in the direction in which I hope to lead the viewer. "
Instagram: @mochaexquisit
M.A.T. Art Education
M.F.A. Studio Art
KJ is a student from Thailand interested in sculpture and pottery. Her artworks are inspired by animals and nature. She is also interested in photography.
M.F.A. Studio Art
Anna Grace’s former career was in theater and creative writing, so it seems natural that her studio practice is motivated by the desire to explore connections among the performing, literary and visual arts. She works intuitively with water, wax, paint, fiber, photo chemicals, and explosives to create abstract images and objects that capture fleeting, fractured, and sacred moments related to the rhythms of life.
Current research interests include installations, poetic imagery, sculptural books, poetry of presence, improvisation, and curriculum development and pedagogical strategies for teaching interdisciplinary and performance art. If you’re interested in connecting for some serious play, reach out to Anna Grace. She’s always open to coffee and conversation.
Email: alafaye@email.sc.edu
M.A.T. Art Education
M.A. Media Arts
M.A. Media Arts
M.F.A. Studio Art
Katy McCormack is pursuing an MFA in photography. She is originally from Chicago where she worked in advertising. Her interests include street photography and documentary photography.
Instagram: @katymcc18
Website: www.katymccphotos.com
M.F.A. Studio Art
M.A. Studio Art
Rebecca Rebl focuses on using meaningful design to create elegant editorial publications. She has years of experience in marketing and photography, and a weakness for beautiful typography.
M.F.A. Studio Art
Anna was born and raised in South Carolina. She received a BA in Studio Art and Art History at the College of Charleston in 2019. Anna is currently in her thesis year of the graduate program. Anna primarily focuses within printmaking and is currently exploring the idea of transcendence within her work.
Instagram: @annaschumann.art
Website: www.annaschumann.com
M.F.A. Studio Art
Jackson is a ceramic artist interested in both pottery and sculpture. Born and raised in Greenville, SC, he received his BA in Studio Art from Furman University. Moving forward, Jackson plans to pursue his love of teaching at the university level.
“I create ceramic artworks inspired by classical and contemporary sculpture, horror, and fantasy. Frequently using the vessel as a canvas, I aim to create dynamic compositions that pack energy, emotion, and beauty. I also enjoy contriving visual tension while incorporating the human figure. My work explores themes of emotional containment, restriction, catharsis, and somatization: when emotions cause physical sensations of discomfort, tension, and pain.”
Instagram: @shanerceramics
Email: jshaner@email.sc.edu
M.F.A. Studio Art
"I am an MFA student and a Graduate Assistant, selected as a Presidential Fellow at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, specializing in Studio Art. My research emphasizes conceptual strength. Apart from traditional material and media, I have conceptualized my body as a tool to perform and establish more interactions between art and society. I seek to bring concepts from culture and social climate and their relation with political power into my work to gain a better understanding of how laws, traditions, and ideologies impact the perceived value of a human."
Instagram: @Ninarastgar
M.A.T. Art Education