Alums in the News

MFA in Art Practice, Class of 2009

Associate Professor of Art at San Francisco State University

"My time at Stanford's MFA Art Practice program, culminating in 2009, was transformative. The interdisciplinary nature of the program deepened my research methodologies and provided vital teaching experience through assistantships and independent course instruction. These experiences laid the foundation for my current role at SF State. Post-Masters, I pursued artistic opportunities across the United States and internationally, participating in residencies and exhibitions in Omaha, NYC, Honolulu, Bahrain, Beijing, Shanghai, and beyond. While my career path was initially non-linear, it led to my current position as Associate Professor of Art at SFSU. Since 2015, I've been developing the Sculpture and Expanded Practice area to align with contemporary professional methodologies. My goal is to empower students as artist/citizens who can shape better futures through ethical and dynamic cultural production."

PhD in Art History, Class of 2019

Curator at the ONE Archives, USC Libraries

"I graduated with my PhD in spring of 2019 and started my job at ONE Archives in fall of 2019. I was lucky in terms of the timing and the fit between my area of expertise and what ONE Archives was looking for. ONE Archives is the largest LGBTQ archive in the country and has archival collections, periodicals, and art objects. My dissertation, Turning the Page: Image and Identity in U.S. Lesbian Magazines, reflects my interest in the intersection of art history, and feminist and queer theory and history, and my career builds on that interest. The archive was a perfect fit. As one of now two employees on the curatorial side of our organization, I am responsible for day-to-day admin, planning exhibitions and programs, and overseeing the care of our art collection. Thus, my work is different every day, depending on current priorities. Occasionally, I will also work outside of the archive, conducting research for future exhibitions, seeing exhibitions, and visiting studios of local queer artists."

MFA in Documentary Film, Class of 2004

Documentary Filmmaker

"At Stanford I fell in love with documentary editing. The mental exercise required to build a tight and emotionally charged story excited me to no end. The documentary program at Stanford taught me how to keep a film focused and a narrative arc engaging. I took these lessons with me as I went on to work as an Assistant Editor under veteran editor/director Kim Roberts (also a Stanford Documentary film alum). Under Kim’s mentorship I honed my storytelling skills to tackle long feature length narratives. Over the years I continued editing documentaries. I found the craft of editing incredibly creative and fulfilling. As an editor, I take viewers through an emotional, immersive experience. I have mastered the art of building vivid scenes and revealing my characters’ most intimate thoughts, passions, and demons."

BA in Studio Art, Class of 1993

Designer for stage and screen

"Being a student in fine arts within a university that also offered strong courses and experiences in other arts, humanities and sciences taught me to value and really embrace the process of synthesis. At Stanford I was able to integrate working in other fields, such as VTSS and Drama, together with my major in studio art.  I was, in effect, laying the foundation for my current design process. I have never worked on a single project that didn’t require me to dive into a myriad of attending other subjects in the quest for inspiration, or for shoring up a niche visual argument."