Wayne State University College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts

05/26/2026

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT!

Ryan Herberholz
MFA '18

TRANSIENT NARRATIVES
Ideation Orange
420 W. 9 Mile Rd. Hazel Park, MI
Opening Reception: Friday June 5th 7-10pm
Exhibition Dates: June 5th - June 30th
Featuring Melissa A. Day and Ryan Herberholz.

TRANSIENT NARRATIVES

Transience describes both the activity of human beings and physical processes. On long enough timescales a building, a city, a single life, or the existence of a species on a planet in a solar system could be considered features of a transient universe. These works attempt to narrate the ineffable. While two differing approaches to landscape are evident in this exhibition they both explore the ways in which human beings interact with their environment and each other. These paintings contain evidence of activity and remnants of communication that divulge the fact that the only constant we can count on is change.

Ryan Herberholz is a painter who creates otherworldly landscapes and sculptural objects. He draws inspiration from frequent trips into the Michigan wilderness as well as from locations in Detroit’s North End neighborhood where he lives and works. Ryan received MFA from Wayne State University in 2018 and his BFA from the Stamps School at the University of Michigan in 2012. He has completed several community murals in Detroit and frequently exhibits work in the city and the surrounding region.

For more information:
https://www.galleryatio.com/events-exhibitions1


Wayne State University

05/22/2026

Alicia Nails, Teaching Professor and Director of the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity (), received a Lifetime Achievement Award on May 20 from the Society of Professional Journalists.

In her acceptance speech, Nails reflected on being the third generation in her family to achieve such outstanding professional success. She credited this to her long-standing relationship with the National Association of Black Journalists (), who honored her as the 2018 Educator of the Year, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and 23 years of teaching students.

Congratulations, Alicia!! 🎉

05/21/2026

Wayne State University is using AI not only in STEM education but to teach creative skills such as industrial design.

05/16/2026

05/15/2026

Two faculty members are among the five recipients of this year’s Knight Arts + Tech Fellowship. This annual initiative, funded by the Knight Foundation () and , provides tech-infusing artists with unrestricted grants of $50,000 and a diverse support network.

The two 2026 fellows from the James Pearson Duffy Department of Art, Art History, and Design () are Assistant Professor of Digital Art Taeyoon Choi and Associate Professor Wesley Taylor.

Department Chair Lauren Kalman, Ph.D., and appreciate Choi and Taylor’s devotion to art education, innovation and accessibility, and is excited to see their work continue! 🎉

Read more at the link in the comments below

Image 2: Taeyoon Choi ()

Image 3: "Interweaving Poetic Code" by Taeyoon Choi

Image 4: Wesley Taylor ()

Image 5: Black Portal roof in disrepair, sparking the "Put a Roof on the Mother” fundraising campaign ()