University of Washington School of Art

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University of Washington School of Art

Creativity. It’s the Washington Way.

The University of Washington School of Art + Art History + Design is the center for creative innovation and study at one of the world’s leading public research institutions. The School’s focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of new practices enhances both studio-based learning and critical engagement. Our students are inspired to learn through a rigorous classroom experience

, competitive internships, and international opportunities. Learning from influential faculty, alumni, and a network of visiting artists, designers, and scholars, students of our undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs investigate and create in an environment of possibility. Visit our website to learn more about the School at art.washington.edu

Get an inside look at daily life in our spaces + studios, behind-the-scenes at events and artist talks, and a glimpse of student undergraduate and graduate work by following us on Instagram and Twitter:

Instagram.com/uwsoa
Twitter.com/uwsoa

08/21/2026

Join our team! The Media Relations Specialist manages the School's communications efforts and creates compelling content that advances our mission and brand.

Full job description and application:
https://wd5.myworkdaysite.com/recruiting/uw/UWHires/job/Seattle-WA/MEDIA-RELATIONS-SPECIALIST_REQ-0000135644

06/29/2026

Huge congratulations to Assistant Professor Chad Hall for being honored with the Peter Simlinger Prize!

In May, he traveled to Vienna, Austria, to present at the International Institute for Information Design's (IIID) VisionPlus 2026 conference and accept this prestigious award that honors the founder of IIID and celebrates his vision that “data transformed into information empowers people.” Hall's award-winning project, USAFacts: A Scalable Visualization System for an Informed Public, was recognized for its innovative approach to transforming complex public data into accessible information, helping support an informed public.

In a separate recognition, Hall was recently selected as an inaugural Google Higher Education AI Faculty Fellow. The fellowship brings together a global cohort of university faculty who are advancing the responsible integration of artificial intelligence in teaching, research, and institutional innovation. The program will launch later this summer.

Hall is an Assistant Professor of Visual Communication Design at the School of Art + Art History + Design, and a 2016 Master of Design alum.

06/18/2026

Congratulations to all of our 2026 graduates!

Here are some shots from the graduation celebration last Saturday. Thank you to all the parents and friends who joined us to celebrate our students, now alumni.

University of Washington UW College of Arts & Sciences UW Design

06/04/2026

Introducing one of three graduating Master of Design (MDes) students, Jeff Jiang ( ).

Jeff Jiang is a footwear designer, originally from China and currently based in Seattle. Positioning footwear as a bridge between industrial design and fashion, Jiang approaches design through a tension between restraint and instinct—balancing rational construction with expressive form. His practice explores the relationship between history, modernity, and future possibilities in footwear design. By drawing from historical references while engaging contemporary tools and materials, he creates experimental forms that challenge conventional boundaries and push toward a more forward- looking design language.

See his thesis project "Step of Time" as part of the 2026 MFA + MDes Thesis Exhibition, on view through June 14th. Join us for the public opening tomorrow, June 5, 6–8pm.

06/02/2026

Introducing our next artist from the 2026 MFA + MDes graduates:

Victoria Mackender (MFA 2026) is an interdisciplinary artist and educator based in Seattle, Washington. Working across painting and expanded media, her practice explores grief, memory, and the instability of the self. Grief collapses chronology and exposes the fluidity of the self. The body becomes interdimensional, caught between past and present, inhabiting multiple realities at once. Her paintings return to these frozen states performing excavations that are both personal and mythic.

Get a closer look at their work as part of the 2026 MFA + MDes Thesis Exhibition, on view through June 14th. Join us for the public opening on June 5, 6–8pm.

Image 1: shapeshifting (detail), 2026. Oil on canvas.
Image 2: shapeshifting, 2026. Oil on canvas. Photo: Jacob Chung.
Image 3: We Are Creatures of This World, 2025. Oil on canvas.
Image 4: going under (detail), 2026. Oil on canvas. Photo: Jacob Chung.
Image 5: going under, 2026. Oil on canvas. Photo: Jacob Chung.

05/28/2026

Introducing our 2026 MFA + MDes graduates:

Stephanie Alacon (MFA 2026) is an artist based in Seattle, Washington. Largely working in sculpture and installation, they are interested in creating precarious compositions that hold a sense of tension, often pushing materials like glass and ceramics, incrementally to their limits, past their breaking point, and employing rituals of care and repair to breathe new life into these structures. This cyclical way of making mimics a natural rhythm we all experience, and is fertile ground to explore what it means when we/things/systems start to break down, and how care and attention affects transformation and healing.

Get a closer look at their work as part of the 2026 MFA + MDes Thesis Exhibition, on view through June 14th. Join us for the public opening on June 5, 6–8pm.

Image 1: Pathways, 2025. Glass, metal.
Image 2: Detail of Stephanie’s work in the CMA North Gallery, 2025.
Image 3: Breaking (detail), 2026. Glass. Photo: Jacob Chung.

05/26/2026

Two recent podcasts to add to your listening list, featuring our faculty!

Art Assistant Professor Rob Rhee recently joined Shin Yu Pai on the podcast Ten Thousand Things to discuss his creative practice through his exhibition Crossings. In the episode, “A Gourd,” Rhee reflects on his process and recent experimentation creating sculptural works from gourds. Listen to the full episode: https://shows.acast.com/ten-thousand-things-with-shin-yu-pai/episodes/a-gourd

Design Professor Karen Cheng is featured on the Designers on Film podcast, joining host and Design alum Jason Tselentis (MFA 2004), now Head of Design at Winthrop University, for a conversation about Working Girl (1988). Listen to the episode: https://www.designersonfilm.com/podcast/working-girl-1988-with-karen-cheng-more-thoughts

05/22/2026

Help us congratulate industrial design major Kat Lew and art major Tom McAlister for being selected as 2026 Bonderman Fellows!�

Each year, the Bonderman Travel Fellowship provides a selected group of UW students a rare opportunity to independently travel the world. Both of their travels will take them to places such as Argentina, Egypt, Mexico, Thailand, China, Morocco, and Japan.�

Congratulations Kat and Tom!��

05/21/2026

We recently sat down with MFA student and curatorial assistant at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, Chave Pichardo, to talk about their work shaping student programs and events aimed at transforming the gallery into a third space.

Their creative practice, including zine-making, informs their approach as they cultivate community, conversation, and connection through their vision for the space.

Learn more about Chave’s story at https://art.washington.edu/news/2026/04/16/chave-pichardo-spaces-care

05/05/2026

At this year's IHA Global Innovation Awards (centered around Product Design within the household sector) ID juniors Charlie Johnson and Matthew Li were awarded 3rd place for their collaborative work on Streamline. This past March, they traveled to Chicago for IHA's trade show where they presented their work to a group of industry professionals, as well as other student winners.

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Art Building
Seattle, WA
98195

Telephone

+12065430970

Website

http://art.washington.edu/

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