Year 1 service narrative 2023-24 academic year

During the 2023–2024 academic year (Fall 2023/Spring 2024), I completed my first year of service as an Assistant Professor in the School of Art, Art History, and Design at the University of Iowa, contributing meaningfully to departmental, collegiate, and student-centered initiatives. I served on the SAAH Executive Committee during both the fall and spring semesters and was a member of the Grant Wood Fellowship Committee, reflecting my commitment to supporting research and professional development for early-career artists—an investment informed by my own experience as a Grant Wood Fellow alum. I also conducted the second-year lecture review for my colleague Ali Hval, a process that underscored our shared commitment to maintaining high standards of teaching excellence within the department.

My service further included mentorship and evaluation of students at multiple levels. I served on three Painting and Drawing MFA/MA thesis committees for graduating students—Sophia Echeverri Fernandez, Jordan Ismaiel, and Veronica Leto (MA)—and participated in BFA clearance committees for four students in the fall and two students in the spring. Beyond administrative roles, I actively supported experiential learning opportunities. In the fall semester, I accompanied undergraduate students to the Des Moines Arts Center exhibition Transform Any Room. In the spring, I organized and led a graduate workshop field trip to Chicago to view Nicole Eisenman: What Happened, a mid-career survey newly opened on April 6 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. I coordinated directly with the Eisenman studio and MCA curator to secure tickets for graduate students, arranged attendance at the artist talk Nicole Eisenman and David Velasco in Conversation at Co-Prosperity Gallery, and facilitated introductions between students and the artist Nicole Eisenman as well as Sam Roeck, her full-time studio assistant. These efforts reflect my dedication to expanding students’ professional networks and deepening their engagement with contemporary art practice beyond the classroom.

Finally, I contributed directly to the future of the department by interviewing prospective MFA students for the 2024–2025 cohort and will continue my service by participating on the Painting and Drawing search committee for a visiting artist and drawing professor for the 2024–2025 academic year.