An internationally recognized artist, curator, and academic leader, Bisineer will bring her community-centered practice to Carnegie Mellon University this August.
The College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University has named Meghana Bisineer as the new Head of the School of Art, effective August 3, 2026. Bisineer succeeds Charlie White, who concludes his term on July 1 to assume the deanship of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.
Bisineer (she/they) joins CMU from California College of the Arts in San Francisco, where she has served as Chair of Animation and Game Arts & Design since 2022 and as faculty since 2016. Prior to CCA, Bisineer taught in the UK as an Associate Professor in Animation at the University of Portsmouth, as well as at the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester and Farnham, and the Royal College of Art in London.
Bisineer earned her bachelor’s degree in animation from the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, India, and her master of fine arts in animation from the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London, UK, supported by the prestigious Inlaks Scholarship.
“Meg’s work as an artist and educator brings the physical and the digital together in service of community,” said Mary Ellen Poole, dean of the College of Fine Arts. “She is an ideal leader for the School of Art’s next chapter, and we are delighted to welcome her to CMU.”
An Indian-born artist, curator, and educator, Bisineer’s multiform artworks traverse experimental animation, installation, performance, and ritual. Her process-driven practice investigates the nature of time, vulnerability, and personal memory in relation to place and landscape. Expanding from the screen, Bisineer’s installations and performance works often involve food offerings to her audience, embedding care as a creative and generative force in her work. She has exhibited internationally at major museums and festivals, including the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Asian Art Museum, the Exploratorium, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and the Royal Festival Hall in London.
Bisineer is the co-founder and curator of the Eyewash Experimental Animation Salon and hosts Upstream, an artist-run residency in the Sierra Foothills near Yosemite National Park. She is also part of Dream Farm Commons, an artist collective that stewards a gallery and project space in downtown Oakland. Her accolades include the Zellerbach Family Foundation Arts Grant (2024), the Future of Film Award (2023), and the Kala Media Arts Fellowship Award and Residency (2022).
“I am honored to join the School of Art and step into this exceptionally talented and warm community,” Bisineer said. “In a world that seems increasingly broken, I believe artists are a vital voice at the table, bringing creativity and curiosity to conversations that will shape our future. I look forward to working alongside the students, faculty, and staff at CMU to nourish these meaningful dialogues.”
Ahead of assuming her role in August, Bisineer will be a featured speaker at the 2026 Society of Animation Studies conference, hosted in Pittsburgh from June 15-18, 2026.
Photography by Ebti