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Artist Public Lecture: Sharmistha Ray
September 16 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Join us for a public talk, titled “Resident Alien,” by Sharmistha Ray, Estella Loomis McCandless Assistant Professor of Art, followed by a Q&A.
About the Artist
Sharmistha Ray’s art practice delves into the complex inheritance of multiple cultures through the lens of their queer identity, immigration, and modes of abstraction, both Western and non-Western. Working primarily in painting and drawing, they also engage in sculpture, installation, curation, criticism, and pedagogy. In addition to their solo work, they co-founded, with artist Dannielle Tegeder, the feminist art collective Hilma’s Ghost, a collaborative model for research, artistic production, pedagogy, and community.
Ray’s work has been featured in exhibitions and projects nationally and internationally including at The Guggenheim, New York, NY; The Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), São Paulo, Brazil; The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT; Galeria RGR, Mexico City, Mexico; Marlborough Gallery, New York, NY; Secrist|Beach Gallery, Chicago, IL; Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington, CT; The Armory Show, New York, NY; Parallax Art Center, Portland, OR; India Art Fair, New Delhi, India; Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai, India; and Mill Hall, Kochi, India, among others. In 2025, they unveiled a permanent 600 square foot glass mosaic mural with Hilma’s Ghost at Grand Central Station in New York. Reviews of their work have appeared in The New York Times, The Brooklyn Rail, Artnet, Hyperallergic, Art India, and TimeOut Mumbai.
Ray is a recipient of the Montblanc Young Artist Worldwide Patronage Award, a TED Fellowship, and a Joan Mitchell MFA Grant. They received a BA from Williams College and a dual MFA in Painting and MS in Theory, Criticism, and History of Art, Design and Architecture from Pratt Institute. They have previously taught at Parsons School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, and in the MFA program at the CMU School of Art.
A Deeper Look at Sharmistha Ray’s MTA Arts & Design Public Artwork
A monumental glass mosaic mural, Abstract Futures is the culmination of a two-year project by Ray’s artist collective, Hilma’s Ghost.
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Finding Kresge Theatre
Kresge Theatre is located in the College of Fine Arts building on the south end of campus (near the Hunt Library). To find the theatre, enter the College of Fine Arts building from the west (main) entrance closest to the College of Fine Arts Lawn. Street parking is available along Frew and Tech streets or in CMU’s East Campus Garage.
School of Art Lecture Series
The Carnegie Mellon School of Art Lecture Series is made possible in part by Elizabeth (Thompson) and Thomas M. Cox (A’29) Distinguished Artists Funds, Robert L. Lepper Distinguished Lecture in Creative Inquiry, and Orville M. Winsand Lecture for Critical Studies. Carnegie Mellon makes every effort to provide accessible facilities and programs for individuals with disabilities. This publication can be made available in an alternate format upon request. For accommodations, contact the School of Art at schoolofart@cmu.edu or 412.268.2409. Lecture and event details are subject to change or cancellation.