For 27 years at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Art, Professor Suzie Silver has fostered a vibrant laboratory for queer expression, performance art, and collaborative media. Her legacy as an inspirational mentor is defined by a dedication to celebrating her students as they are and to helping them “learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” Silver said. “If you feel like you don’t fit in the world, figuring out how to be comfortable being uncomfortable is only way to be happy.”

Suzie Silver joined the School of Art in 1999 during a pivotal era of interdisciplinary expansion at CMU. With a background that included an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a professional video editing career in Chicago and New York City, Silver brought a unique blend of camp sensibility and technical precision to the School’s Electronic and Time-Based Media (ETB) area.

Throughout her tenure, Silver was known for an ambitious approach to pedagogy that resulted in a staggering number of unique and experimental courses. She developed groundbreaking courses that bridged the gap between critical studies and studio practice, such as “Science Fiction Studio,” “Radio Play,” “Weird Pixels: Performing Objects + Media,” and her legendary “Pop Cabaret” class. She frequently pushed students to move beyond campus, transporting equipment to empty storefronts on Penn Avenue or local clubs like Brillobox to give them a taste of the grassroots art world.

In “Pop Cabaret,” held in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Museum, Silver encouraged both Art and non-Art majors to explore avant-garde approaches within a Vaudeville-inspired performance format. “Suzie led us in exercises that were totally new to me,” recalled Mitsuko Verdery (BFA 2014). “She didn’t just teach; she participated in the acting and embodiment exercises. It was her curatorial vision that culminated the class in a public variety showcase, providing some of my most brave and exploratory moments as a student.”

Not long after “Pop Cabaret” began, Silver created Trans-Q Television, with funding from Center for Arts in Society, a class where students created episodes of a queer video variety show. This was followed by the instigation of TQ Live!, in collaboration with Scott Andrew (MFA 2013), Joseph Hall and sara huny young, an annual performance extravaganza at the Warhol and Carnegie Museum of Art. She also co-curated Fairy Fantastic!, a touring festival of short films that reimagines folk and fairy tales through a queer and experimental lens, with her partner in art and life, Hilary Harp. While these initiatives explored sexual politics with humor and exuberance, Silver viewed them primarily as collaborative engines. “I’m always wanting to bring people together and make something happen,” she said. “Whether it’s a book, a video, or a live performance, the collaborative nature of these projects is something that I’m super proud of.”

“Suzie empowers students to shed their inhibitions and imagine new possibilities,” said Head of School Charlie White. “Her work is a beacon of performance and video art, and her commitment to fostering a community for diverse voices has left an indelible mark on our school’s DNA.” John Carson, Professor Emeritus and former Head of School (2006-2016), put it this way: “Suzie was a significant inspirational presence, especially in the encouragement and support of LGBTQ+ students. I greatly respect her consistent and uncompromising challenge to patriarchal attitudes in teaching, artistic practice, and institutional governance.”

As an artist, Silver’s early work, like A Spy (Hester Reeves Does the Doors), ignited the video art world by melding queerness and absurdity with visual pleasure. Over her career, her work has been exhibited on nearly every continent, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Documenta, and the ICA London. Her 2012 collaboration with Jasdeep Khaira and Christopher Kardambikis, Strange Attractors, a publication and DVD investigating extra-terrestrial sexualities, featured 70 participants, over half of whom were her former students. “I’ve loved teaching here,” Silver said. “It allowed me to try out all these different things and foster a community of artists that have now spread across the world.”

Many of those former students have gone on to redefine the contemporary art landscape. Shana Moulton (MFA 2004), whose work was featured in a 2024 solo exhibition at MoMA, credits Silver with shaping a foundation for both her professional work and teaching philosophy. “Suzie and her brilliant body of work are the reason I chose to attend CMU,” Moulton said. “As my thesis advisor, she created a space where ambitious, unconventional work could thrive and where the wild, shy, or weird artists felt genuinely supported.”

Silver’s technical standards were as legendary as her creative ones. Harrison Apple (BHA 2013), now Associate Director of CMU’s Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, recalled her intense mentorship. “She was a sounding board and pushed me to take myself and others seriously, without losing sight of why we push our own boundaries,” Apple said. “I am always reminded of how much she has affected how I move in the world. And that any video can be ruined by a few frames.”

Professor Emeritus James Duesing, a long-time colleague and friend, reflected on Silver’s unique path. “Suzie told me once that before discovering art, she considered becoming a nurse or a nun — the world is lucky she found video art instead,” Duesing said. “She has been an unstoppable force and a stalwart friend, always a clear voice spoken with a view toward making the world more fair, more exciting, and just more.”

As Silver prepares to bid farewell to CMU and Pittsburgh, she plans to move to Phoenix, Arizona, where Harp and her family reside. The move marks a new chapter of exploration in the Southwest, where Silver intends to continue her collaborative practice and complete the archiving of TQTV.

The School of Art is profoundly grateful for Professor Suzie Silver’s 27 years of rigor and community-building. While she will be missed in the hallways of the College of Fine Arts and our Melwood Avenue soundstage, her influence will continue to be felt for decades to come. As Suzie put it in her retirement announcement to her colleagues: “Don’t ever forget how great you are, and how magical each and every one of you makes this community.”

Join us in the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry on Thursday, April 16 at 5:30pm for a retrospective celebration honoring the career of Professor Suzie Silver. The screening of Silver’s work will be followed by Q&A moderated by Harrison Apple.

_{Top Image: Still from Freebird (1993)}