The School of Art is pleased to welcome Sheika Lugtu as Senior Admission Officer for the undergraduate program! In this newly-created position within the school, Sheika will build relationships with high schools and arts programs across the country and around the world to help promising art students learn about, apply to, and get accepted into CMU’s unique program. Prior to joining the School of Art, Sheika worked in admissions at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).
Sheika is a cartoonist and publisher who embraces collaborative making and interdisciplinary study in her own practice. Her work with the Ladydrawers Comics Collective centers on the impact of economics, race, sexuality, and gender on the comics industry, media, and visual culture at large. She is the founder and publisher at Cow House Press, an award-winning indie comic press dedicated to supporting marginalized voices. She holds a BA in Visual & Critical Studies and a BFA in Studio Art from SAIC.
“The School of Art is committed to diversifying our school, including our undergraduate community, and having a dedicated staff member will help ensure we’re welcoming talented young artists with a wide variety of backgrounds,” said Head of School Charlie White. “Sheika is the perfect person for this position. In both her work with students and in her personal artistic practice, she is committed to understanding and working against the forces that marginalize communities and to uplifting those who are sidelined.”
Sheika has taught comics history and illustration, lectured, and facilitated workshops at numerous arts organizations including SAIC, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Richard and Mary Gray L. Center for the Arts, and North Branch Projects. She has also served on the inaugural board of Chicago for Chicagoans, a non-profit historical tour organization focused on engaging and building hyper-local communities. She juries for the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo and organized exhibitions with the Foundation for Asian American Independent Media. Her work has been published in Sixty Inches from Center as part of Art Design Chicago, South Side Weekly, Truthout.org, PEN America and others.
