Dear School of Art Community,
I am thrilled to send my first message to our full community, bringing together students, faculty, and staff on campus with our incredible network of alumni, parents, friends, and colleagues near and far. Stepping into the role of Head of the School of Art is an immense privilege, and before we dive into the familiar rhythm and momentum of a new semester, I want to extend my warmest greetings to you all.
Over the last week, we welcomed our incoming students for Orientation, and, for me personally, feeling that initial spark of energy on the ground has been incredibly inspiring. The 61 artists of the undergraduate Class of 2030 have arrived in Pittsburgh from six countries around the world and 17 states across the nation. They are joined by our five incoming MFA candidates, each exceptional in their own ways. I cannot wait to see what they all will be curious about, create, and bring to our community.
For those who are new to my own work, my perspective as an educator is deeply intertwined with my practice as an interdisciplinary artist and animator. Having navigated different cultures and geographies throughout my life, I view an art school as a vital site of gathering — a porous space where we can cross boundaries, question the world, and take creative risks together. The unique intersection of art, technology, and visionary research is precisely what drew me to Carnegie Mellon, and I am eager to continue building on the history that defines this school. I also want to acknowledge and celebrate Charlie White’s transformative leadership over the last ten years. Charlie built a culture of immense care, rigor, and ambition here, and it is a true honor to carry that spirit into our next chapter.
Carnegie Mellon School of Art MFA Class of 2029 with Head of School Meg Bisineer, MFA Program Director Alisha B Wormsley, and MFA Program Associate Director Wendy Willis
Embarking on a new academic year is also an important moment to highlight many of the ways our community has been active over the summer, and some of what we have in store for the semester ahead:
Visiting Artist Lecture Series | Today, we are announcing our Visiting Artist Lecture Series, co-presented with Carnegie Museum of Art. This year’s series brings six visionary artists from the 59th Carnegie International to our podium. Each will offer a deeper look at their work in the exhibition and the explorations that make their voice distinct in contemporary art. As always, these talks are free and open to the public, so please join us!
Faculty & Staff News | The professional rigor of our programs thrives on the contributions of our exceptional faculty and staff. Please join me in congratulating Alisha B Wormsley as our new Director of the MFA Program, taking the helm from Lyndon Barrois Jr., who headed the program over the last year. We are also welcoming the wonderful Lenka Clayton as a visiting MFA core faculty member while she simultaneously develops Collective Biography, Pittsburgh, 2026, a participatory public art project for the ICA Pittsburgh. Assistant Professor of Art Renee Henderson is in London for the next year, after being awarded The Starr Fellowship artist residency at the Royal Academy Schools. And we also congratulate staff member Sheika Lugtu on her new leadership role as Assistant Dean for Admission and Enrollment Management for the College of Fine Arts.
Around Pittsburgh | In June, Pittsburgh became the epicenter of the international animation community. The newly formed Pennsylvania Expanded Animation Alliance, led by Professor Johannes DeYoung, hosted “The Animate Experience,” the 37th Annual Society for Animation Studies Conference, drawing over 100 global artists and industry leaders. The conference’s many panels and keynotes featured several school voices, including Professor Jamie Wolfe, Johannes, and myself; Associate Director of the MFA Program Wendy Willis; and two of our juniors, Noam Di Giulio and Milo Piovano-Marcotte, whose work was screened at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh’s MuseumLab exhibition. If you are in the Pittsburgh area, I highly encourage a walk through Arts Landing downtown. This beautiful riverfront park is currently exhibiting new public works by four of our own — Professor Sharmistha Ray, Visiting MFA Core Faculty members Shikeith and Lenka Clayton, and Adjunct Professor John Peña.
In the Studio & Beyond | On the curriculum side, we are proud to share that our students will be learning the fundamentals of glass flameworking for the first time at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, working with Adjunct Professors Matt Eskuche and SaraBeth Post Eskuche. And here on campus, Professor Golan Levin is co-teaching an exciting new course, “AI & Creative Practice: Making and Thinking with Machines,” with faculty across all five schools in the College of Fine Arts. This is a crucial time and space to dissect what these emerging tools actually mean for an artist’s practice, and particularly so as the future continues to be built right here at CMU.
Herbert T. Olds Endowed Scholarship | In a beautiful act of community honoring our school’s past, a committee of alumni led by Brett Reichman (CFA ’82), Jamie Adams (CFA ’83), Katharine Kuharic (CFA ’84), Sarah Ratchye (CFA ’83), and Sherri Wolfgang (CFA ’83) has launched an effort to establish the Herbert T. Olds Endowed Scholarship. This fund honors Herb’s legacy here, both as an alum and his 35 years as an inspirational faculty member. If you were one of those many students who felt the impact of Herb’s teaching far beyond the classroom walls, I invite you to join this effort in his name.
An art school does not exist in a vacuum; it thrives because of the students, alumni, parents, and advocates who support it. Wherever you are in the world, you are an essential part of our school. Please know you are always welcome here, whether attending our lectures, visiting the student-run Frame Gallery, or staying close in other ways. We want to celebrate you, too, so please share your milestones and achievements with us anytime at schoolofartnews@andrew.cmu.edu.
Thank you for the incredibly warm welcome I have already received. I am so looking forward to listening, learning, and creating a shared future with all of you.
Warmly,
Meg Bisineer
Regina and Marlin Miller Head of School
Professor of Art
School of Art, Carnegie Mellon University