Graduates of the Visual Arts Program are professional artists, designers, arts educators and arts administrators. They have successful careers in a variety of art-related fields and world-renowned design firms. Graduates are studying at leading MFA programs across the country and are teaching in universities and K-12 schools. You can see the work of our alumni on exhibit in galleries and museums across Greater Cincinnati.
If you graduated from any SOTA program, we would love to hear from you! Fill out our Alumni Update form and you may be featured on our website and other publications!
Gina recently brought her mural design for the Newport Flood Wall on Dave Cowens Drive to completion for the city's 225th Anniversary! This mural, entitled "Education Empowers", tells the story of the Southgate Street School; the original building stands today and is now the home of the Newport History Museum. It was the first and only school for Black children in Newport immediately following the Civil War. The 19-panel wall will eventually become a chronological timeline of Newport's rich history.
Why did you choose to study at NKU SOTA?
I chose NKU's Visual Arts program first and foremost because of its professors. I researched their personal artwork and found a diverse array of styles unified by their respective excellence. I believed that these artists and teachers could expand my perspective and lead me towards a path that would elevate my own unique skill set, which is exactly what happened. I am eternally grateful for Kevin Muente, JeeEun Lee, Marc Leone, and Steven Finke.
Oen Michael Hammonds (BFA Graphic Design, 1999), Design Principal, Employee Experience Design at IBM, was recently selected to be one of the jurors in Fast Company’s international 2020 Innovation by Design Awards.
Hammonds travels the globe as a design advocate and onboarding leader within IBM’s enormous design and engineering teams. In 2015, as part of Cincinnati Design Week, he conducted an in-class design workshop and spoke at NKU about his work in radical collaboration, user-centered empathy, and the legacy of IBM’s innovation-based culture that he has been integral in evolving.
Aside from teaching amazing Art and Design students at University of Kentucky as Assistant Professor of Digital and Print Media, David also currently has work in an online exhibition, FACT/itious, at Morlan Gallery, Transylvania University. He'll also have work in the exhibition, This is America*, at UK Art Museum in October. David earned an MFA in Studio Art from Purdue University in 2012.
Why did you choose to study at NKU SOTA?
I grew up in small-town Western Kentucky, and was excited to study in an exciting Art program near a big city.
