2025 News & Announcements

October 2025

Department Recognizes Grad Student

Congrats to graduate student Maryam Ghasempour for their recent exhibitions, publications, and awards! Maryam is a second grad student focusing on Photography. Prior to immigrating to the U.S., she worked in journalism, focusing on documentary photography that captures authentic, intimate moments, particularly the lives of older women and men under Islamic regime in northern Iran, and addressing issues of social justice and child labor.
Since moving to the United States, Maryam has navigated the complexities of dual identity, experiencing the emotional tension of living between her homeland and her new environment. This liminal space has deeply informed her artistic practice, shaping her perspective as both an insider and an outsider.
Her current work documents the American experience through the lens of someone coming from an Islamic country with a unique cultural background. At the same time, she revisits and reinterprets her archival documentary photographs to explore women’s lives, both in Iran and after migration. Through her photography, Maryam seeks to illuminate the challenges women face globally, highlighting the resilience required of immigrant women as they navigate the delicate balance between two worlds.

In 2025 Maryam has participated in the following,

Exhibitions:

• Small Works: 47th Harper College National Juried Exhibition, Martha Bell Gallery
• Remixed: SPE Members Exhibition, Tyler School of Art & Architecture at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Botanicals, Online Photo Juried Exhibition, Decagon Gallery, New York
• CFC Juried Exhibition, Society of Photographic Educaiton Contingent Faculty Caucus (to be exhibited at the SPE National Conference, 2026)
• SPE Members Exhibition at the Scarab Club, Michigan. Juror Kat Goffnett
• Places and Spaces, Online Photo Juried Exhibition, Decagon Gallery, New York
• Interiors- Spaces that Define Our Lives, Online Photo Juried Exhibtion, Decagon Gallery, New York
• 17th Annual National Juried Art Exhibtion, Goggle Works Center for the Arts, Pennsylvania

Publications:

• Suboart Magazine No. 44
• Artdose Magazine Weekly
• Bold Journey Magazine
• Mistake House Magazine

Awards & Scholarships

• Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards, People/Self-Portrait
• Full Scholarship, Anderson Ranch Center Workshop
• Third Place, Decagon Gallery, $200 Prize, Honorable Mention
• Mistake House Magazine Editor's Prize for Photography

Ross Mazzupappa

Monday, October 6, 2025

Mazzupappa will give an artist talk and demonstration on Ocotber 6th from 2:30- 5:30pm in Willard Hall, room 319. He will present some techniques for photo-lithography.

Ross Mazzupappa is the Associate Teaching Professor of Printmaking and Photography at Bowling Green State University, in Bowling Green Ohio. He serves as the head of Printmaking and Director of BGSU’s study abroad program in Japan.
Ross is from Youngstown Ohio and received his BFA from Youngstown State University. He went on to earn his MA and MFA from the University of Iowa. His artistic research centers on the Rust Belt region of the United States where it intersects with machine culture, biologic phenomena, and environmental concerns. Ross chooses to make his work primarily in printmaking, and photo-mechanical processes. Drawing on the history of labor, produce, and repetition in his practice. He has exhibited his work nationally and internationally. His work is also in numerous public and private collections, including Stanford University.
Ross is also a researcher, inventor, and DIY enthusiast within the fields of printmaking and photography. He has developed two photo-print processes in which a Copyright has been granted for one and a Pending Patent for the most recent. Ross cultivates a culture of DIY solutions to make printmaking more accessible to artists, students, and print communities. He is well known for his DIY printmaking brayer and rollers. In which he has given many workshops around the US. His DIY projects also include homemade lithographic crayons, presses, equipment and tools. Ross likes to give back to the print community by sharing his creations and artwork online and hopes to write a book documenting his DIY projects.

To follow Ross’s work and updates on upcoming workshops, you can find him on Instagram and rossmazzupappa.weebly.com

K-State Alumni and Faculty Participated in Residency

The Tallgrass Artist Residnecy is located in Matfield Green, Kansas near the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Each artist that's selected completes a two-week residency between May and September. The 2025 artists included K-State 2023 BFA graduate Justice Catron as well as faculty Erin Wiersma and Katie Kingery-Page.

For more information about the residency and the artists visit tallgrassartistresidency.org

Ancestors That We Are

September 30- October 17, 2025

The KSU Department of Art will host an exhibition by Mee Jey in the Chapman Gallery of Willard Hall.
With research degrees in History and Field Archaeology at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Mee Jey received MFA degree from Washington University in St. Louis, USA. With solo shows and performances at Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Kranzberg Arts Foundation, Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Bruno David Gallery (St. Louis), Middlesex University ( London, UK), India Habitat Center (New Delhi), her works have been shown in group shows in Athens (Greece, Europe), New York (MA), London (UK), Michigan, Miami (FL), St. Louis (MO), Alton (IL), New Delhi (India). She was Artist-in-Residence at the Laumeier Sculpture Park (MO, 2022), Procreate Project (London, 2023), Craft Alliance (2022-23) and Kranzberg Arts Foundation (24-25). As Creative Lab Fellow at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (2023-24) Mee was commissioned a permanent installation at the Veteran Housing Project at 1515 N. Grand, St, Louis. She was awarded St. Louis Visionary Emerging Artist Award (2022) and Mother Art Prize in London (UK, 2023).

September 2025

Fall 2025 Undergraduate Scholars Exhibition

This year's Scholars Exhibition is open in the Chapman Gallery from September 8- 26, 2025. It includes work from all levels of undergraduate students who have received recognition and scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year. A reception honoring these students will be held on Friday, September 26 from 5- 7pm in the Chapman Gallery in Willard Hall.

Praise for Professor's Publication

Dr. Dow receives positive reviews for his book Bernardino Poccetti and the Art of Religious Painting at the End of the Florentine Renaissance. The reviews in "The Burlington Magazine" and in "Renaissance Quarterly" both reflect on Dr. Dow's book as a long overdue study of an important fresco painter. As an Art Historian in K-State's Department of Art, Dr. Dow focuses on art and religious reform in sixteenth century Italy.

May 2025

The Department of Art hosts BFA Student Exhibition

Join us for the third BFA Exhibition of the spring semester at the Mark A. Chapman Gallery, featuring stunning works by student artists Brooklyn Linden, Peter Neeck, Annika Jackson, and Michael Kohler.

May 12- 16, 2025
Gallery Hours: 8 AM – 5 PM (Mon–Fri)
Willard Hall, First Floor, Kansas State University
Reception: Friday, May 16, 5–7 PM – meet the artists!

The Department of Art hosts BFA Student Exhibition

Join us for the second BFA Exhibition of the spring semester at the Mark A. Chapman Gallery, featuring stunning works by student artists Chris Harris, Olivia Headley, Abbey Ackerman, and Chloe Carson.

May 5- 9, 2025
Gallery Hours: 8 AM – 5 PM (Mon–Fri)
Willard Hall, First Floor, Kansas State University
Reception: Friday, May 9, 5–7 PM – meet the artists!

East Goes West: Works on Paper | By K-State University Students

Exhibition Dates: April 23 – May 25, 2025

Experience the dynamic creativity of Kansas State University’s emerging artists in East Goes West, a curated pop-up exhibition at the Salina Art Center. Showcasing works on paper from drawing and printmaking students of the 2024–2025 academic year, this collection highlights personal projects developed through self-directed inquiry. From evocative landscapes to bold abstractions, these pieces reflect the students’ exploration of materials, techniques, and conceptual frameworks. Witness the next generation of artists as they refine their voices and push the boundaries of drawing and printmaking.

April 2025

The Department of Art hosts BFA Student Exhibition

Join us for the first BFA Exhibition of the spring semester at the Mark A. Chapman Gallery, featuring stunning works by student artists Josh Adee, Jonas Herrera, Augustus Howard, Joseph Hwang, Jack Swearingen, and Logan Zimmerman.

April 28 – May 2, 2025
Gallery Hours: 8 AM – 5 PM (Mon–Fri)
Willard Hall, First Floor, Kansas State University
Reception: Friday, May 2, 5–7 PM – meet the artists!

From personal stories of loss and identity to reflections on rural life and urban solitude, this powerful collection explores diverse themes through photography, painting, and multimedia. Admission is free and open to the public—come support emerging artists!

March 2025

February 2025

MFA Grad Student Group Exhibition

Exhibit Location: Manhattan Arts Center

Exhibit Dates: February 11 - March 7, 2025
Meet the Artist Reception: Friday, February 28, 5-7 pm

This exhibition showcases the work of the K-State Art Department's Masters of Fine Arts candidates. The event offers a unique opportunity to experience a diverse collection of artistic expressions from the following artists:

• Gabriel Dwomoh
• Maddison Edwards
• Danielle Fisher
• Maryam Ghasempour
• Aaron Joel Stefan
• Ariana Swann

"Buy Our Selves"

The KSU Art Department is excited to announce the opening of the "Buy Our Selves" ceramics show, featuring the work of our Artist in Residence, Spencer Cheek.

Exhibition Dates: February 17th - March 7th

Location: Chapman Gallery

Closing reception: 6-8pm on the March 7^th

This thought-provoking exhibit explores themes of identity, consumerism, and the human form through Spencer Cheek’s unique ceramic works. It offers an opportunity to engage with powerful reflections on contemporary culture.

Join us in celebrating the creativity and vision of the KSU ceramics community!
We look forward to seeing you there!

January 2025

Art Department Students Receive Research Awards

The Art Department is excited to announce that three of our undergraduate students have each received $1,000 from the College of Arts and Sciences for the Spring 2025 semester to conduct faculty-mentored research projects. Forty-four students total in the College of Arts and Sciences received this scholarship, and you can read more about all the students involved in K-State Today's Publication.

Senior in studio art, Michael Kohler, is working with mentor Jason Scuilla on improving Electro Etching processes for printmaking. Specifically, Michael intends to improve the current ground used by experimenting with different methods and materials to make the ground more visible without the need to smoke it. Electro Etching is a new and innovative approach to traditional etching techniques in printmaking. Both electro and traditional methods utilize copper plates to create and print images, but where artists traditionally used solvents and acid to work the copper, Electro Etching uses non-toxic materials and electricity to achieve the same goals. For more information on Electro Etching, check out the NEA Research Project.

Layne McAfee is a senior in studio art working with mentors Kevin Bernstein and Nancy Morrow. For her project, Layne will analyze the social and economic benefits of artist residencies in rural communities. Layne will then use her research to construct a business model for communities that would like to create resident opportunities in their own towns. Layne will draw on her experience and connections as a student fellow for Nature Collab, which “is a joint initiative between the Departments of Art and Entomology that recognizes the intrinsic, interconnectedness between the fields of art, design, the sciences, and mathematics and aims to foster, enhance, and facilitate the interdisciplinary study of nature” (naturecollab.org).

As a sophomore in studio art, Sydney Barge says she will investigate how artists and scholars incorporate the visual arts with ecological themes and artifacts through their different pathways with mentorship from Nancy Morrow. Sydney’s research will explore how individuals use various methods and processes to secure successfully funded careers and opportunities. Sydney points out that the information she gathers will be meaningful to share with students and other people in the field because it will highlight and connect them with important opportunities. Sydney will also use her experience with Nature Collab as a member of the Curatorial Team. Find more information on Nature Collab about our students’ involvement.

KSU Art Department Proudly Recognizes Grad Student

The KSU Department of Art is proud to recognize the accomplishments of graduate student Maryam Ghasempour, who recently completed an artist residency at the Bunnell Art Center in Homer, Alaska, from December 31 to January 13. This residency was supported by the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. During her time in Alaska, Maryam taught two printmaking workshops at Kachemak Bay College—one on monotype techniques and another on linoleum cut. She also gave two presentations to the local community.

Additionally, Maryam has been featured in two prestigious exhibitions:

1. Positive/Negative 40 National Juried Art Exhibition: Her piece "Bound Yet Free" was selected by juror Nandini Makrandi, Chief Curator at the Hunter Museum of American Art, from 124 submissions across the nation.
2. 2025 SPE Members Exhibition: Two of her works, "Lost and Becoming" and "Bound Yet Free", were selected for the exhibition at Sierra Arts in Reno, Nevada, running from March 3 to 26, 2025. The juror for this show is C. Rose Smith, Assistant Curator of Photography at the Brooks Museum of Art.

Congrats to Maryam for these incredible accomplishments!

Art Alum Featured in K-State Alumni Association News

In this article, Allison Bowman discusses her K-State experience as well as her latest projects. She graduated from K-State in 2017 with a BFA in Painting, but explains that she learned and currently utilizes a variety of media in her work. Additionally, Bowman shares about her community projects and how her art draws attention to the native Kansas prarie.

Full article: https://www.k-state.com/news/2024allisonbowman.php