Career Advising

Staff Advisor

Katharine (Kate) is Director of CAPX. Kate has exhibited in the US and internationally and has been awarded grants, fellowships, and residencies to support her research and practice. She received her MFA from SAIC and BA in History of Art from Bryn Mawr College. Kate brings over 30 years of experience and is committed to providing relevant information and guidance by keeping on top of trends across creative industries, the employment market, hiring practices, and new technologies.

Kate loves to partner with SAIC students, providing career advising focused on career, internship, and job search strategies; personality and skills assessments; help with resumes, cover letter, bios/artist statements, and web portfolio; interviewing guidance; post-graduate education; residencies; fellowships; and a range of professional opportunities. She is engaged and well connected within the Chicago art and design communities and the amazing international network of SAIC alums.

Staff Advisor

Younsoo is an SAIC alum from a multi-generation SAIC alum family, giving her a deep understanding of the school’s creative community and the many paths open to students and alums. She brings professional experience in museums, gallery operations, and curatorial practice shaped by multiple internships at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, and several international galleries. These early experiences offer valuable insight into how creative careers begin, encouraging students across SAIC’s disciplines to explore opportunities not only in art, design, media, and cultural sectors, but also in fashion, gaming, animation, education, community-based arts, and socially engaged work. As Director of Employer Relations, Younsoo builds partnerships that expand access to internships, jobs, and industry opportunities. She supports students and alums in developing strong, focused portfolios, resumes, and professional materials.

Staff Advisor

Tatyana Scott is an artist and arts administrator. She advises on early career opportunities, including jobs and internships, and reviews professional materials such as resumes, cover letters, and artist statements. Tatyana holds a BFA in painting and drawing and an MA in arts administration. She has a strong background in arts not-for-profits and programming and is knowledgeable about the Chicago arts landscape. Her approach to advising is to meet you where you are. Whether you are exploring broadly or would like to talk through a specific application, Tatyana is happy to help.

Faculty Advisor

Troy Briggs is an interdisciplinary artist who has worked with canaries, black holes, forgery, the growing distance between the Earth and the moon, and the quiet rhythm of waves. He believes everything becomes more fascinating, complex, and beautiful the longer we look into it. After earning his BFA at Colorado State University and spending a decade as a working artist in Portland, he received his MFA from SAIC’s Fiber and Material Studies department. Troy has taught interdisciplinary art and design at SAIC for 11 years and has advised students and alumni across all departments through CAPX for the last seven. He brings the grounded perspective of a long-term working artist—one who has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally—into every advising session, helping students slow down, see their work clearly, articulate their ideas with confidence, and explore meaningful paths forward with both curiosity and care.

Faculty Advisor

Ann has been an artist in the Chicago creative community for 15+ years. She first joined the SAIC community as a student, pursuing a shift from architecture by completing her MFA in Painting. Her studies and experiences in architecture continue to inform her creative practice. Recent work centers on landscape, using experimental drawing approaches in depicting scapes. Her work has led to journeys in Campeche, Mexico, Faroe Islands, and sailing the North Atlantic Ocean. Ann is Associate Professor, Adjunct and teaches in the Liberal Arts and Academic Spine Departments.

Ann works with current students and alums to identify strengths and skills for working in the arts and design community. Her aim is to help artists identify and establish connections in their creative networks, as they progress in their studies and career. Ann is available to support all aspects of a job search (for example, resume development, cover letters, portfolios, interview preparation). Additionally, she is experienced in supporting graduate school applications, fellowships, and grant writing. Ann uses her creative and professional experience to help students develop strategies for building a sustainable career.

Fulbright, Grants, and Residencies Advisor

Christalena is a multidisciplinary artist making textiles and sculptural installations that become activated by public performance works. She is a part-time faculty member in the Fiber and Material Studies Department at SAIC, through which she received an MFA in 2012. She was an Artist and Lecturer in Residence at the Moholy-Nagy Művészeti Egyetem in Budapest for the spring 2019 semester. She is a recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship (’18/‘19AY), an Individual Assistance Grant from the US Department of State, and a Grainger Marburg Travel Scholarship. Her recent public engagement project, Freedom Quilt Hungary, examined individual notions of freedom and democracy through collective quilt-making in Hungary.

Peer Advisor

Isabelle Rust is a second-year graduate student in the Master of Arts Administration and Policy (MAAAP) program at SAIC. She holds a BA in Art History from Bard College and has spent the past decade working across contemporary galleries, artists' studios, arts publishing, and nonprofit education initiatives in Los Angeles. As an administrator, Isabelle is particularly invested in the arts as a force for community building, viewing cross-sectoral collaboration as an essential tool for creating equitable and resilient frameworks of support for artists, educators, youth, and cultural workers.

Isabelle approaches advising with curiosity, humility, and the belief that meaningful mentorship begins with understanding the personal motivations that drive creative practice. Drawing from her experience assisting independent artists with grant and residency applications, CVs, portfolios, and press materials, Isabelle is excited to continue learning from and supporting fellow students as they cultivate their own professional networks and trajectories.

Peer Advisor

David Lozano is a Printmedia MFA student. His background includes arts education, fine arts, printmaking, and academic research. David is fluent in Spanish, English, and French. During his undergraduate studies, he worked as an Undergraduate Research Assistant, as an Assistant to the Professor’s Seminar, and as an Admissions Tests Assistant. Lozano was also an intern at Galería Santa Fé, where he gained skills as an arts mediator and participated in socially engaged workshops promoted by the organization.

At SAIC, David has gained extensive experience through various on-campus positions, including Graduate Admissions Ambassador, Graduate Assistant in the Art Therapy and Education Department, Printmedia Student Worker, and Teaching Assistant for multiple courses. David brings a multicultural background that makes him ideal to support students from all origins as a CAPX Peer Advisor. Lozano has been a founder and leader of several printmaking groups, promoting accessible art practices.