Meet the Incoming Class

Day Brièrre
MFA in Painting and Drawing

Describe yourself in three objects.
My red cowboy boots, a pack of Extra Polar Ice gum, and a half-drunk cup of iced dirty chai.

Why did you choose SAIC?
I was drawn to the multidisciplinary aspect of the MFA programs, but the real reason is I really, really love Lake Michigan.

What is a piece of art that resonates with you? Why?
The Rider Waite tarot deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. Smith's 78 illustrations are iconic pieces of symbolism. Her use of archetypal images has influenced generations of artists, occultists, and even psychologists. Illustrations of the Three of Swords, the Fool, and the Death card, for example, are deeply embedded in the collective unconscious as symbols of heartbreak, naivety, and transformation.

What do you hope to accomplish at SAIC?
I hope to deepen my commitment to my practice and to come out of this experience a completely transformed artist. Also, friendship.

Tayler Muhammed
BFA

Describe yourself in three objects:
A lotus flower, paintbrush, ghost.

Why did you choose SAIC?
The first time I visited the Art Institute of Chicago, I felt like I was home. Being there wasn’t just inspiring, it was emotional. I chose SAIC because it’s a place that doesn’t expect me to fit into a box. It gives me the freedom to tell my story, to experiment, to grow. SAIC feels like a place where my voice matters not just as an artist, but as a person who has something to say.

What is a piece of art that resonates with you? Why?
Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits always speak to me. Her work carries so much pain, truth, and strength. She painted what it felt like to be her and I relate to that deeply. I’ve looked up to her since I was young because she never hid her suffering. She turned it into something powerful. That’s what I try to do, too.

What do you hope to accomplish at SAIC?
I want to heal through my work and help others feel seen through it, too. I want to push my art further than I ever have, experiment with new forms, and grow not just as an artist, but as a person. I hope to share my story, to connect with people who’ve felt what I’ve felt, and to prove that even when the world tries to silence you, you can still turn your pain into power.

Will Montgomery
MA in Art Education

Describe yourself in three objects.
Seed, brick, Silly Bandz.

Why did you choose SAIC?
I chose SAIC because my work as an artist overlaps and informs my work as an organizer and activist and my aspirations as an educator. The Art Ed program at SAIC feels tailored to nourish these connections and support a practice that is community-rooted, critically engaged, and always evolving.

What is a piece of art that resonates with you? Why?
A piece of art that resonates with me isn’t just an object—it’s the conceptual framework of Queerness itself. José Esteban Muñoz’s Cruising Utopia and Legacy Russell’s Glitch Feminism are foundational texts to my practice and life. The idea of Queerness as a horizon informs my belief that Queerness isn’t just identity—it’s a key that unlocks the expansiveness of human diversity and potential. These works inspire me to create art that reaches toward future worlds, where difference is not just accepted but generative.

What do you hope to accomplish at SAIC?
I hope to channel my practice into work that feels urgent in this political moment, and to connect with parts of my community I haven’t yet reached—through art and dialogue. I’m looking to sharpen the ways my making, teaching, and organizing feed each other, and to be challenged by others doing the same.

Justin Heard
BFA

Describe yourself in three objects.
Spray paint, thread, and books.

Why did you choose SAIC?
I chose SAIC because it curates a space for me to experiment with a variety of new mediums, collaborate with like-minded peers, and learn more about art history.  

What is a piece of art that resonates with you? Why?
A piece of art that resonates with me is The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It has shown me how to incorporate my faith within the art that I share with the world.

What do you hope to accomplish at SAIC?
At SAIC, I hope to learn how to utilize a variety of artistic mediums to address social issues and give back to my hometown of Milwaukee.

Nickii Schamborski
Master of Fine Arts in Art and Technology / Sound Practices

Describe yourself in three objects.
A shiny vibrating cylinder, which shifts colors between raspberry pink and midnight red. A surprisingly heavy anthrazit cube with a small digital screen, several buttons, and LEDs. A spiral assembled from minerals, shaped by waves.

Why did you choose SAIC?
I was looking for a place where I could grow as an artist—a surrounding that encourages reflection, creation, and critical engagement. SAIC kept appearing throughout my journey across different countries and contexts until it became clear this was the place I want to be part of. What draws me here is the School’s commitment to artistic experimentation and political discourse, and the chance to be surrounded by artists and scholars who are passionate about challenging the status quo and imagining new futures.

What is a piece of art that resonates with you? Why?
Florentina Holzinger’s A Year Without Summer really stayed with me. In Germany, her work sparks debate for its intense and explicit approach. I’m inspired by her ability to express existential human topics such as death, sexuality, ageing, and health without resorting to aestheticisation. Instead, she presents them with rawness, vulnerability, and humor. Her work is relevant through how it opens up the body as real, fragile, and full of power to challenge taboos and confront our discomfort.

What do you hope to accomplish at SAIC?
I am inspired and excited to meet so many practitioners and thinkers from various disciplines who are serious about experimentation, collaboration, and resistance. I’m looking forward to coming together and creating meaning through a passion for change and a desire for a multitude of futures. ■

by Megan Kirby
Illustrations by Luis Carrasco