Sebastian Thomas
Lecturer
Contact
Bio
Sebastian Thomas (he/him) received a Bachelors of Fine Arts double majoring in Painting and Creative Writing from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2017 and holds a Masters degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, having graduated in 2023.
He has attended the Studio Arts College International in Florence, Italy; the AICAD Studio Residency in Brooklyn, NY; and Ox-Bow Art and Artist Residency in Saugatuck, Michigan.
Sebastian is adjunct faculty in the Painting and Drawing Department at Indiana University Northwest in Gary and a lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is a recipient of the 2023 Municipal Art League Fellowship Award, the Joseph & Emily Gidwitz Scholarship, and the Presidential Scholar Award from KCAI.
His works have been featured nationally and internationally with Nashira Gallery in Milan, Studio Arts College International in Florence, the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design in New York City, and Zolla / Lieberman Gallery in Chicago, Illinois.
Awards
Teaching Fellowship Award, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2023; Municipal Art League Fellowship Award, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2023; Joseph and Emily Gidwitz Scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2022; Honorable Mention, Kansas City Art Institute, 2017; Presidential Scholar Award, Kansas City Art Institute, 2014; President’s List, Kansas City Art Institute, 2014; Merit Scholarship Award, Kansas City Art Institute, 2013.
Publications
Solo Exhibition, catalog, Zolla / Lieberman Gallery, 2025; Master Class: Inside the last Last American Museum School with SAIC Painting Alumni, catalog, SECRIST | BEACH, 2025; "Eroine martiri in lotta con il mito: Medioevo futuro,” Corriere della Sera, 2024; “Ballad Over the Ocean,” printed catalogue, Nashira Gallery, 2024; "Nascosti Alla Luce del Sole," printed catalogue, Nashira Gallery, 2023; The Silent Bell Toll, Terminus, 2021; A Tribute to Black Sabbath: Volume I, Tomorrow’s Dream, Tape Dad, Released, 2020; Fortune Looming, Terminus, 2018; Sound Art Collaborative, Kansas City Art Institute, 2017; Sprung Formal, Issue 12, Kansas City Art Institute, 2017; Safe Travels, See You Never, Terminus, 2016; Into Empty Seas, Auric, 2015; Auric, Auric, 2014; A Runner, Kawsmouth Publications, Issue 14: Of Delicate Form, 2013.
Exhibitions
Forthcoming Solo Exhibitions: The Research House for Asian Art, 2026; Zolla / Lieberman Gallery, 2025.
Exhibitions: Master Class: Inside the Last American Museum School with SAIC Painting Alumni, SECRIST | BEACH, 2025; Public Exhibition, Likewise Community Center, 2025; Imprints of Time Bridgeport Art Center, 2025; ArtVerona, Nashira Gallery, 2024; Ballad Over the Ocean, Nashira Gallery, 2024; Same To You, Mathew Heberlein Contemporary, 2024; Moreover: 50 Paintings, The Green Gallery, 2024; Zolla / Lieberman Gallery, Art Miami, 2023; Saint Lucy Ironclad, 2023; Nascosti alla luce del sole, Nashira Gallery, 2023; Under the Sun, Zolla / Lieberman Gallery, 2023; Last Call Alumni Exhibition, Color Club, 2023; Graduate Exhibition One, SAIC Galleries, 2023; Contemporary Painting, Brick Lane Gallery, 2022; Tiny Apartment Show, 308 Gallery, 2022; Open Studios, Maclean Center, 2022; Open Studios, Maclean Center, 2021; Pop-Up Exhibition, 2021; Thesis Exhibition, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2017; BFA Exhibition, H&R Block Artspace, 2017; Attach Files, 50/50 Gallery, 2017; DAYGLO, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2016; Infinite Pleasure, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2016; End of Semester, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2016; SACI Exhibition, SACI Studios, 2016; Stranger Than Kindness, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2016; Immaculate Immersion in the City of Florence, Studio Arts College International, 2016; Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, 2016; HeightxLength=WidthxIntent!, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2016; The Unnamable, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2016; KCAI Drawing Marathon, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2015; NYC Residency Open Studios, AICAD Studios, 2015; Eastern Standard Time NYC, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2015; End of Semester Exhibition, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2015; Inaugural Exhibition, Dodge Painting Gallery, 2014.
Curated Exhibitions: The Edge of Expression: Pushing the Boundaries of Contemporary Art, The Research House for Asian Art, 2025.