A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.

Arden Henderson

Visiting Lecturer

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Bio

Based in Chicago, Arden Henderson completed an MFA in Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2026. Their paintings examine the quiet exchanges of everyday life, transforming overlooked moments into intimate, contemplative works. Using hand-made paper stretched like canvas, they investigate themes of attention, perception, and the sublime within the quotidian. Recent work focuses on elevator buttons as psychologically charged sites of communication and control. Arden has lived and worked in both New York City and Chicago, exhibiting in galleries and alternative spaces across both cities.

Portfolio

Painting of elevator buttons, with buttons for floors 2–5 and "CASINO."

Arden Henderson, Panel, 2026, oil and handmade paper on canvas

Painting of "Next Train" signs on a train platform.

Arden Henderson, Train Painting, 2025, Oil and handmade paper on canvas

Painting of a bartender in a dimly-lit bar.

Arden Henderson, Bottle Bottle, 2026, oil and handmade paper on canvas

Painting of two adults with a fair skintone conversing at a bar.

Arden Henderson, End Of The Night, 2026, Oil and handmade paper on canvas

Painting of two drinks and drugs on a table top.

Arden Henderson, Table Top, 2025, Oil and handmade paper on canvas

Courses

Title	Department	Catalog	Term
Painting Practice	Painting and Drawing	2001 (006)	Spring 2027
Description Painting Practice is an introductory painting course offering. The curriculum addresses basic skills as related to a painting studio practice. Topics and curricular goals include material, facility and technique, space and color, as well as concept. This course is a prerequisite for all Multi-level Painting, Figure Painting and Advanced Painting Studio classes.		Class Number 1638 Credits 3
Studio Drawing: Multi-Level	Painting and Drawing	2040 (014)	Fall 2026
Description This drawing studio serves as a broad introduction to historical and contemporary drawing practices. This course presents drawing as an organizer of thought, experience, and image. Students will investigate a full range of drawing materials and supports. Lectures and exercises introduce various concepts of drawing, possibly including illusionistic form and space, gesture and expressive mark-making, or collage and found imagery, depending on the instructor?s emphasis. Designed to accommodate many skill levels, students can explore various creative strategies through technical drawing exercises, material explorations, and individual projects. Structured classroom critiques will bring drawing concepts into personal student work.		Class Number 1847 Credits 3

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