A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.
SAIC faculty member bex yolk.

bex ya yolk

Lecturer

Bio

bex ya yolk (they/them) is a visual artist, graphic designer, book maker, and adjunct professor based in Chicago, IL. yolk received a BFA in Graphic Design from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts and an MFA in Visual Communication Design from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a concentration in Book Arts as a full merit scholar. yolk has received grant endowment from the Atlanta Contemporary, Codex International Biennial Artists' Book Fair and Symposium, the College Book Art Association, VCUarts Adjunct Faculty Research, and the Judith Alexander Foundation. They are a BOLT artist-in-residence at the Chicago Artist Coalition, 2024-2026.

yolk is the founder of an artists’ book bindery + publishing initiative—THUNGRY which focuses on disrupting what qualifies a Book, complicating traditional ways of book building + semantics through experimentation and queering praxis. THUNGRY explores historical research, sociology, and speculative theory into 'the Maternal Complex' made up of subgenres like care work, reproductive design, abortion access activism, reproductive justice and health care disparity, maternal identities, and the gestational state especially in queer folx exploring the intersectionalities between the Book + these kinds of bodies.

Portfolio

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

Artists' Books is a beginning/intermediate level course that focuses on the fundamental techniques of bookbinding so as to be able to design and produce one or an edition of artists' books and boxes. The class begins by learning a range of traditional binding techniques, discussing material choices, and learning about the history of artists' books. Later on breaking out of the box to take risks, explore concepts and unconventional materials will be strongly encouraged for individual projects. In addition, the intention of this class is to meld your own studio work and personal expression with the form of artists' books.

Class Number

2173

Credits

3

Description

Designed for advanced-level Printmedia students, this course centers the studio as a site for physical and conceptual production. A combination of independent work time, individual meetings, group critiques and assigned prompts form the bulk of course programming. Students are expected to set personal goals informed by dialogue with course faculty and studio peers. Attention will be paid to independent practices and/or professional strategies beyond school. The course supports student production of a focused body of creative work. Students accepted into this section will be given an undergraduate studio in the 280 Building. Please note that during class time, students in this section don't have access to any print facilities other than their studio space.

Participation in group discussions and active engagement in class critiques is essential. Students are required to contribute to critical discussions around their own work as well as to discussions relating the work of their peers. The assignments intend to develop critical thinking skills related to individual ongoing projects. They also intend to aid in the developing the ability to articulate ones- artistic motivations, be self-critical, and take risks in creating new work. The final critique will take into account these factors.

This course requires instructor consent. Please do not email the instructor directly. Instead, fill out the form found at this link, https://tinyurl.com/mr7krnmz, to submit your portfolio and application before the deadline.

Class Number

2139

Credits

3

Description

Designed for advanced-level Printmedia students, this course centers the studio as a site for physical and conceptual production. A combination of independent work time, individual meetings, group critiques and assigned prompts form the bulk of course programming. Students are expected to set personal goals informed by dialogue with course faculty and studio peers. Attention will be paid to independent practices and/or professional strategies beyond school. The course supports student production of a focused body of creative work. Students accepted into this section will be given an undergraduate studio in the 280 Building. Please note that during class time, students in this section don't have access to any print facilities other than their studio space.

Participation in group discussions and active engagement in class critiques is essential. Students are required to contribute to critical discussions around their own work as well as to discussions relating the work of their peers. The assignments intend to develop critical thinking skills related to individual ongoing projects. They also intend to aid in the developing the ability to articulate ones' artistic motivations, be self-critical, and take risks in creating new work. The final critique will take into account these factors.

This course requires instructor consent. Please do not email the instructor directly. Instead, fill out the form found at this link, https://tinyurl.com/mr7krnmz, to submit your portfolio and application before the deadline.

Class Number

2140

Credits

3