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

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Jonas Becker

Associate Professor

Contact

Professional Site

Bio

BA, 2004, Smith College, Northampton, MA; MFA, 2010, University of California, Irvine, CA; 2007, Coro Fellowship in Public Policy and Leadership, Pittsburgh, PA. Exhibitions: Actual Size Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Lancaster Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, CA; Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA; Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles, CA; LAXART, Los Angeles, CA. Publications: On Curating, Issue 31, "Spheres of Estrangement: Art, Politics, and Curating" (co-editor). Bibliography: New Museum/MIT Press, Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility; Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles Weekly; Art Practical; Artillery; Art Ltd; Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles; KCRW, Art Talk; National Public Radio, Morning Edition. Awards: Lucas Artists Residency Fellowship, Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA; Saas-Fee Summer Art Institute, European Graduate School, Saas-Fee, Switzerland; Heart of Los Angeles Artist Residency, Los Angeles, CA; Transart Summer Residency, Berlin, Germany; Six Points Fellowship.

Personal Statement

My work explores how beliefs form around specific sites and geographies. I am interested in these landscapes as an intersection of personal identity, cultural mythologies, and political power; each of my projects examines a particular narrative born of this intersection. My most recent projects focus on rural America, questioning what is "natural" and the relationship between humans, technology, and the environment.

I work primarily in photography and video installation, incorporating participatory components into my process. My works combine the visual rhetorics of different mediums and contexts, such as youtube video, advertising, documentary film, public practice, and conceptual artwork, to fuse fictional and nonfictional elements. By layering these social, physical, and cinematic mediums, my projects highlight the operations of conventional narratives and create the possibility for remixing the beliefs we form around land.

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

This course examines historical and contemporary philosophies, critical frameworks, and theoretical approaches that shape photography and visual culture. Designed to prepare students for advanced discourse, whether in graduate studies or as practicing artists navigating the broader art world, the class emphasizes the integration of theory, research, and artistic practice. Through weekly critical readings, discussions, and informal writing assignments, students will analyze key concepts, articulate ideas, and conduct theoretical research connected to their own creative work. The course also incorporates visits to photography exhibitions and collections around the city, fostering engagement with contemporary photographic dialogue.

Class Number

1550

Credits

3

Description

This course examines historical and contemporary philosophies, critical frameworks, and theoretical approaches that shape photography and visual culture. Designed to prepare students for advanced discourse, whether in graduate studies or as practicing artists navigating the broader art world, the class emphasizes the integration of theory, research, and artistic practice. Through weekly critical readings, discussions, and informal writing assignments, students will analyze key concepts, articulate ideas, and conduct theoretical research connected to their own creative work. The course also incorporates visits to photography exhibitions and collections around the city, fostering engagement with contemporary photographic dialogue.

Class Number

2173

Credits

3

Description

This course fosters the development of self-directed, research-driven projects, challenging students to push beyond traditional photographic approaches and explore interdisciplinary practices. Emphasizing experimentation, students refine their conceptual depth and technical skills while advancing a sustained body of work. Through critiques, discussions, collaborations, workshops, and individual mentoring, the course supports ambitious project development and strategies for exhibition, publication, and public engagement. Designed to complement Senior Capstone projects, it prepares students for the BFA exhibition and professional creative practices. May be repeated for credit.

Class Number

1542

Credits

3

Description

Junior Seminar helps students build essential professional skills for life after graduation, focusing on developing a sustainable practice based on their strengths and working style. This five-hour studio seminar offers flexible time for individual mentoring, guest speakers, field trips, extended critiques, and dedicated work time, fostering both professional growth and creative community. Through hands-on projects, students create websites, CVs, grant proposals, and artist statements while learning how to tailor these materials for different opportunities. As one of SAIC's four required Junior Seminars, this course provides structure and support within the school's open, interdisciplinary curriculum, helping students confidently navigate their future careers.

Class Number

1757

Credits

3

Description

This interdisciplinary capstone, with an emphasis on contemporary photography and visual culture, is structured as an intensive critique and mentoring class focused on the development and presentation of culminating work at the end of the BFA and the continued progression of studio work beyond the BFA exhibition. The course supports the production of self-initiated work, a successful BFA show and a road map for a sustainable art practice after graduation. Preparations for the BFA exhibition include workshopping project proposals, budgets, production schedules, the development of new work and an array of possible final presentation forms.

Readings, screenings and discussions will examine useful models of participation in cultural production and a critical framework for analyzing a range of platforms to share work online, in print and exhibition. Studio visits will provide insight into the day-to-day life of artists at various stages in their career ranging from current SAIC grad students to working professionals.

Online and printed portfolios utilizing an ever-evolving archive of work will be refined along with professional supporting materials such as statements, CVs and artist talks necessary for a professional practice beyond graduation.

Class Number

1151

Credits

3

Description

Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.

Class Number

2172

Credits

0