Silent Fox

Grad 2018

Studio Arts and Graphic Design Major

Silent is a graphic designer and visual artist raised in Minnesota. In 2016 She created a name to connect herself with her artwork. She calls herselfÌýSilent Fox because of herÌýbelief that silence gives the ability to reflect on today’s world and creating a journey to search for meaning in everything.

If you could meet any artist/designer from any era, who would you want to have dinner with?

Ummm. Strange enough I have 2 options: One would be Picasso and that just because one semester I had an amazing teacher compare my work to his but I also get that comparison based on my work ethics. So now my dad calls me the young Picasso / Picasso…. Lol, ALL I hear is look at my Picasso and I love it!

But also Monet, I think he is such a vibe. Like to set in on spot for a day and paint each moment., already sounds so peaceful. I mean I might start daydreaming at moments but it sounds so relating.

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What have you been up to since graduation?

Since Graduating, I find every way to connect with art. I am always looking for new art/design opportunities and also work on some personal work. My goal is to try and get my artwork into the community and the world. ( lol self-promotion –Ìý Instagram and YouTube channel: ? and website: www.silentfox.studio). I am also looking to connect with other artists. Hit me up anytime and let’s chat / collab!

What does your creative practice look like now?

Currently, I’ve been all over the place but in a good way. I make art and design daily or when I feel like it’s the right time. I’ve been honored to create murals over the summer with another amazing artist. I also joined a studio with other artistsÌý?. I’ve been taking on commissions, freelance design work, and applying for any and everything. I am definitely doing better than I expected.

In what ways did Augsburg’s Art & Design department prepare you for what you are doing?

Going to Augsburg,Ìý Both art and design were very important, I think what one didn’t teach me the other covered. They gave me tools that I still use today. The art and design department had great connectivity and the energy is something I keep dear to my heart. Art/design is a process and the steps they have shown may look little but in the end, it was what made me believe I could be a living artist/designer.

What is something we would never guess about you?

Random but there is this place where you can swim with jellyfish and I have the desire need to go. Like it has to happen NOW!! I WANT TO SWIM WITH JELLYFISHES!

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David Baboila

Grad 2018

Studio art (focus on graphic design and photography)

David Baboila is a transdisciplinary artist currently based out of Tucson Arizona. He is pursuing his MFAÌýin Photo, Video, and Imaging. He uses photography, design, video and etc. exploring technology and how society engages with it on a cultural level.

If you could meet any artist/designer from any era, who would you want to have dinner with?

While I attended Augsburg, my dream was to have dinner with the photographer Frank Gohlke and I am humbled to be able to say that I now have! I even get to use his darkroom!! Now it’s a tough choice. Designer? Absolutely Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, no question. Artist? Right now it would be a toss-up between Martha Rosler, Shirin Neshat, and Wolfgang Tillmans.

What have you been up to since graduation?

After graduation, I had been doing a lot of freelance design and photography. In August of 2019, I moved to Tucson Arizona to pursue my MFA in the Photo, Video, and Imaging department at the University of Arizona! I still do some freelance work but all of my time is taken up by making art, writing, reading, and teaching now but hey, no complaints here!

What does your creative practice look like now?

My practice has grown exponentially regarding its complexity and undertakings. I still take a lot of photographs, but I have been working a lot with sculpture/installation and video now as well. I spend a lot of time engaged in research and exploration of concepts revolving around the use and impact of space. More specifically I have become obsessed with how space is defined through politics, normative social values, and desire. This involves exploring the construction and use of fences, examining the ways they operate and what they signify beneath their surface value. Recently I have begun looking at the legacy and impact of the contemporary US-Mexico border. I am totally interested in how it shapes and defines the spaces, communities, and landscapes that surround it. On top of all this, I have integrated the process of maintaining and appropriating a vast archive of found slide photographs into my practice. I use these images to craft new narratives and expand on existing narratives present within them. I am working on ways in which I can bring others into this process as a form of radical remembrance and reflection.

In what ways did Augsburg’s Art & Design department prepare you for what you are doing?

I CANNOT overstate how crucial Augsburg University and the Art and Design faculty have been in getting me to where I am. For one thing, the MFA program for Photo, Video, and Imaging at the University of Arizona is number 3 in the country, right behind YALE AND UCLA! Would I be here without Chris Hultberg, Dan Ibarra, Jenny Wheatly, or Susan Boecher? Absolutely not. Many of them even wrote letters of recommendation for me. What I gained from Augsburg and these amazing instructors is a transdisciplinary approach to art. I am so privileged to have had such an expansive education at Augsburg. I firmly believe you can simply show anyone how to use Adobe Illustrator or how to take a decent photo but what I learned is how to be an artist. Chris, Dan, Susan, and Jenny all taught me not only how to make art fun, but how to probe into concepts and issues in new, critical, and engaging ways. They taught me how to write a killer artist statement and how to be an incredible teacher and collaborator. Most importantly they taught me how to find my voice in and through my art practice.

What is something we would never guess about you?

It may surprise people to know that I never learned how to ride a bike! And I still don’t know how to!

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Megan Schlesiger

Grad 2019

Graphic Design Major, Marketing Minor

Megan is the founder of Megan Ellen which is a graphic design studio based in Minneapolis. She works with local authors or small businesses on a range of projects from books and cover designs to websites and marketing.

If you could meet any artist/designer from any era, who would you want to have dinner with?

Maybe living through a pandemic has made me crave group settings more, but I would love to have a huge dinner party with every designer and visual artist in Minneapolis. Quarantine has me missing community and I know that Minneapolis is a breeding ground for creatives, and I would love to get inspired by them all!

What have you been up to since graduation?

It’s been about a year and a half since I graduated, and since then I’ve been saying yes to every project so I can keep pushing myself to grow TME and develop my design skills. I’ve learned a lot about who I am as a designer, how I like to work, and who my ideal clients are this past year.

What does your creative practice look like now?

As much as I’d love to say that I have a structured approach to my creative practice, the truth is that the most structure I have is my Asana to-do lists. I thrive off of meeting new clients and doing everything I can do use my skills to make their dreams come true and solve any problems I can. I stay organized with to-do lists, but my work hours vary week by week. I prioritize self-care overwork which in turn helps my work continue to improve.

In what ways did Augsburg’s Art & Design department prepare you for what you are doing?

IÌýfully attribute my current success with The Megan Ellen to Augsburg’s Art & Design department. The skills I learned during my time at Augsburg are so important to my work daily. My relationships with the faculty and staff continue to fuel my business and my growth as an artist. Many of my clients come from Chris and he knows the kind of projects I love because of my time in the studio with him. I will always be forever grateful for my years at Augsburg. Without the D&A Studio, I would be working as an entry-level design job at a corporation and probably would be unemployed because of Covid, but thankfully instead I am working for myself and love logging on to my computer every day.

What is something we would never guess about you?

I am an outdoors enthusiast! I love hiking and camping. I go camping in the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota every year with my partner, and before him, I went every year with my family. My dream is to live up north in the woods on a lake in a tiny wood cabin!

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JASA MCKENZIE

Grad 2014

Studio Arts Major, German Minor

JasaÌýis a curator and artist based between South California and Minnesota. She is the creator and co-host ofÌýSOTA: State of the Arts,Ìýa podcast discussing criticalÌýtopics in contemporary art,Ìýaddressing the Twin Cities,Ìýthe Midwest, and beyond. She has been working on independent projects and with arts organizations since her time at Augsburg.

If you could meet any artist/designer from any era, who would you want to have dinner with?

What have you been up to since graduation?

After I graduated, I stayed in Minnesota for two years, getting involved with The Soap Factory and Altered Esthetics while exhibitingÌýmy artwork and doing performance art. Then, I moved to New York to get my master’s degree in Curatorial Practice from the School of Visual Arts. I did a graduate internship with the Berlin Biennale. Currently, I am working for the biennial Desert XÌýin Southern California as a Curatorial Coordinator.

What does your creative practice look like now?

Right now, I’m working on independent curatorial projects. For example, I applied for the Apexart Franchise Exhibition program by proposing an exhibition on mental illness in Japan. I am so grateful to have been awarded the opportunity to curate the project and travel to Japan to open the exhibition. I also co-host a podcast with an art historian friend called SOTA: StateÌýof the Arts, whereÌýwe discuss critical topics in contemporary with a focus on the Twin Cities and greater Midwest. We put out regular episodes and have also created some exhibitions and programs locally.

In what ways did Augsburg’s Art & Design department prepare you for what you are doing?

When I was at Augsburg, I split most of my courses between digital art and painting. I also had the amazing opportunity to work alongside Jenny Wheatley in the galleries and fell in love with what she did as curator of Augsburg galleries. While I was learning to be an artist, I was also learning how to exhibit art–a combination I never wanted to separate. Even though I didn’t become a digital designer,ÌýI still use the skills I have learned from the classes I took at Augsburg all the time and it has been so helpful in my life.

What is something we would never guess about you?

I grew up on a six-thousand-acre farm in South Dakota, took care of farm animals, and drove tractors to cut crops. But now, I’m a part of the art world and have lived in some notable large cities.

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