Academy Alumni Selected as AICAD Teaching Fellows

Akea Brionne (L) and Chris Salas (R). Photos by PD Rearick.

The Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD) announced 10 fellows selected to participate in the Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship at AICAD institutions during the 2023/24 academic year, two of which are alumni of Cranbrook Academy of Art. Additionally, five of the 2022/23 fellows will continue their positions for a second year, one of which is an Academy alumna.

According to AICAD, “the fellowship provides professional practice opportunities to high-achieving alumni who have recently graduated from AICAD member schools, while also increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of faculty at these institutions. AICAD institutions aspire to create a climate that recognizes and values diversity as central to excellence in art and design education.”

Fellowships include mentoring and professional development opportunities, direct teaching experience, health benefits, and other monetary support.

The Cranbrook Academy of Art alumni who will participate are:

Akea Brionne (MFA Photography 2023). Akea was placed at Kansas City Art Institute. Brionne is a Creole lens-based artist and researcher. Working with a foundation in research, her work is at the intersection of photography, textiles, and the moving image.

Chris Salas (MFA Ceramics 2023). Chris was placed at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Salas attended workshops at Penland and Arrowmont, and completed the Minnesota New Institute for Ceramics Education program at the Northern Clay Center.

Also, Noelle Choy (MFA Sculpture 2022) will continue her second year at the Kansas City Art Institute.

The AICAD Fellowship program was first introduced in 2015, and since that time, many Academy alumni have been recognized to participate in the program.

For more information, visit the AICAD website here.