By Ryan Jones '95 Com
Art courtesy Brian Alfred; portrait illustration by Joel KimmelNov / Dec 2022
La Mort 2022 by Devan Shimoyama, courtesy
Alumni

SoVA, So Good: Devan Shimoyama

What it lacks in big-city buzz, Penn State’s School of Visual Arts more than makes up for with engaged faculty, talented students, a supportive culture, and a track record of producing acclaimed, innovative artists—like Devan Shimoyama ’11 A&A, whose bold, colorful paintings lave landed him repeat coverage in The New York Times.
Ryan Jones '95 Com
Magical Landscape 2022 by Lauren Luloff
Alumni

SoVA, So Good: Lauren Luloff

What it lacks in big-city buzz, Penn State’s School of Visual Arts more than makes up for with engaged faculty, talented students, a supportive culture, and a track record of producing acclaimed, innovative artists—like Lauren Luloff ’01 A&A, whose work features geometric patterns of dyed silk merging with shapes that hint at natural landscapes.
Ryan Jones '95 Com
Joelle Dietrick's 2012 work Sherwin's Wall fused images of foreclosed homes with colors from a line of house paints released just before the 2008 housing bubble, courtesy Dietrick
Alumni

SoVA, So Good: Joelle Dietrick

What it lacks in big-city buzz, Penn State’s School of Visual Arts more than makes up for with engaged faculty, talented students, a supportive culture, and a track record of producing acclaimed, innovative artists—like Joelle Dietrick ’96 A&A, whose art lives at the intersection of creation and technology and is scheduled for a solo exhibition in Brooklyn next year.
Ryan Jones '95 Com
The Bright Hour 2021 by Barbara Campbell Thomas, courtesy
Alumni

SoVA, So Good: Barbara Campbell Thomas

What it lacks in big-city buzz, Penn State’s School of Visual Arts more than makes up for with engaged faculty, talented students, a supportive culture, and a track record of producing acclaimed, innovative artists—like Barbara Campbell Thomas ’98 A&A, who is brimming with ideas for integrating facets of quilting in her abstract painting.
Ryan Jones '95 Com
Coastal Escape 2021 by Brian Alfred, courtesy
Alumni

SoVA, So Good: Brian Alfred

What it lacks in big-city buzz, Penn State’s School of Visual Arts more than makes up for with engaged faculty, talented students, a supportive culture, and a track record of producing acclaimed, innovative artists. We asked five SoVA alums to share their work, and the inspiration behind it.
Ryan Jones '95 Com