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Meet Emily Camp and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Predisposed

This is one in a series of online interviews with MIAD seniors, who share their thoughts about their 2026 Senior Exhibition project and their MIAD education.

Emily Camp ‘26 (Animation Track in Illustration) is a President’s (Honor) List student from Fox River Grove, Ill.

Emily Camp ‘26 (Animation Track in Illustration) is a President’s (Honor) List student from Fox River Grove, Ill.

What is your “elevator pitch” for your senior exhibition project?

Predisposed is an interactive set of poems centered around addiction in the family unit. It has been my job in this thesis to illustrate graphics and GIFs to bring the poems to life so viewers can read at their own pace.

Headshot of Emily Camp smiling with a blue sweater embroidered with roses.
Black-and-white illustration of a bird perched on a twisted tree with roots, alongside the title “Predisposed” and artist credits.

Anything you’d like to share about yourself or MIAD?

Senior year has not been easy! As Animation students we started our thesis pre-production in the fall, so the guidance we’re privy to from our professors and our peers is integral to building confidence in our ideas when they’re still seedlings.

I think if I have anything to say about the senior experience is dive into the guidance you’ve got while you’ve still got it. I’ve learned so much about my capabilities and comforts as an artist through the thesis project, and I’m excited … to get my projects submitted and celebrate with my peers!!

Hand-drawn angel cartoon and handwritten text about a babysitting experience involving stealing CDs and selling Xbox games.
Minimal composition with plants centered between typed text describing discovery of substances and household items going missing.

It was an exercise to think of thesis ideas that were more illustration motion focused than linear animation. Finding a way to make an interactive project was also a goal, and combining these ideas with poetry a friend of mine had previously created allowed an opportunity to stretch my image and word correlation practice. Making the project a collaborative one was very motivating. I would love to see the idea of collaboration explored as senior thesis shows continue in the years to come!

Headshot of Emily Camp smiling with a blue sweater embroidered with roses.

What is your “elevator pitch” for your senior exhibition project?

Predisposed is an interactive set of poems centered around addiction in the family unit. It has been my job in this thesis to illustrate graphics and GIFs to bring the poems to life so viewers can read at their own pace.

Black-and-white illustration of a bird perched on a twisted tree with roots, alongside the title “Predisposed” and artist credits.

Anything you’d like to share about yourself or MIAD?

Senior year has not been easy! As Animation students we started our thesis pre-production in the fall, so the guidance we’re privy to from our professors and our peers is integral to building confidence in our ideas when they’re still seedlings.

Hand-drawn angel cartoon and handwritten text about a babysitting experience involving stealing CDs and selling Xbox games.

I think if I have anything to say about the senior experience is dive into the guidance you’ve got while you’ve still got it. I’ve learned so much about my capabilities and comforts as an artist through the thesis project, and I’m excited … to get my projects submitted and celebrate with my peers!!

Minimal composition with plants centered between typed text describing discovery of substances and household items going missing.

It was an exercise to think of thesis ideas that were more illustration motion focused than linear animation. Finding a way to make an interactive project was also a goal, and combining these ideas with poetry a friend of mine had previously created allowed an opportunity to stretch my image and word correlation practice. Making the project a collaborative one was very motivating. I would love to see the idea of collaboration explored as senior thesis shows continue in the years to come!

View Emily’s full project here. Learn more about MIAD’s Animation Track in Illustration.

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