MIAD welcomes four AICAD Fellows to campus

Four AICAD Post-Graduate Teaching Fellows joined the MIAD faculty this fall – Gabriela Escovar, Zuhal Feraidon, Yeon Jee and Aasawari Kulkarni. MIAD is one of only two colleges in the country hiring new AICAD Fellows this academic year. 

The fellowship program, run by the Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD), aims to help increase racial and ethnic diversity of faculty at art and design colleges. The fellows are high-achieving master’s degree graduates from underrepresented populations nominated by their home institution for college-level teaching positions. 

As part of MIAD’s efforts to diversify its faculty and staff, MIAD has committed to filling vacant teaching positions at MIAD with AICAD Fellows for the next three years.

Meet MIAD’s newest AICAD Fellows

Gabriela Escovar (MFA, Experimental Animation, 2019, California Institute of the Arts)
Frequently drawing from her experiences as a first-generation Mexican-American woman, Escovar’s work aims to highlight bodies often overlooked in the media. Through referencing her culture, the body-positive movement, and feminism, she hopes to highlight the complexities of womanhood as it intertwines with cultural identity.

Zuhal Feraidon (MFA, Painting, 2019, Rhode Island School of Design)
Feraidon’s artistic interest explores community and social identity in relation to the environment, dealing with the politics of representation. Her work has been exhibited at Monya Rowe Gallery, The Red Eye Gallery, Sol Koffler Gallery, The Ruffin Gallery, and IX Art Park among others, and has been featured in publications such The University of Edinburgh’s “The Dangerous Women Project.” Upon completing her degree, Feraidon taught at the Rhode Island School of Design before joining MIAD. Most recently Feraidon was a speaker for Women Forward International in their collaborative effort with students from Georgetown University and the Afghan Women’s nonprofit organizations for a report that will be published by the United Nations (UNITAR).

Yeon Jee (MPS, Design Management, 2019, Pratt Institute)
Valedictorian of her graduate class, Jee received the Excellence in Academic Achievement award and was named the Graduate Commencement Speaker for the class of 2019. Upon obtaining her master’s degree, Jee started teaching at Pratt Institute. For an undergraduate degree, Jee studied Industrial Design as a Presidential Scholar and worked in New York City as a product and footwear designer. She worked for companies like Macy’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Payless ShoeSource, and launched her own footwear line featuring novel shoes with interchangeable outsoles.

Aasawari Kulkarni (MFA, Graphic Design, 2020, Maryland Institute College of Art)
While pursuing her master’s degree, Kulkarni worked at Pentagram New York and at the Indian Type Foundry, Ahmedabad. Her interests lay in the intersection of human behavior and culture with design. Kulkarni also writes poetry, which often translates in her work in unusual ways.