Throughout the three-day event, Destefano attended a number of talks and panels with notable professionals in the children’s book industry. Outside of the conference, she also visited the New York Public Library’s 100^th anniversary exhibition for The New Yorker and the Society of Illustrators’ 45^th Annual Original Art Show and the organization’s Edward Gorey exhibition.

“Being surrounded by so much art and so many artists I’ve admired for years was incredibly motivating,” she said.

“Attending the SCBWI Winter Conference not only strengthened my confidence as an illustrator but also left me feeling refreshed, inspired, and excited to begin my thesis work.”

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“I could die. But I know what I’m dying for.”

Nasrin Sheykhi, a 36-year-old Persian multi-media cartoonist, came to the United States nine years ago on the prestigious Einstein Visa. She has earned more than 40 international awards, published two books, and has been featured in the New York Times. She was brought to campus by Illustration faculty member George Pratt, Illustration Department Head Christina Hess, and Associate Dean for Student Success and Director of the Center for Student Success, Dr. Elçin Haskollar of Ringling’s own Center for Student Success.

Dressed sleek and semi-formal, Sheykhi had a quiet power to her from the moment I entered the auditorium. Political unrest is not something that is unfamiliar within the United States, but the magnitude of terror that Sheykhi explored in just under an hour clouds anything we are used to.

“In my opinion,” Sheykhi began, “as an artist, you create your art on the basis of your environment.”

Sheykhi explained that Persia, Iran, is under a ruthless regime, where its people, especially its women, are under an iron fist. There is a strict lack of freedom of speech, and as she said, there is no age limit, young or old, to who can be prosecuted for speaking out.

Sheykhi made it clear that a big catalyst of her work, and of the Iranian feminist movement, was the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained after not wearing her hijab by the “morality police,” or Guidance Patrol, and suffered as a result of police brutality.

Sheykhi’s first graphic essay was born from this event at a Starbucks here in the United States, which she named Starbucks Revolution, to “build a connection between Americans and Persians.”

“I was walking to Starbucks, and it was autumn, and the wind was blowing my hair. I thought to myself, wow, just imagine [going] back to my country. This wind in my hair is a crime. How crazy is that? Right now, I’m experiencing this wind in my hair, and at the same time, a lot of people are getting shot and dying because of this simple hair.”

The follows how Sheykhi would send her mother text after text, knowing she could not receive them, and how one day, she went to Starbucks. On the cup was the iconic mermaid.

“After I finished my drink, I stared at this mermaid. She was a lady, too, you know? And I thought to myself, well, she can join our revolution. I drew scissors, and she’s cutting her hair, and on top of that I write ‘Women, Life, Freedom, Iran Revolution, 2022.’”

Since then, she has made many risky, bold, bloody political cartoons, including Constitution of the Islamic regime book, which she said she had sketched for 10 years before she finally released it, due to fear.

Her fear was rightfully placed; such criticism of the constitution can quickly result in execution. She has created work celebrating others who protest using their art, such as Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, as well as bringing attention to topics as dark as organ harvesting within her country.

“I designed a different type of weapon,” Sheykhi declared. “A traditional, classic weapon for those who are protesting. I think because the regime has weapons, it’s unfair. They’re going to the streets with real weapons, killing people. People must have weapons, too. That is war.”

Her most powerful proclamation of the afternoon that truly stuck with me as a writer and artist myself, was that “being an artist in this country, we need to talk; we can talk with our art. You gotta get kind of fearless. [I want to] encourage people to not give up.”

I had the chance to talk to Christina Hess about her experience with Sheykhi’s talk, as well as with Nic Surgit ’26, Illustration, who attended alongside me. When asked about what had been the most powerful aspect, both individually expressed their admiration for her incredible ability to amplify her voice without fear.

“I felt very strongly about Nasrin’s determination to use her voice against systemic oppression,” Surgit wrote to me. “She’s unafraid to show the ugly side of the world through her art and writing.”

Both had also mentioned her extraordinary multimedia talent. During our conversation, Hess expressed with tangible excitement that “from an illustrator, an artist’s perspective, the one thing that I definitely took away from [her talks] was her ability to do different types of disciplines and mediums and industries. I feel her perspective is definitely heightened in a lot of darkness.”

The work mentioned, as well as much, much more, can be found on Sheykhi’s (don’t worry; it’s free!), as well as on her Instagram. She also has prints and originals of her work available for sale on her website, in case you would like to financially support her fight.

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Currently serving as an Illustration and Design Intern on the Orion Communications team, Roper is helping shape how the public sees and understands the future of human space exploration. As part of the NASA team supporting the Artemis mission, they have been hard at work designing two posters that will be released to the public in the coming months. These visuals aim to educate and excite audiences about Artemis—NASA’s ambitious effort to return humankind to the Moon.

“My favorite thing about working for NASA is the community,” Roper shared. “Everyone here is so passionate about being part of a team that helps make human spaceflight possible.”

This opportunity builds upon their previous work in the field of science communication. Last summer, Roper interned at Quanta Magazine, a publication known for making cutting-edge scientific research accessible to a broad audience.

Science is a dominant theme in much of Roper’s work. They are especially passionate about entomology, the study of insects, which is visible in their bug-centric pitch for the Senior Thesis Exhibition poster. Their thesis project, Presently Paleo, explored how extinct flora and fauna might interact with the modern world if they were brought back to life.

 “I loved having the opportunity to combine my research of the prehistoric era with my personal style to create a thesis that felt wholly my own,” Roper shared. “The work I had done on the project allowed me to better articulate why I was interested in working in science communications.” 

Even while working at NASA, they’ve kept up with their love of bugs. They set up a beetle enclosure, which houses a metallic stag beetle named Quark, named after the Deep Space Nine character, whom they love dearly. 

All opinions here are Roper’s own, and they do not speak on behalf of or as a representation of NASA. Learn more about the progress for the Artemis mission on !

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Decker, who has created art for Asheville-area businesses as well international music artists like Wilco and Widespread Panic, spent the days and weeks after the storm clearing roads and helping fellow artists salvage what they could from ruined studios. He even sold hats to raise money for a local wildlife conservation.

This August, Decker was recognized for his efforts with a $10,000 recovery grant from Asheville’s Wicked Weed Brewing. The award represented the culmination of the brewery’s inaugural “You Deserve an Upgrade” campaign “to recognize and reward individuals who go above and beyond for others.” He received 12 nominations from members of the community and was selected from more than 200 nominees from 18 states.

Decker, who recently purchased a property just west of Asheville’s River Arts District with his partner, plans to use the money to buy equipment and supplies to build a new studio.

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Gardner’s previous picture books include Write On, Irving Berlin, and The Harvey Milk Story. He has also worked as an artist for Walt Disney Studios, providing background environments for movies like Beauty and the Beast.

For this project, Gardner’s illustrations bring to life the story of Junia the mule, who is responsible for bringing the Book Woman (and her books) to people who live off the beaten path in Depression-era Appalachia. Fans of Richardson’s novels for adults, like The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and The Book Woman’s Daughter, will already be familiar with Junia. Now, a whole new generation will get to know her as the narrator in this book and through Gardner’s depiction.

To achieve Junia, Gardner used references of actual mules but added a sense of personality inspired by his late hound dog, Guinevere.

“She had the personality I wanted to capture with Junia: stubborn, sweet, smart, and playful,” he said.

Guinevere also appears in the book as herself, in a picture depicting a fiddler on the porch at twilight.

Gardner said he is especially proud of a scene in the book depicting a snowstorm, “in part because I spent lots of time in the Smoky Mountains when I was younger and loved the challenge of capturing the feeling of cold and immersion in one of those mountain blizzards.” He’s also fond of the opening illustration, which he thinks of as “a Snow White picture, with all the forest animals being friends,” he said. “It’s fun to paint happiness.”

Richardson, Gardner said, insisted “that the characters never look like clichés, the typical ‘hillbillies.’ She pushed for authenticity and dignity, and there was more back-and-forth than usual. In the end, it made for a much stronger book.”

Ultimately, Gardner finds a special kind of artistic satisfaction in book illustrations versus animation. “With picture books, I get to design everything,” he said. “I set the style and the pace, I’m the director, actor, costume designer, set designer, and cinematographer. I sometimes imagine a film score as I figure out the feel and flow of the illustrations. The vision is mine more completely than with animation, and that’s very rewarding.”

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When assembling an artist portfolio, Caloiaro emphasizes observational work that demonstrates technical ability more than personal expression.

“The biggest problem I see [in student portfolios] is including too much fan art or other work that does not clearly demonstrate foundational abilities,” Caloiaro said. “It’s fine to include pieces that demonstrate your ability to invent and conceptualize, but most schools want to see your observational work. As an art professor myself, this is what I look at most seriously when evaluating student work.”

While aspiring artists are eager to demonstrate individual style and perspective, Caloiaro urges patience. Style should be built on a solid foundation, and there will be plenty of time for personal style to evolve organically.

“At the student level, I don’t think artistic voice is something that should be emphasized as heavily as observational work,” he said. “Individual artistic voice will develop naturally. It’s like handwriting—everyone has a unique way of writing that develops without any real intention of individuality.”

Still, he added, “observational” is not the same as sterile photocopying. Good observational art still leaves room for a sense of perspective and emotion.

“Creativity is something that comes through more in conceptual, narrative or inventive work, but it also shows in simple things like how the individual artist makes marks or interprets the subjects that are being drawn, painted, or sculpted,” he said. “It’s important to not just copy things in a formulaic way, but do so with expression and enthusiasm. You can creatively respond to your subject without approaching it with mathematical stiffness.”

For teachers, too, there’s a balance to be struck between pushing the foundations and allowing for individualism. “If you get away from the fundamentals too soon, the student will be much less versatile,” he explained. “And if you stifle too much of their creativity, their work can get sterile and dull.”

It’s a balance he admits that he struggles with himself. The key is to read the situation.

Caloiaro said that teachers are responsible, in part, for broadening students’ horizons by exposing them to widely varying styles as they develop.

“Once they are farther along in their schooling, it’s important to expose students to wide range of influences (both historic and contemporary), so the student is less likely to just regurgitate the same type of work that they are seeing on the internet, social media or even from their peers,” he said.

Portfolios, especially when you’re trying to get into art school, can become an all-encompassing pursuit. But it is possible to put too much emphasis on compiling a portfolio, at the expense of the art itself. Above all, Caloiaro added, “Don’t stress about it.”

“While it is important to have the portfolio in mind, the work that is done throughout the school year should not be simply viewed as a means to an end, but should be done with skill and passion.”

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From April 27 to May 10, Wang held her first solo exhibition at the Nan Art gallery in her hometown of Taipei, Taiwan. Frames of the Flowing Memories featured a series of mineral painting works focused on cityscapes, seascapes, and cats. Through those subjects, Wang hoped to explore the ever-changing nature of memories.

“This exhibition explores the idea of memory as something fluid yet emotionally enduring,” Wang said. “Through my work, I aim to capture fleeting internal images and moments, personal reflections, the quiet glow of city nights, or the silent movement of cats. As a way of preserving what often slips away unnoticed.”

The painting Night Reflections is intended as a space for self-healing after daily chaos, while Whispers of Cats depicts a longing for freedom.

Wang came from a background in digital illustration, but physical media gave her a new appreciation for texture. She gravitated toward mineral painting, an Eastern Asian tradition also known as Nihonga or Eastern gouache. That medium traditionally creates layered textures using natural pigments made from minerals, shells, and earth, combined with animal glue and applied on handmade paper, silk, or wooden panels.

“Contemporary mineral painting builds on this foundation by incorporating mixed media elements such as gold leaf, acrylic, and textiles,” Wang explained.

“The layering process and reflective qualities of mineral pigments create depth, allowing the artwork to shift and shimmer depending on the angle of light, much like how memories are refracted through time.”

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Chandler grew up in Manchester, Michigan, searching the countryside for fairies and dragons. “An avid reader as a child, I’ve always been fascinated by storytelling, and I quickly learned that I could take ideas in my head and turn them into words on paper,” she said. “As I grew older and began to outgrow princess dresses and wizard robes, I searched for more ways to preserve these memories.”

Beyond words, Chandler began transforming her stories into colors, shapes, and textures, “to create something that didn’t even need words,” she said. “I had discovered illustration, and my life was changed.”

Her earliest drawings attempted a hyper-realistic style. But at ������Ƶ, with the help of professors who encouraged introspection and awareness of her own motivations, Chandler’s illustrations became more and more whimsical and “kidlit,” she said.

“I am always asked why I am so drawn to children’s book illustration. You may think it’s because of the cute characters, or the fun and silly lessons, but it’s truly because I think that there is something so important about the preservation of magic,” she said.

For her senior thesis, Chandler was motivated to create a personal, sensitive story, though she admitted that confronting herself honestly and sharing her feelings was scary. She ultimately created a children’s book about a girl on a quest, a story that combines autobiographical elements with magic to connect with some bittersweet feelings about life. The book, With Me, can be seen at the Illustration Senior Thesis Exhibition May 2-9 in the Richard and Barbara Basch Visual Arts Center. 

Chandler has secured a post-graduation position as a print designer at Carter’s in Atlanta, where she previously served as an intern. She also hopes to illustrate children’s books outside of her full-time work.

Senior Thesis Exhibitions

������Ƶ’s Senior Thesis Exhibitions open tonight, from 5-8 pm at all Campus Galleries. Join us in celebrating the creativity, dedication, and achievements of ������Ƶ’s graduating seniors from all majors, featuring diverse mediums and subjects. Chandler’s work will be on view in the Willis Smith Construction Inc. Student Gallery. For more information, visit the website.

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Honoring these historical figures within the confines of the coins’ physical structure presented a unique challenge for Hess. “It was a privilege to delve into the life and groundbreaking contributions of Dr. Vera Rubin, whose discovery of dark matter revolutionized our understanding of the universe,” she said. “Illustrating her portrait and translating elements of her legacy into a small, circular design was both challenging and inspiring.”

Mary Kawena Pukui, known as “a Living Legend of Hawaii,” is renowned for her studies and celebration of Native Hawaiian culture, including the language, history, music, and dance.

“From capturing her majestic presence to including the kukui nut lei and hibiscus in her hair, I enjoyed every moment of the creation process,” said Hess. “I’m proud to be part of such a meaningful program that highlights the incredible people in American history.”

The $1 coins were first released on the Mint’s website, Denver and Philadelphia gift shops, and The Coin Store in Washington, D.C., on January 28 of this year. The Rubin quarters are scheduled to be released this summer.

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In addition to voicing Mickey for theme parks, toys, marketing campaigns, and television series, Iwan also designs and illustrates Disney merchandise, including fine art and collectibles. For Mickey’s 95^th birthday in 2023, Iwan was only the fourth artist ever invited to paint the mouse’s birthday portrait, a tradition that began in 1953. Iwan’s portrait, Swept Up in the Magic, shows Mickey in his Sorcerer’s Apprentice garb from Fantasia.

The 2025 ������Ƶ commencement ceremony is scheduled for May 8, 2025. Visit the Commencement webpage for information on the event, checklists, dates, and images from past events. 

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