Two recent graduates of CalArts’ MFA Experimental Animation Program, Moon (Yuezhu) Wang and Dairys Escoto De León, have been selected for the 2022-23 AICAD (Association for Independent Colleges of Art and Design) Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowships. They and the four other recipients will participate in a year-long fellowship at one of 36 AICAD institutions.
With teaching placements at Otis College of Art and Design, ArtCenter, California College of Art, Kansas City Art Institute and University of the Arts, CalArts Film/Video alums currently hold five of the 19 AICAD Fellowships nationally.
The fellowship program seeks to provide “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.”
Through its fellowships, AICAD, a nonprofit consortium of top art and design schools in the U.S. and Canada, provides mentoring, professional development, direct teaching experience, health benefits, and other monetary support systems.
CalArts School of Film/Video Recipients of the AICAD Post-Grad Fellowships
Newly Awarded:
• Moon (Yuezhu) Wang (MFA, Experimental Animation, 2022, California Institute of the Arts) placed at Otis College of Art and Design. Wang is a Chinese animator and illustrator who’s work mainly focuses on family, love, social issues and gender awareness. Previous to their MFA, they earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in architecture from Tongji University, Shanghai.
• Dairys Escoto De León (MFA, Experimental Animation, 2022, California Institute of the Arts) placed at University of the Arts. Escoto De León is an animator and fine artist rooted in bringing her experiences as a Dominican American to the cinematic world. She challenges multiple genres and mediums, such as documentary, experimental, and even sci-fi, and explores ideas of immigration, multiracial love, misogyny, and culture.
Continuing Fellowships:
• Ray Chang (MFA, Experimental Animation, 2020, California Institute of the Arts) placed at ArtCenter College of Design, continuing from 2021.
• Kyungwon Song (MFA, Experimental Animation, 2019, California Institute of the Arts) placed at California College of Art, continuing from 2021.
• Luis Gutiérrez Arias (MFA, Film and Video, 2020, California Institute of the Arts) placed at Kansas City Art Institute, continuing from 2021.
One Response
Congrats to the two CalArts post-grad alumni for your recognition and awarded fellowships in the continuum of education and the art of animation! Bravo!