2026 Ekard Artist-in-Residence Programming

Stephen Marc

Stephen Marc: Looking Out from Chicago: An American Journey Continues
Residency: September 1-30, 2026
Public Lecture: September 16, 2026 at 5 p.m., Holmes Hall 116
Public Exhibition: September 7 - October 23, 2026 103 Exhibition Space, Holmes Hall

Workshop: Multiple Visual narrative collage workshops using digital montage, incorporated into multiple Art and Design courses.

Stephen Marc is an award-winning photographer and educator whose work explores American history, migration, place, and the layered histories embedded in American landscapes. His long-running Passage on the Underground Railroad project, along with Wired and The Black Diaspora, combines photography and digital montage to connect historical narratives with contemporary life.

His exhibition, Looking Out from Chicago: An American Journey Continues, continues his exploration of Chicago and the broader American landscape through photography and visual storytelling.

Omaid Sharifi

Omaid Sharifi: ArtLords: Persian Miniatures: The School of Behzad
Residency: October 21 - November 20, 2026
Public Lecture: October 28, 2026 at 5 p.m., Holmes Hall 116
Public Exhibition: October 28 - December 1, 2026 103 Exhibition Space, Holmes Hall

Workshop: Large-scale, community-driven drawing and painting workshops across several Art and Design and Humanities courses.

Born in Afghanistan and now based in Virginia, Omaid Sharifi is a community engaged artist, cultural advocate, and entrepreneur, as well as a co-founder of ArtLords an international initiative that honors and supports exiled artists, women, and girls from Afghanistan. Omaid’s work is deeply rooted in community engagement and in the belief that art can create meaningful dialogue, connection, and collective understanding.

Persian Miniatures: The School of Behzad exhibition in the 103 Exhibition Space featuring paintings by Mohammad Younus Qani, an Afghan miniature painter and member of ArtLords based in Herat. The works were rescued from Afghanistan and represent the School of Behzad tradition, one of the most influential traditions of Persian miniature painting. Bringing these works to campus is especially meaningful given the cultural and political circumstances surrounding their preservation and removal from Afghanistan.

Past Ekard Artist Residents:

2026 Spring: Kirsten Stolle and George Ferrandi
2025 Fall: Andreas Rentsch, Stafford Smith and Ritsu Katsumata
2024 Fall: Maggie Cardelús and Carlos Barberena
2024 Spring: Voluspa Jarpa, Nina Chkareuli-Mdivani, Ayana Ife, Katya Grokhovsky, and LaToya M. Hobbs 
2023 Fall: Ashley Freeby and Odette England
2023 Spring: Anthony Cervino, Juana Estrada-Hernandez, Christian Viveros-Faune, Jefried Lotti and Krystal Rodriguez
2022 Spring: Annu Palakunnathu Matthew
2021 Spring: Le’Andra LeSeur '10
2019–20: Fredman (Elyla) Barahona
2019 Spring: Everest Pipkin
2018 Spring: Cara Lewis & Alejandro Diaz
2016 Spring: Shani Peters (Nesbitt Artist Resident)