Aya Nakamura (2022, 2023)

Bio: Aya is an artist based in Chicago, IL. She has shown at venues in the United States and abroad, recently at Secrist Beach and Heaven, both in Chicago and at The Hangar and Dawawine in Beirut, Lebanon; Supa Salon in Istanbul, Turkey; Mana Decentralized in Jersey City, NJ; and MPSTN in Fox River Grove, IL. She is the recipient of the Denbo Fellowship from Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and the George and Ann Siegel Fellowship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a member of Chicago API (Asian, Pacific Islander) and Artists United (CAAU). Nakamura was born in Japan and educated in France and the United States, holding a BA in Fine Arts and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 

artist website: www.aya-nakamura.com

Description of Residency

Aya was a visiting artist three times in the studio, where she pulped various fibers using the Hollander beater. She would bring the pulp back to Chicago, where she cast the pulp into custom made molds to make shaped sheets. Thanks to her residency at Fresh Press, she was able to complete a great number of projects, including a large-scale commission and work for several shows.