Arnold J. Kemp, former Dean of Graduate Studies at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2016 - 2020) holds an MFA from Stanford University, and a BA/BFA in English Literature/ Studio Art from Tufts University and School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Kemp’s 20+year career embraces studio and curatorial practice, writing, and teaching. He has served as Chair of the MFA in Visual Studies at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR, Chair of Painting and Printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University and has had numerous solo exhibitions in San Francisco, Portland, Chicago, Mexico City and New York City. He was Associate Curator for visual art at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco from 1993-2003, and his work has been recognized by a Guggenheim Fellowship, Pollock Krasner Grant, Joan Mitchell Fellowship, Warhol Foundation for the Arts, among the most prestigious and coveted awards of excellence in fine art and writing. His work is in public and private collections including The Studio Museum in Harlem, Portland Art Museum, Berkeley Art Museum, Manetti Shrem Museum at UC Davis, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
