Elana Mann: Instruments of Accountability, Pitzer College Art Galleries, September 29 - December 8, 2018. Opening reception performance, Sharon Chohi Kim and Micaela Tobin: Unseal/Unseam.

Pitzer College Art Galleries Fellows

The Student Fellows of Pitzer College Art Galleries present an exciting and unique opportunity for students who are passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion in relation to the contemporary art world and curatorial practice. Under the supervision and mentorship of the Galleries’ staff, student fellows will engage with the larger student body, to envision and implement student-centered co-curricular programming that reflects the Galleries’ mission and philosophy of addressing significant contemporary and historical issues of equity, inclusion, and diversity through art.


Elana Mann: Instruments of Accountability, Pitzer College Art Galleries, September 29 – December 8, 2018. Opening reception performance.

Fall 2023 – Spring 2024 Fellows

Pitzer College Art Galleries Fellows support meaningful dialogue and peer exchange around the social and cultural impact of contemporary art and the ideas of our time.

Paige Baird ’26 is a Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Fellow and prospective Studio Art Major with a passion for Gender and Feminist Studies. She is interested in exploring how the curatorial process can illuminate intersectional identities. As a summer intern at Franklin Parrasch Gallery in New York, Paige gained valuable experience working closely with artists and developing an understanding of gallery operations. Raised in Los Angeles, she attended high school in Connecticut and is excited to dive deeper into the work of the Pitzer College Art Galleries.

L Brock ’26 (she/they) is a Fall 2023 Fellow and a second-year student at Pitzer College studying neuroscience with a focus on cellular mechanisms. L devotes much of their time to math and visual arts outside the lab. Currently, she is exploring soft sculpture, curious about biomaterials, and wearable art. L is from Massachusetts and enjoys spending time outside in the sun when possible. L’s lifelong passion for creating, consuming, and cultivating art motivated them to become a Gallery Fellow, and she is eager to contribute to the relationship between the student body and the galleries.

Hannah Hekendorn ’25 is a Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Fellow and Critical Global Studies major and an Art History minor from Dallas, Texas. Conscious of the colonial roots of museums and the Western art world, Hannah is interested in reimagining art spaces and curatorial practices to make art more engaging and exciting rather than exclusive and private. She has extensive experience working with kids and is interested in pursuing a career in decolonial art education. She is passionate about cultivating connections between different communities and the art world and strongly believes art, if used correctly, can become an important tool for self-expression as well as social justice.

Jonah Ifcher ’24, born in 2001 in Oakland, CA, is a Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Fellow and senior at Pitzer College, pursuing a double major in Studio Art and Environmental Analysis. His passion for art is rooted in his reliance on visual languages to understand and communicate with others. Over the last two years, he has served as a darkroom teaching assistant at Pitzer, where he nurtured his love of images by sharing his passion with fellow students. 

Ryann Liljernstolpe ’24 (they/she) is a Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Fellow and majoring in Studio Art and Critical Art Studies, with concentrations in Ceramics and Curatorial Studies. Dedicated to creating art spaces that foster radical connections between art, artist, and viewer, they believe that the chief goal of any gallery or museum should be to advocate for creative expression, access, and education. As an artist, Ryann has cultivated a ceramics and fiber arts practice that combines the tactility and accessibility of traditional handicrafts with the conceptual and often idiosyncratic characteristics reserved for “fine art.” As a Gallery Fellow and aspiring curator, they are interested in exploring the relationships between museums and their publics, and how the practice of curating might meaningfully address the needs of artists and audiences in an ever-changing world.

Arianne Ohara ’25 was born and raised in Mexico City and is a Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Fellow and a double-major in Art History and Environmental Analysis. In addition to being a Gallery Fellow, Arianne is a research assistant for the Cultural Property Dispute Resource at the Claremont Graduate University, a consultant for the Claremont Sustainability Consulting Group, and a student senator on the Pitzer Campus Aesthetics Committee. Arianne was a 2022 Getty Marrow Registrations and Permanent Collections Management Intern at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Her interests lie in art curation, museum and gallery work, environmental activism, sustainability, and intersections of the arts and science. She aspires to work in museum management and curatorial affairs and lead creative projects that prioritize culture, art, environmental wellbeing, and positive change.

Yixu (Wendy) Wei ’26 is a Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Fellow and works in various art media and loves thrifting and collecting vintage jewelry. Having successfully completed the IB-DP Visual Art program, Wendy organized an exhibition that examined diverse expressions of intercultural identities. Her enthusiasm for the arts extends to visiting art museums, galleries, and communities in international contexts. She looks forward to collaborating with Galleries Fellows and expanding her knowledge about the curation process.

Sophie Weinstock ’26 hails from Boston, Massachusetts, and is a Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Fellow and is pursuing a degree in Critical Art Studies. A proponent of engaging with museums, she anticipates collaborating with her peers to create a vibrant community surrounding the Pitzer College Art Galleries. In addition to enjoying her art historical studies, she looks forward to deepening her knowledge on how art objects are understood by other academic disciplines.

Evie Burrows White ’26 is a Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Fellow and Critical Art Theory and English major and French minor who is inspired by community art spaces that foster fun and creativity. As a Caretaker for the Grove House, she is excited to work with Pitzer College Art Galleries to bring art programming to more student-loved spaces like the Grove House. While she has no clue where her career will take her, Evie is interested in pursuing curatorial studies and contemporary art theory. In the studio, she loves exploring painting and ceramic sculpture and making silly cartoons of her friends.

Zixi Yang ’26 is a Fall 2023 Fellow and a double major in Media Studies and Art. Drawing on her experiences as an independent artist, she actively participates in multiple art book fairs and exhibitions, which support her interest in curation. Photography is Zixi’s preferred medium, always carrying a camera wherever she goes. She believes that art is a powerful force that can make the world a better place.

2022-23 Fellows

Nancy Chen ’23 is a sociology major and media studies minor. Passionate about contemporary art, education, and culture, she is excited about making contemporary art spaces accessible. Her extensive studio and curatorial experience includes the CalArts CAPSA summer program and a curatorial internship at the Red Brick Art Museum in Beijing.

Arianne Ohara ’25 is an art history and environmental analysis major and Japanese language minor. Drawing on her experience of designing platforms for youth empowerment, artistic expression, and social activism, she hopes to foster connections with the surrounding community. She is the founder of a youth arts summer program that created opportunities for students to connect with museums in Mexico City.

Shelby Ottengheime ’23 is an anthropology major focusing on ethical curatorial and museum acquisitions practices. Interested in building engagement with diverse audiences, she plans on pursuing a curatorial career with an emphasis on decolonizing museum spaces. Shelby was a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern as the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.

Crystal Rodriguez ’23 is a studio art major. Her art practice is grounded in making art accessible, especially for those who have been historically displaced by white supremacy and misogyny. She is the recipient of a Racial Justice Initiative Grant to produce a series of videos on contemporary artists.

Arlo Van Liew ’23 is an art and art history major. Committed to fostering engagement through contemporary art, he has worked as an art instructor, a studio assistant of a Seattle-based contemporary artist, and an programming intern at the Seattle Art Museum, where he focused on inclusivity and youth outreach.  

2022-23 Fellows Events:

2021-22, 2020-21 Fellows

Marcus Jackson ’22, a pre-med track, biology major, is a passionate artist and a huge Marvel enthusiast.

Eamon Morris ’22 is a media studies major and anthropology minor from Orange, CA.

Jessica Sass ’22 is a combined major in Media and Political Studies. She believes the Pitzer College Art Galleries is a hidden gem within the Claremont Colleges and can’t wait to share the space with you once it’s safe! 

Past Fellows Events:

Register for Get To Know Pitzer College Art Galleries


February 15, 2021, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m., PST

Student Creator Panel: Maintaining Pitzer’s Creative Community Virtually