"This Arts Fellowship is a different level. I'm thankful to go to a university where a program dedicated to the next leaders in the arts exists.”
-2026-27 Student Fellow
The Notre Dame Arts Initiative is pleased to announce the 2026-27 cohort of Student Arts Fellows, including eleven undergraduate and graduate students representing eight different programs of study within the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Engineering, the College of Science, and the School of Architecture.
Student Arts Fellowships cultivate a community of arts thinkers and makers, support emerging arts leaders, and seed creative projects grounded in research. In its second year, the fellowship program builds on Notre Dame’s existing strengths in the arts and offers opportunities for students to realize independent creative pursuits and connect with peers across disciplines. As one student shared, the fellowship gives them “the mentorship, artistic community, and resources to turn an experiment in the lab into a finished public work.”
2026-27 Creative Practice Fellows
Six fellows will pursue independent projects that range from a community-based installation in South Bend to a postcard-writing campaign across state lines; from a play about love, friendship, and aging to a movement-based performance about chemical processes; and from computer-coded drawings to a drone-recorded film.
- Farah Aburokba, BA, Computer Science and Film, Television, and Theatre, Class of 2027
- Concepción Claude, MFA, Visual Communication Design, Class of 2028
- Grace Mazurek, BS, Chemistry, Class of 2027
- Nikhita Thomas, MFA, Creative Writing (Prose), Class of 2027
- Samuel Webster, PhD, Computer Science, Class of 2029
- Bridget Wolfram, BA, Film, Television, and Theatre and English, Class of 2029
2026-27 Arts Management Fellows
Five fellows will contribute to a variety of arts administration projects both individually and as a collaborative team. Students with experience and interests in event and exhibition planning, audience engagement, and marketing and communications will help with exhibition installation, support visiting artist programs, and engage their peers in campus arts opportunities.
- Shari Smith, BA, Art History, Class of 2027
- Julia Champion, BA, Art History (Art Conservation), Class of 2029
- Madeline Owens, BA, Art History and Program of Liberal Studies, Class of 2029
- Peace Okoh, BA, Psychology Pre-health, Class of 2029
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Sara Arellano, BA, Architecture and Art History, Class of 2030
Fellows have special opportunities to engage with world-class artists and scholars, receive mentorship from Arts Initiative staff, and gain hands-on experience working in the arts. For the 2026-27 academic year, fellows will also experience the Notre Dame Arts Biennial from a unique perspective with opportunities to support biennial programming and foster campus and community engagement. All eleven fellows will present their work in a public end-of-year symposium in connection with the inaugural arts festival. The symposium will feature a joint exhibition of work by fellows in the creative practice track, curated by fellows in arts management followed by a celebration and public reception on April 14, 2027.