On August 4, 2026, Professor of Art History Ray Hernández-Durán @rhernand65 and Irene Vásquez, Chair of Chicana and Chicano Studies, were interviewed about their work on the exhibition, Voces del Pueblo
Welcoming Postdoc Afrooz Partovi to CFA
Afrooz Partovi is an artist-architect who explores intangible dimensions of time and space through immersive technologies and time-based media. Her work engages absences as vessels for tracing what has been forgotten, erased, or transformed into nonexistence. Digital realms serve as both medium and metaphor in this exploration, challenging the primacy of physicality as the definitive marker of presence. Her practice investigates how the recontextualization of absence within digital environments can uncover deeper narratives of resistance and resilience.
Afrooz earned her master’s degree in architecture from Iran University of Science and Technology in 2020 and completed her second master’s degree in fine arts at Carnegie Mellon University in 2026. She is the co-founder of Unche Studio, a collaborative practice exploring the thresholds between art, design, architecture, and theory. She was awarded the Creative Research Grant from XRTC and the FRFF grant from the Frank-Ratchye Studio for Creative Inquiry for her recent project, Luna Park, which was exhibited at the Andy Warhol Museum in March–April 2026.
As part of her mentorship, Professor Emeritus Mary Tsiongas has begun introducing Afrooz to art directors, artists, and members of the Albuquerque arts community.
We are excited to have Afrooz join the art department; please give her a warm welcome.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
LEARN MORE about Afrooz’s practice at https://unche.studio/afrooz-partovi
Bianka Groves De La Cruz, Arts MFA, Featured in The Line Exhibition and Studio Talk 2026
MFA ceramics student Bianka Groves De La Cruz is gaining recognition for her thoughtful and patient approach to ceramics. She is currently featured in the “The Line” exhibition, September 4–26, 2026, which showcases artists who use line work to explore...
250 Years of Survival: Art Alum and Professor Eric Garcia’s New Mural
The first thing that hits you about Eric Garcia’s new mural at the Albuquerque Museum, “Since 1776…”, is the sheer size of it. I wanted to first play with the architecture,” Garcia said during the ceremony devoted to him, his team and the mural itself. “I wanted to do something that no one had done before. I wanted to go bigger.”