Thank you!
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Thank you! ~
The YES! 2026 Best in Show trophy, created by the Design Exhibition Fellows. The front piece of the trophy is a lithophane print, which illuminates a scene of our school and the Chicago skyline when bathed in light.
We thank the invited professional jurors, UIC Design alumni, and UIC faculty for their participation in the undergraduate student awards, and to everyone who attended our Year End Show!
Professional Jurors
Jim Termeer, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Ray Doeksen, Doeksen Design, and AKMD Collection
Meaghan A. Dee, Virginia Tech
Brian Edlefson, Notre Dame College of Business
Dave Pabellon, University of Notre Dame
Patrick Gosnell, Austin Peay State University
Michael Carabetta, Chronicle Books
Gregory Polletta, R&D to Ready
Michele Y. Washington, OMW
Archana Shekara, Illinois State University
Martin Kastner, Crucial Detail
Renda Helin Çizer, RendaHelin Design
Jess Giffin, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Nicholas Savidge, Wabtec
Guy Villa, Jr., Columbia College Chicago
Aoi Hasegawa, Domus Academy
Faculty
Jason Ackley
Brian Anderson, MDes Thesis Faculty
Lisa Armstrong
Rafael Barontini
Antonio Belton
Anne H. Berry, Director
Linda Bracamontes-Roeger, BDes Thesis Faculty
Dakota Brown
Bridgette Buckley
Philip Burton, Professor Emeritus
Emma Dwyer
Jerry Espino
Felicia Ferrone
Jack Fisher
Stephen Flemister
Elizabeth Graff
Amira Hegazy
Sung Jang, BDes Thesis Faculty
Dawn Joseph
Jonathan Krohn
Marcia Lausen, Director Emeritus
Latrina Lee
Arina Lurie
Jonathan Mekinda
Stephen Melamed, Professor Emeritus
Peter Muller
Pedro Neves, BS Thesis Faculty
Lauren Nichols
Thomas O’Keefe, MDes Thesis Faculty
Sharon Oiga, BDes + MDes Thesis Faculty
Xavier Pacheco
Sara Ramirez Bustamante
Kat Reiser
Oliver Roeger
Jacob Rynkiewicz
Andrew Russell
Grace Spee
Susan Stirling
Norman Teague
Cheryl Towler Weese, MDes Thesis Faculty
Daria Tsoupikova
Alexander Twaddle
Eric Von Haynes
Jennifer Wandro
Austin Watson
Noah Wangerin, BDes Thesis Faculty
Kimberlee Wilkens
Nahid Yahyaee
Robert Zolna, BA Thesis Faculty
YES! 2026 Design Team
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YES! 2026 Design Team *
The 2026 YES! show identity was conceptually based upon memories, transparency, and illumination. The Design Exhibition Fellows team explored moire patterns as a way to abstract and animate the memories of their time at the School of Design, similar to how students abstract themselves and their convictions through their thesis projects.
Isabelle Dizon, BDes GD ‘26
Pearl Lomax, BDes GD ‘26
Itzel Lopez, staff
Phoebe Milles, BDes GD ‘26
Jacob Romero, BDes ID ‘26
David Santana, BDes ID + GD, ‘27
Grace Spee, faculty + staff, lead
With heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to our administrative, lab, and facilities staff:
Madeleine Aguilar, Lily Baker, Annabelle Clarke, Gwen Fullenkamp, Ashia Jacobs, Alexander Jones, Jayne Kelley, Christian Oiticica, Jacob Polhill, Jasmin Saucedo, Kevin Strickland, Navi Walker, as well as our director Anne H. Berry, without whom we could not have put on this show.
Thank you!