Phillip Chen

Phillip Chen is a Professor of Drawing and Printmaking at Drake University's Department of Art & Design within the College of Arts & Sciences. He holds a B.F.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work explores cultural-historical events through interdisciplinary visual representations, blending photography and diagrammatic drawing in his ongoing series Origins and Destinations.

Education:

• B.F.A., University of Illinois at Chicago
• M.F.A., School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Research Focus: Chen’s practice investigates the intersection of cultural memory and visual art, emphasizing transnational relationships and interpersonal experience. His work critiques historical narratives through layered visual languages, addressing themes of exclusion, migration, and cultural memory.

Awards & Recognition:

• Nominated for the Queen Sonja Print Award (2018)
• Recipient of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship
• National Endowment for the Arts grants
• Support from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and Tiffany Foundation

Advising & Grants: Chen has served as an evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts, College Art Association, and MacArthur Foundation. His creative projects have been funded by NEA, Iowa Arts Council, and others.

Exhibitions: Notable shows include Origins and Destinations at Beijing’s Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, New Prints at the International Print Center New York, and Memory Prints at the Museum of Chinese in America. His works are held in collections such as the Brooklyn Museum and Carnegie Institute Museum of Art.