The Art and Art History Department is proud to announce that MFA alum, riel Sturchio, has been awarded a 2026 John Simon Guggengeim Memorial Foundation fellowship! riel Sturchio received their MFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin in 2018. One of seventy-six Guggenheim fellowship recipients in visual art in 2026, Sturchio has been recognized by the Guggenheim foundation for outstanding work in photography.
Their works go beyond the photographic medium, spanning from large-format silver gelatin printing and constructed photography to writing and collaborative curatorial/photographical projects.
riel Sturchio’s work largely considers their own queerness and chronic illness in relationship to conventions of beauty, disability, and queer identity.
Alongside their twin sister—mixed media artist Bianca Sturchio—with whom they often take on collaborative projects, Sturchio co-founded the Begin Collective, a community centered arts organization made by and for queer, chronically ill, and neurodivergent people to share their stories through photographic storytelling.
Learn more about their announcement as a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow.