Professor Soulé Déesse
Division Chair of Arts and Humanities. Déesse is an artist and educator whose work has been supported by national and international residencies, including the Bogliasco Foundation (Italy), Yaddo (NY), c.r.e.t.a. rome (Italy), the Hungarian Multicultural Center (Hungary), Cholamandal Artists Village (India), Can Serrat (Spain), and Baldwin for the Arts (NY). She has received several awards, such as Best of Show at the Migrations Film Festival (The Front, New Orleans) and the Yaddo Donald and Genie Rice Filmmaker Residency Grant. In 2025, she was nominated for the Anonymous Was A Woman award (pending). Her work has been featured in Art in America, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), and Boston Art Review.
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Professor Marina Buening, M.A.
Adjunct Professor. I studied sculpture in my native Germany and continued my studies here in Italy where I immersed myself in printmaking, photography and started to work with a variety of very different materials, often inspired by nature. For me, being an artist means that you have to learn certain, basic rules and aesthetic criteria in order to judge your own work and critique the work of others. In the process, you gain an immense freedom to express yourself und communicate with the world, but you have to dig deep to find your own personal way. This is reflected in my teaching. Studying and creating art in Rome allows you to sharpen your eye and further personalize your vision; not merely by referencing the old masters but, being in a modern vibrant museums and galleries like the MAXXI and Gagosian, with the latest trends in contemporary art.
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Professor Kristien de Neve, M.A., M.S.
Adjunct Professor. Born in Belgium, I decided to come and study art in Rome. I was mostly attracted to the colors here, I loved the many layers of art and history … you encounter an artistic miracle everywhere, getting a feeling of eternity. The present movement of contemporary art in Rome allows for a juxtaposition of past influences and ideas projected towards the future, giving a deeper perspective to artistic research. AUR offers a stimulating learning environment focused on the individual needs of each student which matches my style of teaching. Every art student brings in a unique universe which I help to nurture and cultivate. My work merges many media, so we can explore all kinds of techniques and artistic languages. I’m looking forward to help you develop your own artistic expression.
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