12/18/2025
Graduation spotlight: Richard Graham
Major: Emerging Media Arts
Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska
What does graduating from Nebraska mean to you?
Graduating Nebraska means taking the next step, not only in my career, but also in my life.
Please share any transformational moments you had.
That first UCARE Trip to San Diego was very impactful on me. The whole lead up introduced me to the process of making an art piece happen. I found eBay listings for cheap headphones to use for audio walks, I spray painted gardening equipment blue and yellow, I even learned how to embroider an iron on patch before we found a cheaper option online. All these logistical problems were just opportunities to be creative and find solutions, it showed me a different side to making art that I really enjoyed. After all my hard work I got to go and not only see all this innovative art at the Without Walls Festival, but I also got to meet some of the artists who worked on these pieces. It was a really inspirational experience, it showed me that there were plenty of people interested in weird art like mine.
What are your future plans?
Currently, I’m a stakeholder on a recycling education and outreach grant in partnership with the UNL Public Policy Center. I plan to continue my work with this project, which will ideally be in the form of community outreach and public engagements. I’m planning on going to grad school at some point, but I’m going to take a gap year or so. I’ll be sticking around Nebraska for the time being.
Write a thank you message to someone who helped you.
I wanted to say thank you to my former professor Ash Smith, who gave me countless opportunities and first-hand experiences as an emerging media artist. When I first became your UCARE student, I was dealing with a lot, but working with you was always a great experience. You really taught me how to dream.
I also wanted to thank my professor Stacy Asher, without her support my project would not be half of what it turned out to be. Working alongside you has made me a more disciplined and thoughtful artist.
