Understanding Art & Design Schools in the U.S.

Keny De La Peña is a Los Angeles-born interdisciplinary artist, educator, and first-generation college graduate. The son of Mexican immigrants, he holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and double majored in Spanish Literature and World Arts and Cultures (WAC) at UCLA. His artistic practice blends a pursuit of poetics with cultural anthropology, exploring themes of folklore, history, and transformation.
De La Peña’s interest in somatic practices began with his training in Taekwondo, where he earned a second-degree black belt. This martial arts foundation deeply influenced his later work in dance and performance art, shaping his understanding of the body as both a site of expression and ritual. His approach to artmaking is rooted in the belief that crafting itself is a ritualistic performance, a perspective that informs his interdisciplinary practice. He has studied under renowned opera director Peter Sellars and choreographer Ligia Lewis.
De La Peña’s work has been shown at the Hyde Park Art Center and the Chicago Athletic Association. He has also performed at iconic venues such as Royce Hall and Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
He currently serves as one of the Assistant Directors of International Admissions for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Annie is a South African/Taiwanese jewellery artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She completed her BA in Jewellery Design and Related Products at the Birmingham School of Jewellery, UK in 2015 and her MFA in Gemstone and Jewellery at Hochschule Trier, Germany in 2020. Her work has been exhibited in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Some notable exhibitions include, New Designers in London, the International Graduate Show at Galerie Marzee and Talente in Munich. Her work has been featured on the cover of Current Obsession and published in New Bracelets. One of her neckpieces has been bequeathed to the Dallas Museum of Art by the prominent art jewellery collector, Deedie Rose.
She has close to 10 years experience of working with international students in a teaching/mentor capacity. Having lived in 7 countries and travelled to over 30 countries, she hopes to combine her experience in art, travelling and teaching to better assist the international students interested in applying to CCA.

Yam Chew Oh is a multidisciplinary artist and educator. He has studied, lived, and worked globally, including in Baltimore, Brunei, London, New York, San Francisco, and Singapore. He loves working with creatives across the world to help them think critically about their education and art practice. His work has been exhibited in the United States, Asia, and Australia and featured in Commotion, Lumina Journal, The Match Factory, Studio Visit, and Velocity.
Oh is a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts, New York, where he received an MFA in Fine Arts and teaches the courses The Everyday Artist and Nine Ways to Skin a Cat. He is also International Admission Counselor at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, where he received a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Fine Art and works closely with international students interested in a stellar education at the 200-year-old institution.

Christopher Corporandy is originally from San Francisco, but has lived in New York City, Buffalo, Savannah, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, as well as time spent abroad in Dublin and Moscow. He currently lives in his favorite city of all, Detroit. He received a BFA in Acting from New York University, an MFA from Wayne State University, and is certified in Knight Thompson Speech Work, working as an actor, accent coach, and teacher.
He began at the College for Creative Studies as instructor of the course he developed there, Acting for Film and Animation, and now proudly works with CCS' international undergraduate applicants. On the side, he continues to teach and coach, fanatically enjoys the arts alongside his wife, Sarah Clare, and is on an ambitious binge marathon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his son Miles. He is passionate about design, art, CCS, Detroit, humanity, and the success of students the world over.