"Belonging/TRUST" Exhibition, Yeohyun Ahn

On view through December 4, 2025
Mondays-Fridays, 8:30-4:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Belonging is a fundamental human need. We all desire to connect with others, feel accepted, and find our place within a group. This deep-seated need for belonging is closely linked to trust; when others trust us, we can build meaningful relationships and genuinely feel that we belong. In environments where confidence is nurtured, relationships become stronger, acceptance flourishes, and overall well-being improves, benefiting mental and social health. Flowers have historically served as powerful symbols of human emotions. They represent feelings such as love, joy, and beauty, fostering deep emotional connections between individuals.

Flowers offer comfort and contribute to the formation of significant interpersonal bonds. Additionally, they play a crucial role in promoting mental well-being and strengthening relationships, bridging the gap between humanity and the natural world. This project employs a technique from artificial intelligence known as computer vision. Computer vision enables computers to analyze and interpret images and videos using a webcam. It is a type of machine learning that aims to replicate human vision, allowing for the detection of events, recognition of activities, and tracking of objects in videos. Once a computer identifies an object, it can respond to what it sees. The Face Detection Algorithm is a computer vision algorithm that detects faces by identifying facial features in a photo or video through machine learning techniques. It starts by searching for an eye, which helps recognize other facial features. The algorithm then compares these features to training data to confirm that a face has been detected.

The generative flowers were initially inspired by the Korean CCM "Flowers," composed by MEBIG and created for a children's workshop in Japan. This project will present an experiential, innovative, multisensory art form that combines sound with human interaction, virtual floral elements with computer vision, and a mixed-reality experience centered around belonging and trust.

Yeohyun Ahn is a distinguished graphic artist, designer, educator, curator, and researcher who lives with a disability. She integrates creative coding, accessibility, belonging, and healing into her work. Originally from South Korea, Ahn moved to the U.S. in 2005 to complete graduate studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). In 2025, she received the Emerging Scholar Award at the 20th International Conference on the Arts in Society at Carnegie Mellon University for her project, "Immersive Healing with Creative Coding." In 2022, she was honored with the Society of Experiential Graphic Design Educator Award for founding the "Evolving Graphic Design" conference and exhibition. As the principal investigator, she secured $81,680 in funding from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and the Brittingham Wisconsin Trust, collaborating with over twenty-eight graphic design educators globally. Her work has been featured in prominent outlets such as The Washington Post, PRINT, The New York Times Magazine, Creator's Project, Designboom.com, etc. Yeohyun Ahn has also contributed to several academic textbooks, including "Graphic Design: The New Basics," "Thinking with Type," "TYPE on Screen", "Giving Type Meaning", and "Slanted 4.0: Experimental TYPE 1.0 & 2.0" in Germany, among others. Ahn's research has appeared in publications from respected organizations like Leonardo (MIT Press), SIGGRAPH, CAA, AIGA, SEGD, and exhibitions in SIGGRAPH ASIA Art Gallery 2022 and ISEA 2025 for the special invitational group exhibition, Creative Graphics. She holds an MFA in Graphic Design from MICA, an MFA in Information Design from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, and a BS in Computer Science from Chungbuk National University. She was a freelance graphic artist for The New York Times magazine. In addition to her artistic endeavors, Ahn serves on the College Art Association's Annual Conference Committee and reviews for Leonardo. She has taught at various institutions, including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago State University, Valparaiso University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.