Yeohyun Ahn

New Contemporary Visual Narratives for the Sacred Texts, CAA Annual Conference 2026 Session, Chicago, IL

Session Co-Chairs: Huiwon Lim, Iowa State University, Hye Yeon Nam, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Discussant: Viviana Cordova, Lecturer, Towson University, Towson, MD and Former Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD

Session Abstract: The Bible is an unparalleled collection of texts and scriptures that is considered a testament to divine inspiration and a record of the relationship between God and humanity for Christians, Jews, and Samaritans. Its influence on literature and history in the Western world is profound and has shaped the very fabric of our modern society. Despite being one of the best-selling and most influential books of all time, it has been predominantly excluded from the contemporary visual narratives and practices in American secular higher education. This exclusion has been impacted by secularism, which advocates separating religion from a country's social and political activities, including public education. To address this issue, the session will present and discuss contemporary graphic and digital art influenced by the Old and the New Testaments. The session will showcase diverse contemporary graphic artworks rooted in historical and spiritual calligraphy, typographic storytelling for female activism, extended realities (VR/AR/XR) with Psalm 23, Robot Art, and artificial intelligence modified by biblical stories. It will broaden and extend academic doors, offering graphic designers a privileged chance to explore the profound influence of the Bible in 21st-century contemporary typographic art.

Panelists:
Dr. Leslie Atzmon, Full Professor of Graphic Design and Design History, at Eastern Michigan University
Dr. Hye Yeon Nam, Associate Professor, College of Architecture and Design, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Alma Hoffmann, Associate Professor of Graphic Design, Department of Art & Art History, University of South Alabama
Yeohyun Ahn, Assistant Professor, Graphic Design, Art Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

ABOUT

ARTWORKS

PROJECTS

Book Publication

JOURNALS