Fine Arts Alumni Panel: “Where Are They Now?”
Join us in ECH 1219 at noon on Thursday, October 8, to hear three Waterloo Alumni speak about their careers and experiences after graduation. The panel is open to students from all years. Come hear where their Fine Arts degrees have taken them, and ask your own questions about life after UW! (The talk will also be recorded for those who can’t attend in person.)
Christopher He
Interdisciplinary Artist Specializing in Ceramics — BA '24 Honours Liberal Studies, Co-op, with a Fine Arts Studio Minor and Digital Arts Communication Minor
Christopher He is an interdisciplinary artist living in Waterloo. Inspired by personal experience, self-identity, and cultural traditions, his work explores cultural diversity through playful yet deeply meaningful forms. He balances nostalgia and storytelling in his ceramics, transforming everyday objects into reflections of heritage and identity. Recently Christopher has showcased his work at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Craft Ontario, as well as a performance piece involving ceramics at Toronto's LILT Festival. He was also recently awarded an arts council grant.
Christina Mongeon
Engagement and Grants Manager —BA '15 Honours Fine Art (Studio Practicum); Post-Graduate Certificate in Arts Management from Centennial College, 2017); MFA '24 in Art History and Curatorial Studies from Western University
Christina Mongeon is a nonprofit professional with over ten years of experience working across the arts, culture, and charitable sectors. She currently works as the Engagement and Grants Manager at the Guelph Community Foundation, where (among other things) she helps nonprofit organizations apply for funding. Christina is passionate about supporting the charitable arts sector and serves as a director on two nonprofit boards. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Practice from the University of Waterloo. Following her 2015 graduation she shifted her interest from making art to being an arts worker and completed her Postgraduate Certificate in Arts Management from Centennial College in 2017, and more recently a Master of Arts in Art History and Curatorial Studies from Western University in 2024. Her career has included five plus years as a Gallery Assistant as well as a range of roles with festivals, events, and art support organizations across Southern Ontario.
Yasmeen Nematt Alla, artist and artist worker
Artist and Artist Worker — BA '18 Honours Fine Art (Studio Specialization); MFA '24 from Cranbrook Academy of Art (Gilbert Fellow)
Yasmeen Nematt Alla (she/her) is an Egyptian immigrant and settler living in Tkaronto, Turtle Island (colonially known as Toronto, Ontario). She has a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Waterloo (2018) and an MFA, Gilbert Fellow, from Cranbrook Academy of Arts (2024). Her work has been exhibited at Nuit Blanche, Toronto, Bronx River Art Centre, New York, Heaven Gallery, Chicago, and Xpace Cultural Centre, Toronto, among others. She has been an artist in residence at Haystack Mountain School for Crafts, Banff Centre, ACRE, STEPs Public Art, UKAI Projects, La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse, and FEMENT AI and HXOUSE Creative Think Tank. As an artist worker, she supports art organizations in creating accessible and anti-racist modes of communications in their day-to-day operations.