SoFA Journal Spring 2026
Letter from the Editor
by Gwen Hoeffgen + Sarah Luu + Domenic Toliver + Adela Cardona Puerta
“Across these conversations, art is not treated as an isolated object or a professional category, but as something inseparable from the conditions of living together– family systems, friendships, migrations, losses, and the everyday labor of care.”
Give Hell Some Heaven: A Lesson in How to Feed Your Ghosts
by Alex Deets + Hayes Young
“So, if the theory that these supernatural ghosts or whatever are feeding off of our energy, well okay, they're feeding off my energy. That makes sense, I'm a southerner. If anything, I'm going to feed everybody. But what if I’m intentional about what I feed them? What if I sit down and look them in the face and ask, “What's going on? What are you hungry for?”
Going Retro
by Sarah Lưu + Kim Lưu
“I was the tetherball king in Texas. In California, I was average. But in Texas, I was beating everyone. And this is gonna sound bad, but I would trade my wins for milk. So, if a kid wanted to win against me he had to bring me a carton later.”
On The Record? I Love You
by Clara Harlow + Hannah Harlow + Tessa Harlow
“The fact that I've had to live a life and go to work is very silly and so let's make the best of it.”
Because We Care
by Haruka Ostley + Gabriel Ostley
“When one of us lifts the other up, we all lift each other up. I thought that was a very beautiful thought, and it’s something to remember as we artists collaborate with each other.”
The Ability to Rest: Trust, Care, and Collaboration
by Gwen Hoeffgen + Emily Fitzgerald
"To engage in a roundabout way of connecting with people that isn't about any outcome or transaction. It is possible that it can be a counter to a lot of systems of inequity and a useful practice to subvert these more competitive or capitalistic structures."
Build it Then Let it Go
by Nina Vichayapai + Anna Vichayapai + Ron Vichayapai
“ You have to build something and let it go. That’s when you’ll know how much it really means. That’s when you can appreciate it.”
Useful Aesthetics
by Domenic Toliver + Ivan McClellan
“Nobody asked me to build a rodeo. It was just the most useful thing I could think of.”
Thank You My Father’s Hands or, the Beauty of What is Near
by Sarah Blesener + James Blesener
“It’s not just about the art making. Or the memory. Or the feeling. But the fact that making an image leads to a memory that connects to a feeling that situates us in the present again. The art has been a way to connect. And it’s not really about the art. The art is a vehicle to make sense of and to sense your memory, your life, your relationships again.”
If You Don’t Pass It On, You’re Stuck
by Peery Sloan + Josephine LaCosta + Rose Lewis
“If you don’t share what you know, you’re stuck. You won’t cross the river.”
Artists on Visa
by Simeen Anjum + Khytul Abyad
“This contradiction isn’t accidental. Institutional “community” is an aesthetic and a marketing tool. When students enact political contestation rather than perform it in classrooms or artist statements, they are disciplined. So, the question becomes: What does it mean when values only exist in syllabi and marketing language, but collapse the moment they are practiced?”