Chong Xu is a Chinese artist currently pursuing his MFA in Design|Media Arts at UCLA. His practice integrates performance, electronics, software development, internet technologies, and digital and physical fabrication. Xu is particularly interested in the comedic effects that arise at the intersection of technology, power structures, and artistic interventions. Xu’s practice moves through nature, technology, language, and found objects, bringing joy, playfulness, and humor out of the systems that determine their meanings. 

Learn more about Chong Xu:
chongxu.art

Britt Ransom is an artist and educator based in Pittsburgh. Her interdisciplinary practice investigates the relationships between humans, animals, and the environment through digital fabrication, sculpture, and installation. Ransom’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at New Museum’s New Inc DEMO, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, Schering Stiftung in Berlin, and universities across the country. She is an Associate Professor of Sculpture, Installation, and Site-Work at Carnegie Mellon University and serves on the boards of the Emma S. and Reverdy C. Ransom Foundation and Freedom to Grow.

Learn more about Britt Ransom:
brittanyransom.com

Since being named “Emerging Artist of Pittsburgh” in 2019, Saige Baxter has transitioned from welded sculpture, to installation and whimsical mixed media.    For a decade, Baxter has focused on creating interactive pieces that invite viewers to touch, play, and physically explore the work.  Inspired by her resources, she transforms materials into unexpected solutions. In 2022, she received her Masters of Art in Teaching at MICA to marry her passion for education with the arts.  Her experience as a teacher has ignited her fascination with playful learning and sensory experiences, leading her to use vibrant color, textures and found materials to build fantastical environments that activate nostalgia.

Learn more about Saige Baxter:
saigbaxterdesign.com

The Tough Art summer residency is offered every year.
Learn more here.