Born in 1991 in Chicago, Chiffon Thomas is the first artist hosted in the Foundation’s residency program.

Thomas’s practice is multimedia, spanning sculpture, drawing, performance, and embroidery. The artist creates powerful figurative assemblages, merging body parts with architectural elements: bronze, steel, and stained glass are among the favored materials, in a practice deeply focused on materiality. Connected to themes like identity and memory, Thomas weaves personal and collective stories of trauma and repair, tied to the legacy of colonial violence in the United States and the challenge of reconciling a deeply religious upbringing with personal desires and inclinations.

Chiffon Thomas has been in residence in May 2025.