ALUMNAE Kathleen McShane ’82

Guggenheim Fellowship Recipient

By Caitlin MacBride Berg ’10, Director of Alumnae Relations

For artist and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Kathleen McShane ’82 , art has always been more than a career. It has been a way of looking at the world.

Her art classes at Magnificat laid the foundation for that worldview, and Sister Bernadette Vetter’s prayer journal exercise sparked in her an enduring interest in collage and contemplation.

“I always knew I wanted to be an artist,” McShane said. “That practice of reflection has stayed with me all these years.”

After high school, her career path unfolded across the country. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in Alfred, New York, and her Master of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. She spent 13 years in New York City, where she immersed herself in the energy of its art scene and met her husband during an artist residency. After being invited to step into a class while serving as a visiting artist at Rutgers University, she discovered how rewarding it was to help students uncover their own creative voices. She went on to teach at the University of Michigan for 11 years and then Texas State University, where she taught for 14 years.

“The best part was seeing students become visually engaged,” she said.

Across her teaching career, she found each university had its own distinct personality: the diversity of Rutgers, the depth of talent at the University of Michigan, and the calm, collaborative colleagues she encountered in Texas.

McShane’s artistic practice is equally dynamic. Her career has brought her to some of the most visually stimulating places in the world, from Paris to Detroit to New York, which are some of the places where her work has been exhibited. Looking back, McShane sees the seeds of her vocation in her time at Magnificat. Beyond the classroom, service opportunities shaped her perspective, too. Volunteering at a nursing home during her Genesis fostered her love of service, while working at a bronze casting company deepened her appreciation for the artistic process.

In 2025, she earned one of the highest honors in the art world: the Guggenheim Fellowship. Inspired by a former teacher to apply, she proposed a project that explores 2022, expansive and contemplative spaces across the Southwest.

“Receiving the fellowship was an affirmation that continuing making art was worth it,” she said. “You are chosen after a long career. It’s an acknowledgment that you have excelled in your field.”

For the future generations, she encourages both courage and patience. “Trust yourself and follow what interests you,” she said. “Be brave and fearless. Stick with it, even when it’s hard.”

McShane retired from teaching, but continues to work in her studio and exhibit her drawings and painting. She also travels for art residencies and is scheduled for one in Paris in 2027.

Alumna Advice:

Kathleen McShane ’82 “Leadership comes with responsibility— to cultivate patience, generosity, and make space for all voices.”