Remembering Cat Frazier, Susan Michod, and Joel Snyder

In Memoriam pays tribute to four influential figures who made significant contributions to the art world. Cat Frazier, a champion of the retro-maximalist internet aesthetic, left a lasting impact with her animated text-based GIFs on the Tumblr page AnimatedText. Her work, which was characterized by bold, pop graphics and a nihilistic sense of irony, inspired an entire era of web aesthetics that still resonates today.

Khaled Al Awar, a gallerist and arts champion from Lebanon, established Primavera Gallery in Ojai, California, in 1970. The gallery showcased emerging artists working in a variety of media, while Al Awar also owned the Ojai Playhouse Theater. In 2017, he received the city's Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts.

British muralist and street artist Walter Kershaw began painting unsanctioned large-scale murals and public sculptures in England during the 1970s and 1980s. Often referred to as Britain's first street artist, Kershaw's works are held in prestigious collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Collection of Brazilian Art in São Paulo.

Susan Michod, a pattern and decoration painter, was at the forefront of the Pattern and Decoration movement. Her works, created through acts of tearing, collaging, sponging, spattering, and adding glitter, were a celebration of color and pattern. In 1973, she founded the Chicago women artists collaborative Artemisia Gallery.

Joel Snyder was among the first scholars in the United States to teach the history of photography. His work focused on the rise of commercial photography in the 1800s and his own photographs are part of the Art Institute of Chicago's collection. Snyder urged fellow scholars to understand the creative process behind photographic works.