Degrees

B.A, Valparaiso University; M.F.A., The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Short Bio

Nancy Bernardo is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Loyola University New Orleans. Prior to academics, Nancy worked as a print designer in large corporations and non-profit organizations for over a decade before establishing her own design studio in 2002. Her design work has been shown in Chicago galleries and juried shows, and in the publication Object of Labor from MIT Press. Her artist books are part of the permanent collection at the Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection in The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Before coming to Loyola, Nancy was Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Northwest Missouri State University.

Nancy’s work revolves around themes of memory, heredity and genes. Her master’s project explored the themes of women and body image, particularly societal complicity in creating and consuming gendered messages and labels. This theme is also present in her current work, which places Victorian-themed imagery, textiles and ephemera (denoting traditional gender roles) in a contemporary American context. Nancy’s other activities include a collaborative project with a Chicago-area writer called “Public Anatomy.” This project explores how the body is used as a way to organize personal and artistic experience. Her most recent commission is a book of poetry and images about the strength of women for a Chicago-area women-based counseling center.
 

Courses Taught

• Graphic Communication Survey
• Typography