Staff Spotlight: Annette LePique
Annette LePique, Program Manager in the Department of English, awarded Rabkin Prize for visual arts journalism
Annette LePique, Program Manager in the Department of English and for the Midwest Modern Language Association (MMLA), was recently awarded the Rabkin Prize of $50,000 for visual arts journalism from the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation, an artist-endowed charitable foundation that seeks to uplift and support the intellectual and creative contributions and individual careers of visual arts journalists.
LePique, one of nine recipients, said of the honor, “To be honest, I’m still at a loss for words; to be recognized in this capacity is indescribable.”
“Ms. LePique’s selection for this prestigious award sets her apart as a ‘staff-scholar’ who combines a traditional focus on supporting the writing mission of the department with her own, impressive scholarly contributions to visual arts journalism,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago. “This accomplishment is an outstanding example of our stellar staff within the College of Arts and Sciences and the incredible value of the arts, both at Loyola and in our broader community.”
As a staff member of the Department of English within the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, LePique’s time is split between supporting the daily operations of the department’s writing faculty and overseeing the MMLA’s peer-reviewed academic journal, planning for its upcoming member convention in November, and managing finances and member data.
When asked what drew her to Loyola, LePique explained, “I believe in the university’s commitment to helping students and giving back to our Chicago community and I’m invigorated by the MMLA’s dedication to emerging scholars in the humanities. Ultimately, I believe I can help others at Loyola. It's that desire to contribute to a common good that brought me here.”
As a visual arts journalist, LePique is an editor and writer at Sixty Inches from Center and New Art Examiner. Her writing has appeared in Art Review, Chicago Artist Writers, Chicago Reader, Eaten Magazine, NewCity, and Stillpoint Magazine, among others.
LePique’s professional and creative career in visual arts journalism is rooted in her education. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts from William Jewell College – with a stint at University of Oxford – LePique went on to pursue a Master of Arts in Art Theory, Criticism, and History from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Several years later she received her second Masters in the Humanities from the University of Chicago.
“Though writing about art began as an offshoot of the work I did in my first graduate program, it is also something I enjoy. I see art journalism, and art writing more broadly, as a space to experiment and think about the limits of language and feeling.”
Throughout her professional and creative careers, LePique cites mentorship as the crucial foundation supporting her creativity.
“As a student, I was painfully shy, and I am still a relatively quiet person. While my early reticence to speak up in the classroom or meetings has since diminished, my experiences have given me a deep appreciation for all the people in my life who took the time to encourage and teach me.”
One such person is Sarita Heer, PhD, Lecturer in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. LePique was Heer’s teaching assistant during her time at the SAIC.
“Dr. Heer was and is a phenomenal mentor who not only affirmed my ideas, but always encouraged me to speak my mind.”
LePique also made sure to highlight Jose Perez, Office Assistant and Web Content Manager in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, and Joshi Radin of the SAIC. “Both are phenomenal artists and have taught me so much about thinking about and making art throughout the years.”
Mentorship – whether being mentored or serving as a mentor to others, continues to inspire LePique’s self-expression and development as a visual arts journalist.
“I am a firm believer that we can all learn from one another.”
Learn more about LePique's award from the Dorothy and Leo Rabkin Foundation and her work with the MMLA at Loyola University Chicago.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”
Annette LePique, Program Manager in the Department of English, awarded Rabkin Prize for visual arts journalism
Annette LePique, Program Manager in the Department of English and for the Midwest Modern Language Association (MMLA), was recently awarded the Rabkin Prize of $50,000 for visual arts journalism from the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation, an artist-endowed charitable foundation that seeks to uplift and support the intellectual and creative contributions and individual careers of visual arts journalists.
LePique, one of nine recipients, said of the honor, “To be honest, I’m still at a loss for words; to be recognized in this capacity is indescribable.”
“Ms. LePique’s selection for this prestigious award sets her apart as a ‘staff-scholar’ who combines a traditional focus on supporting the writing mission of the department with her own, impressive scholarly contributions to visual arts journalism,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago. “This accomplishment is an outstanding example of our stellar staff within the College of Arts and Sciences and the incredible value of the arts, both at Loyola and in our broader community.”
As a staff member of the Department of English within the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, LePique’s time is split between supporting the daily operations of the department’s writing faculty and overseeing the MMLA’s peer-reviewed academic journal, planning for its upcoming member convention in November, and managing finances and member data.
When asked what drew her to Loyola, LePique explained, “I believe in the university’s commitment to helping students and giving back to our Chicago community and I’m invigorated by the MMLA’s dedication to emerging scholars in the humanities. Ultimately, I believe I can help others at Loyola. It's that desire to contribute to a common good that brought me here.”
As a visual arts journalist, LePique is an editor and writer at Sixty Inches from Center and New Art Examiner. Her writing has appeared in Art Review, Chicago Artist Writers, Chicago Reader, Eaten Magazine, NewCity, and Stillpoint Magazine, among others.
LePique’s professional and creative career in visual arts journalism is rooted in her education. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts from William Jewell College – with a stint at University of Oxford – LePique went on to pursue a Master of Arts in Art Theory, Criticism, and History from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Several years later she received her second Masters in the Humanities from the University of Chicago.
“Though writing about art began as an offshoot of the work I did in my first graduate program, it is also something I enjoy. I see art journalism, and art writing more broadly, as a space to experiment and think about the limits of language and feeling.”
Throughout her professional and creative careers, LePique cites mentorship as the crucial foundation supporting her creativity.
“As a student, I was painfully shy, and I am still a relatively quiet person. While my early reticence to speak up in the classroom or meetings has since diminished, my experiences have given me a deep appreciation for all the people in my life who took the time to encourage and teach me.”
One such person is Sarita Heer, PhD, Lecturer in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. LePique was Heer’s teaching assistant during her time at the SAIC.
“Dr. Heer was and is a phenomenal mentor who not only affirmed my ideas, but always encouraged me to speak my mind.”
LePique also made sure to highlight Jose Perez, Office Assistant and Web Content Manager in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, and Joshi Radin of the SAIC. “Both are phenomenal artists and have taught me so much about thinking about and making art throughout the years.”
Mentorship – whether being mentored or serving as a mentor to others, continues to inspire LePique’s self-expression and development as a visual arts journalist.
“I am a firm believer that we can all learn from one another.”
Learn more about LePique's award from the Dorothy and Leo Rabkin Foundation and her work with the MMLA at Loyola University Chicago.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”