The Nakane Aiko Scholarship is an endowed fellowship which honors Aiko Nakane, who delighted and nourished the imaginations of artists for three decades at her Chicago fine art paper and materials store, Aiko’s, which was located on North Clark Street in Lincoln Park. The Aiko Fellowship is given yearly to an MFA graduate student in the Book & Paper subdivision of the Interdisciplinary Arts Department in order to encourage artists, as Mrs. Nakane did for so many years.

This year’s juror was Mat Rappaport, Associate Professor in Columbia’s School of Media Arts. In selecting Alex’s work from many applicants, he said “Alex Borgen’s Lake Michigan project proposal clearly articulates the connection between content and methodology. Her project has the potential for significant artistic growth through field research and subjective personal experience.”

As newly elected secretary of Pulp, Ink, and Thread (the graduate student organization for Book and Paper MFAs) Alex has a leading role in the development of the Papermaker’s Garden Project. This recently approved College initiative, which will be located on Wabash Avenue just south of Harrison Street, is being developed this summer as a community and college collaboration. The garden site will be open for tours during the upcoming Manifest celebration. Alex and fellow Book and Paper MFAs will be on hand between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. to discuss construction and horticultural planning implications with visitors.