Co-President

Bhagya Ajaikumar is an artist, professor and art administrator based in India and the United States. She is a Visiting Faculty at the Department of Visual Arts at Bangalore University. Ms. Ajaikumar has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa. Being a Board Member of Terrain Exhibitions, she has invited artists from India and the US to participate in the Terrain Biennial 2021.

She is the Founder Director of the Swasti Contemporary Art Gallery in Bangalore housed in an Oncology Center. Ms. Ajaikumar and her husband Dr. B.S. Ajaikumar, Chairman of HCG Group of Hospitals and as Directors of Bharath Hospital & Institute of Oncology in Mysore, established the International Human Development Upliftment Academy (IHDUA), an NGO since 1993, with a vision to provide education and empowerment programs for rural women and children.

bhagyaajaikumar.com | @bhagyaajaikumar

Treasurer

Tom Burtonwood (b. United Kingdom) is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist, curator and educator and Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Through sculpture, drawing and video Burtonwood explores patterns, systems and mechanisms. He/they hold an MFA from Southern Illinois University (USA) and a BA from Loughborough College of Art (UK). Burtonwood is co-founder of Chicago based creative studio, Happy Returns and a member of the international art collective videokaffe. He/they have curated over twenty exhibitions of contemporary art working with Chicago-based artist-run galleries GARDENfresh (2002 - 2009) and What It Is (2010 - 2015). Recent venues presenting Burtonwood's work include The Donut Shop, Chicago; Bert Green Fine Art, Chicago; DesignLab Gallery, Pasadena, CA; Dock 6, Chicago, IL; Monaco, St. Louis, MO; Platform, Evanston; Riverside Art Center, Riverside, IL; CICA Museum Gyeonggi-do, Korea; DEMO Project, Springfield, IL; Terrain Biennial 2017, Oak Park, IL.

tomburtonwood.com | @tomburtonwood

Born and raised in “DC proper,” A.J. McClenon studied art and creative writing at the University of Maryland, College Park, and The New School prior to receiving a Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2014. Alongside artistic experiences, A.J. is passionate about teaching and community collaborations with the goal that all the memories and histories that are said to have “too many Black people,” are told and retold again. As a means to uphold these stories A.J. creates writings, performances, installations, objects, sounds, and visuals. These creations often revolve around an interest in water and aquatic life, escapism, Blackness, science, grief, US history, and the global future. A.J. is deeply invested in leveling the hierarchies of truth and using personal narrative to speak on political and cultural amnesia and their absurdities. A.J. currently works and lives in Chicago.

ajmcclenon.com | @middlenamejanae

Co-President

Tallulah Cartalucca is an artist, writer, educator, arts administrator, and tree lover from Chicago, IL. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fibers and Material Studies and Visual Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2023. Tallulah currently works as a teacher and the assistant to the director of youth programs at Lillstreet Art Center. The neighborly spirit of Chicago inspires her to foster connections and strengthen bonds between artists and their communities. She curated Overstreet Art+Music (2022), and has recent work shown with Roman Susan, Abracadabra Press, Propagate Cooperative, No Nation Art Lab, SITE Galleries, SAIC Galleries, Lillstreet Art Center, and 21Minus at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

tallulahcartalucca.com | @tallulahcartalucca

Development Committee Chair

Erica (she/her) was an admirer of Terrain for years before getting involved with the Development committee in 2022. Terrain's ethos of increasing accessibility of art and fostering creativity in communities is close to her heart. A Speech-Language Pathologist by trade, Erica also serves as the President of a nonprofit, CAYR Connections, which aims to provide neuro-affirming resources to individuals and families in the Chicago area. Erica lives in Oak Park with her husband, Cody, and their goofy Greyhound mix, Bowie.

Eaghan Davis brings a unique perspective to Terrain Exhibitions' mission of radical decentralization through his work as a civil justice advocate and class action attorney at DiCello Levitt LLP in Chicago, Illinois. His career has focused on democratizing access to justice and empowering individuals to challenge institutional power, paralleling Terrain's vision of bringing art beyond traditional privileged spaces.