The Alfred University School of Art & Design welcomes Katrin Laade, who will serve as Theodore Randall International Chair in Painting during the spring 2026 semester.
The Theodore Randall Chair was established in 2007 to honor the legacy of artist and educator Theodore Randall, remembered as the architect of the School of Art and Design at Alfred University and as a significant artist and organizer in the field. The Randall Chair is open to established, international artists who bring diverse cultural insight by virtue of their stature as experienced artists. The chair rotates each semester through the divisions within the school.
Laade lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany, where she has regularly worked with students pursuing Master of Fine Arts degrees. Since 2018, Alfred University’s School of Art & Design has offered M.F.A. degrees in painting at its studio facility in Düsseldorf.
She is a graduate of the Düsseldorf Kunstakademie and De Ateliers in the Netherlands. Her work has been widely exhibited internationally with a recent solo exhibition and published catalog at the Kunstverein in Leverkusen, Germany. Numerous exhibitions include Gallery Kunstraum 21, Bonn; Die Grosse at Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf; Bunker k101, Köln; and Red Head Gallery in Toronto, Canada among many others. Laade is a member of the artist run space Produzentengalerie plan. d. in Düsseldorf.
In addition to teaching in the MFA program at Alfred University, Laade’s previous teaching experience includes Universität Essen/ Duisburg and Folkwang Hochschule, Essen. Her work moves within the spectrum of abstract painting and is based on photographs of real circumstances, social/political/ or natural events, which are painted as an informal, abstracted structure. The pictorial space is built through layers of color forms, which are masked and painted in intermediate, broken colors. Foreground interlocks with middle and background while unexpected pictorial spaces, vistas and color forms emerge. Often utilizing cut and sewn fabric in her most recent work, the colors and structures of the fabric panels offer a new framework for exploration.
While at Alfred, Laade will collaborate with Stephanie McMahon, professor of painting, to teach a special topics class, “Colorforms: Color Constructs in Abstract Painting,” in addition to working informally with seniors and graduate students. She will give a presentation on her work at the Bergren Forum on February 19, 2026.
Lauren Lake, dean of the School of Art & Design/Performing Arts Division, thanked Alfred University alumnus Marlin Miller ’54, H ’89, H ’19 for his philanthropy in support of the Randall International Chair program. Miller, one of Alfred University’s most generous supporters, was a member of Alfred University’s Board of Trustees for a half-century, from 1972-2022, and is Board Chair emeritus.
“The School of Art & Design is deeply grateful to Marlin Miller for his generous support of the Theodore Randall International Chair program,” Lake said. “This program aligns strongly with Alfred University’s three strategic pillars: Intersections, Belonging, and Mentorship. We look forward to Katrin's meaningful impact on our campus community.”
