MFA-IVC Thesis Research and Production Grants awarded

Charlie Hoppe, Lena Humble, and Manimanjari Sengupta have been selected as recipients of the 2025 MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture’s thesis production grants. Each student will receive $500 for the development of creative work for their graduate thesis, with funding going towards materials or facilities not available or accessible in the ordinary course of student work.

Hoppe’s project is a graphic novel adaptation of an original Dungeons and Dragons campaign, “City of Fire,” played through voice calls with friends across the country. By challenging his skills in this longform project, Hoppe aims to prepare himself for professional collaboration with graphic novel authors.

Humble’s graphic novel, “Frances and the Sugar Scouts,” follows its protagonist as she balances newfound magical powers while holding on to her sense of self and responsibilities. The grant will allow Humble to produce physical books and begin to bridge the gap in the magical girl genre for adult readers.

Sengupta’s graphic memoir traces the artist’s personal trajectory surviving childhood sexual abuse and navigating boundaries, consent, gray areas, and power dynamics in post-trauma intimacy.