Professor Genaro Solis Rivero’s Work Receives International Recognition

May 22, 2026

UnMuted100

Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Art Genaro Solis Rivero in being honored and included in the prestigious UnMuted 100! Solis Rivero had three posters selected out of 375 entries by designers worldwide. Only 100 works are featured in the dedicated Graphis collection and printed catalog. The UnMuted 100 is a prestigious international collection curated by Graphis that brought together some of the world’s most sophisticated creative voices, such as Arnaud Ghelfi (Atelier Starno), Craig Frazier, Chris Hill, Kit Hinrichs, Michael Pantuso, and Michael Schwab, responding to urgent global challenges through design.

UnMuted serves as a premier global stage where leading practitioners demonstrate exceptional use of visual language to engage complex social, political, and environmental issues—from regional conflict and constraints on personal freedom to environmental degradation, famine, and the evolving impact of artificial intelligence.

These three posters were developed through an intensive, independent collaboration with longtime colleagues outside the Department of Art & Art History. Solis Rivero and his friends, Jeffrey Davis and William Meek, submitted 20 posters. The selected work reflects both the rigor of professional design practice and the enduring value of dialogue, critique, and shared authorship. Chosen by an internationally distinguished jury, this recognition underscores the critical role of collaboration as both a mode of inquiry and a defining principle of contemporary design. Solis Rivero’s main role in the Fabric of a Great Nation poster was as an illustrator and graphic designer, while in the other selected posters, Family Pack and Connect-the-Dots Guns, he served in art direction and concept development.

“Graphic design, while rooted in artistic knowledge and sometimes natural talent, is not fine art created by a single individual in solitude. It is inherently collaborative. In practice, designers work alongside art directors, typographers, illustrators, copywriters, photographers, stylists, and many others. Powerful, memorable design outcomes are rarely achieved alone. Even a simple What do you think? reflects a culture of shared resources, critique, and questioning—all in service of strengthening the work. ” —Genaro Solis Rivero

In an especially exciting extension of this recognition, two of Professor Solis Rivero’s students from his Fall 2025 Digital Imaging course were also honored in the UnMuted 100 competition. Lily Asher’s The Cost of Bleeding and Ella Sparks’ Designed to Distract posters were among the 11 works selected from 72 student entries worldwide. This distinction highlights the strength of the department’s commitment to fostering critical thinking and design excellence, demonstrating how classroom inquiry translates into impactful, globally recognized work.

“Being recognized by creative leaders and designers I admire is a great achievement, but being recognized alongside my students is beyond words.”

These collections of posters were curated by a global assembly of acclaimed creative leaders.

Jury Chair: Kit Hinrichs
The Panel: Balbusso Twins, Steff Geissbuhler, Huang Hai, Carmit Haller, Fons Hickmann, Anita Kunz, Jean-Benoît Levy, Hugh Miller, and Ariane Spanier.

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