Ada Cheng (USA)
Ada Cheng, Ph.D., is a playwright, solo performer, and educator based in Chicago. With a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin, she brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to her work. Ada is affiliated with the American Blues Theater and the Writer’s Incubator Program at Playground-Chicago. She has been recognized with multiple honors, including the 2021 Educator of the Year award by the 7th Congressional District’s MEATF and AMEC, and she is a current member of the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau.
Ada’s plays have been presented in prestigious festivals and stages, including the Mid-America Theatre Conference and LowellArts’ Playbytes festival. Her work has been published in various literary and dramatic journals, with titles like Confinement and Negotiation in Silk Road Review and Literature Today. She has also contributed to Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine and Et Tu, Brute?: An Anthology of One-Minute Plays. Ada’s short films, such as The Letter and A Letter to My Younger Self, highlight her versatility in multimedia storytelling.
Her book Standing Up: From Renegade Professor to Middle-Aged Comic reflects her journey from academia to performance art. She has participated in artist residencies, including ARTESUMAPA in Colombia and Chateau Orquevaux in France, expanding her creative horizons globally.
Madoka Chiba (Japan)
Madoka Chiba is a contemporary artist whose work explores the interplay of light, space, and natural elements. She graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2007, receiving the prestigious Salon de Printemps Prize and the Ikuo Hirayama Prize. Chiba continued her studies in sculpture at the university’s graduate program, completing her degree in 2009. That same year, she was awarded a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and pursued an exchange program at the Berlin University of the Arts, where she began her professional career as an artist.
Chiba has received notable recognition for her work, including the Bronze Prize and Jury Prize (awarded by Yasumasa Morimura) at the Maebashi Art Compe Live in 2011 and 2012, and the Grand Prize at the Art Award IN THE CUBE 2023. Her exhibitions span both solo and group shows, with highlights including Art Award IN THE CUBE 2023 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Gifu, TOKACHIDAKE at the Furano City Museum, and 12th Extreme Cold Festival at the Yuki-Mori Outside Museum in Teshikaga.
Her artist residencies include the 12th Extreme Cold Festival in Teshikaga (2022), YUI-PORT in Niigata (2020), and Listhus in Ólafsfjördur, Iceland (2016). Chiba’s works have been showcased across Japan, Europe, and beyond.
