David Noel
First-Year MFA Candidate
David Noel combines his perspective as a transracial adoptee with his experience in the military to investigate the effects of war and how we view the other. His practice is informed by an immutable obsession with American identity, political theory, and cultural icons—using material, process, and context to construct meaning. Recurrent themes include contemporary Orientalism, Islamophobia, and American militarism.
Born in Seoul, Korea, Noel was raised by his adoptive parents in Huntington, WV where he became hyperaware of identity and tribalism. In 2011, he joined the U.S. Army as an Infantryman where he deployed to Afghanistan as part of an International Security Assistance Force. Living and working with Afghans reinforced his commitment to understanding sociopolitical issues in order to create meaningful exchange.
David received his BA from Marshall University and is currently an MFA candidate at Carnegie Mellon. Recent projects focus on rural poverty and Appalachian identity.
