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July 14, 2021

Olympian professor chosen as artist-in-residence for Tokyo Games

Kelly Salchow MacArthur grew up loving art. She also loved athletics. Some told her she couldn’t do both. Salchow MacArthur set out to prove she could.

This determination led her down two different paths that eventually intersected. One path earned her two trips to the Olympics as a member of the 2000 and 2004 United States National Women’s Rowing Team, the other brought her to Michigan State University where she’s now a professor of graphic design in the Department of Art, Art History and Design.

This year, Salchow MacArthur’s seemingly incongruous passions have merged as she makes her third Olympic appearance, this time as an Olympian Artist-in-Residence with the 2020 Summer Olympic Games hosted by Tokyo.

“I’m completely thrilled. This is such a high point in my career, and one of the few times that my design and rowing have intersected so clearly,” Salchow MacArthur said. “It’s the perfect confluence of opportunities and a way to help tie our global community together.”

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Letters website.

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