Aya Nakamura is an artist and co-founder of the paper studio Switch Grass Paper. She holds a BA in Fine Arts and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has shown at venues in the United States and abroad, with recent shows at Circle Contemporary and 4th Ward Project Space in Chicago. Other venues include Western Exhibitions in Chicago, IL; Secrist Beach in Chicago, IL; the Hangar and Dawawine in Beirut, Lebanon; Monira Foundation in Jersey City, NJ; Heaven Gallery in Chicago, IL; and the Merwin Gallery at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL. She is the recipient of the DCASE Individual Artist Program from the City of Chicago, the Denbo Fellowship from Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and the George and Ann Siegel Fellowship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Nakamura is represented by Western Exhibitions and currently lives and works in Chicago.