Fine Arts 2D Faculty & Department Administrators
MassArt alumnus Sean Walker, BFA ’96, has turned his passion for art and the night sky into a career that now includes an asteroid named in his honor.
MassArt Alumnus and Astrophotographer, Sean Walker, BFA '96
Written by Rachael Dubinsky
MassArt alumnus and astrophotographer, Sean Walker, BFA ‘96 (Painting), has always been fascinated by the night sky. This wonderment has evolved into a career that bridges the worlds of art, science, and storytelling. Recently, Sean had an asteroid officially named after him by the International Astronomical Union, honoring his lasting accomplishments as an artist and astrophotographer.
We caught up with Sean, an associate editor at Sky & Telescope Magazine, to learn how his foundation in visual arts led to a life spent capturing the cosmos.
How did you first get interested in astrophotography?
I have always been drawn to astronomy. My mother had a telescope and would show my brothers and me the planets when we were kids growing up in the 1970s, and we watched Carl Sagan’s COSMOS in the early 1980’s.
For me, the real turning point came in 1994 when comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter. Watching those images unfold just blew my mind. It made me really want to learn how to take pictures of objects in the night sky, so I bought a book and taught myself how to shoot the stars. The wisps of nebulosity in our Milky Way remind me a bit of action painting, but on a celestial scale.
What types of art do you draw inspiration from?
It depends on what I’m working on, but I’ve always had a deep admiration for abstract expressionists like de Kooning and Clyfford Still. At the same time, I’m really drawn to photographers like Ansel Adams, Man Ray, and even E.E. Barnard. When focusing on the landscape, I often consider the light in Edward Hopper works.
What do you do as an associate editor of Sky & Telescope Magazine?
I wear a lot of hats. I assign and edit articles from contributing authors, write pieces myself—especially on astrophotography techniques—and manage our equipment reviews. I also get to lead astronomical tours to view events like total solar eclipses. I’ve had the privilege of seeing and photographing three total eclipses so far.
Photograph of a total solar eclipse. Photo by Sean Walker
How has your MassArt experience helped to shape your career path?
MassArt taught me how to chart my own course—both in life and in my career. It gave me the tools to recognize opportunities when they came along and the confidence to pursue them.
I actually started out at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, but transferred to MassArt because I felt the program was a better fit for my interests and where I wanted to go creatively.
While I was at MassArt, I had the chance to study with Jon Imber—an artist I deeply admired—and Ben Blum, who encouraged my growing interest in astronomy. I worked my way through school in various part-time jobs in the area including working at the photo lab Ferranti-Dege in Harvard Square, and also taking slides of fellow artists’ work for their portfolios. I also worked at the Audio/Visual department at Harvard University’s Science Center, where I would shoot 35-mm slides of the pages of Sky & Telescope for the lectures by historian of astronomy Owen Gingerich.
Eclipse Chaser, Oil on Canvas. Courtesy of Sean Walker.
Image courtesy of Sean Walker.
Tell us about the MDW Sky Survey.
The MDW Sky Survey (mdwskysurvey.org) is a project I co-founded with my friends David Mittelman and Dennis di Cicco. Our goal was to create a detailed map of the entire sky in hydrogen-alpha—this very specific red wavelength where neutral hydrogen gas glows. That gas is one of the building blocks of stars and galaxies, so it’s foundational to understanding how the universe evolves.
We realized there isn’t a good map of this faint nebulosity freely available to the public, so we set out to make one. MDW comes from our last name initials. The project aims to image the sky at fairly high resolution, dividing up the sky into 4,120 individual fields. As we accumulated images, I stitched them together and published large mosaics of these nebulous areas on our website. These images gained the attention of the professional astronomy community, and has since led to several discoveries of previously unknown objects in our galaxy. We’ve in recent years partnered with Columbia University’s Astronomy department to publish papers and share our data more broadly. We began the project in May 2016, and completed some 80% of the sky by late 2022. Around that time, we shipped a telescope to Chile in order to image the part of the sky that never rises above the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere. We are nearing completion of the main data collection and intend to assemble the images into a massive, high-resolution image of the entire sky, which will likely be incorporated into many planetarium apps.
What does it feel like to have an asteroid named after you?
It’s pretty surreal to say I have an asteroid officially named after me – 13623 Seanwalker – a hunk of rock that will far outlive me. It’s like a sort of immortality, in a way. Only about 15,000 asteroids are named so far. My colleague Dennis di Cicco, a pioneer of astrophotography techniques himself, discovered the asteroid back in the mid-1990s. It certainly helps to know someone who has discovered these space rocks.
How does one build their own observatory?
The “easiest” version is like building a big shed or studio, with the added complexity of having to make the roof roll off in order to permit a permanently-mounted telescope to see the sky. Think big wheels, iron rails, and winches. When I built mine a few years ago, the building inspector was rather baffled as to how I was going to accomplish it (“How is the roof going to stay on?”) but in the end he signed off on it. He was also suspicious as to why I didn’t want any windows (it’s so the neighbor’s porch light isn’t shining on the scope or in my eyes when using the scope). The sign on the door of mine greets visitors with “Wilkommen in der Dunkelheit” which means welcome to the darkness in German.
What advice would you give to students today who are hoping to carve out their own space in a creative career?
Stay curious. Stay focused. And don’t be afraid to try new things.
Brett Poza returned to MassArt to pursue an MFA at 60—bringing with her decades of experience as an art therapist and a lifelong commitment to storytelling.
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MassArt alum Nancy Callan returns with Blown Away judge Katherine Gray, showcasing collaborative glassblowing and inspiring students through hands-on demonstration and mentorship.
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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has designated asteroid 1995 TD in honor of longtime Sky & Telescope editor and MassArt alumnus Sean Walker, BFA ’96 (Painting), naming it 13623 Seanwalker.
“In addition to noting Sean’s work at the magazine, the IAU also noted that Sean is an “accomplished American artist” – having seen his painting firsthand, I can definitely vouch for that. And for those of you familiar with the work he has done at Sky & Telescope over the past couple of decades, you’ll know he’s an incredibly accomplished astrophotographer.
“Sean was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. But astronomy has always been a part of his life — his mother had a telescope and showed views of the planets to a young Sean and his three brothers.
“While Sean was in college, one of the ways he supplemented his income was by taking slides of fellow artists’ work for their portfolios. In so doing, he learned the ins-and-outs of photography. Another side gig was working in the Audio/Visual department at Harvard University’s Science Center, where among his duties Sean would shoot 35-mm slides of the pages of Sky & Telescope for the lectures by historian of astronomy Owen Gingerich. After completing the work for Gingerich, Sean would then devour the pages of the magazine. Both side gigs set the stage for his future career.”
MassArt student, Gabriela Moreno, BFA ’25, was recently selected by GBH’s Community Canvas for her mural reflecting everyday life in El Salvador.
“El Salvador is a beautiful country that my family is from,” Moreno says. “As a first generation Salvadoran American, I want to represent my culture but also bring the Latin American community together.”
See more of Moreno’s work on Instagram @gabrielamomo_
MassArt Painting Student Colomba Klenner (BFA ’25) was featured on GBH’s Community Canvas digital mural on March 5, 2025.
Klenner’s mural is a visual exploration of the interconnectedness in life, highlighting both the ecological significance of bees and the essential nature of human empathy.
“The anatomical heart, filled with blooming flowers and buzzing bees, represents the potential for growth and transformation when we allow ourselves to be open to connection,” Klenner says. “Just as bees pollinate flowers, we must cultivate empathy within our hearts, fostering an environment where kindness and understanding can thrive.”
She was born in Santiago, Chile and spent a large amount of time in Singapore before settling in Boston to pursue her career.
See more of her work on Instagram @mysticlovestudio and colombaklennerartist.myportfolio.com.
“In the joyous and ebullient department are the colorful paintings of Kayla Mohammadi (some of her recent, and best, work) and Charlie Hewitt’s light sculptures (an appropriate greeting for visitors in the gallery’s glass-walled conference room). ”
