Rate My Professor Michael Hirshon

Michael Hirshon is an Assistant Professor of Illustration and Area Head of the Illustration emphasis in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of Utah's College of Fine Arts. He earned a BFA in Visual Communication and Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Prior to his academic appointment, Hirshon worked for over a decade as a freelance illustrator, collaborating with high-profile clients such as The New York Times, HarperCollins Publishers, Amazon, The Washington Post, Forbes, American Express, and The Atlantic. His commercial projects have included packaging for a dog toy company, a taco truck chef’s cookbook, wraps for a city bus, a dating coach’s graphic memoir, a US Senate campaign, and murals in a daycare in Pakistan. These diverse endeavors highlight his enthusiasm for unusual avenues of visual storytelling.

In addition to client work, Hirshon maintains a personal practice of on-location sketching during extensive travels, using drawing to explore cultural differences, anxieties, and unfamiliar sensations. His illustrations have earned recognition from the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Spectrum, CMYK, and 3x3. At the University of Utah, he teaches courses including Illustration: World and Voice (ART 4050) and Illustration Capstone (ART 4400), weaving illustration-specific skills with broader art curricula to develop students' abilities in narrative techniques, concept development, digital and traditional methods, and industry practices. In 2025, Hirshon received the College of Fine Arts Faculty Excellence Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has participated in exhibitions such as DesignArts Utah '21 with his card game The Imposter Kings, the Salt Lake Design AIGA 100 Show where he earned third runner-up for a poster, Space Maker, and Relative Truths. As Tenure/Tenure-Line Representative for Art & Art History on the College Council, he contributes to departmental leadership and has played a key role in revitalizing the Illustration program.