Betelhem Makonnen

Betelhem Makonnen passed away on July 15, 2026, surrounded by loved ones in Austin, Texas after a hard-fought battle with colorectal cancer. She is survived by daughter Gaelila, son Yared, husband, Sean McKaughan, as well as by her extensive family of brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, and the many communities of friends and colleagues she nurtured. Bete was born in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia on July 26, 1972 to parents Captain Makonnen Berhe and Demeketch Aliyu. At the age of 10, she immigrated to the United States with her brothers in the wake of repression and war in her home country, living first in California and then Texas. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and a BA in History and Literature of the African Diaspora from UT Austin. In addition to her art practice, she served as part-time faculty at SAIC, co-organized Addis Video Art Festival, a platform for video art in Ethiopia, and was a co-founding member of the Austin-based arts collectives Icosa and Black Mountain Project. Bete was committed to possibility. Within her practice of photography, video, installation, and public art she translated a life of constant change and contradiction into an expansive body of work on memory, perception, place, and time. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including The Contemporary Austin, The Philbrook Museum of Art, Le Musée des Abattoirs, the Visual Arts Center at the UT Austin, Artpace, Women & Their Work, The Carver Museum, Centro Cultural do Brasil RJ, and A Gentil Carioca Gallery. Her performances and screenings have been presented at The Blanton Museum, The Museum of Human Achievement, ART X Lagos, DakArt Off Senegal and Casa Daros Rio. She has been featured in books and numerous publications. Bete also became a cherished mentor to dozens of artists. Bete was an artist, a curator, an educator, a chef, a caterer, a bookseller, a mother. She created community wherever she went. As anyone who has had the privilege of conversation with her knows, she was curious, perceptive, and immensely loving. She was passionate about creating space for exchange and collaboration, whether it was through her art or the food she prepared. She knit people together everywhere she lived, from Addis Abeba to Arlington, Austin to Miami, New York to Rio de Janeiro and Chicago. She will be missed deeply by all who knew her. We are thankful to have shared unforgettable moments in her company. Betelhem was a radiant soul whose light will keep shining brightly in all of us who loved her. More about Bete’s work and art: betelhemmakonnen.com

Betelhem Makonnen

July 26, 1972 - July 15, 2026