2D, 3D, Textiles and Moore at Art College Senior Show - P.A.W. Print

Senior Pauline Mariano is a non-traditional student, a wife and a homemaker with two children, who decided in her late forties to build upon traditional arts she practiced in her home in an academic setting. She applied the same artistry used in sewing, embroidery, and crafts to techniques in painting and photography at Moore College of Art and Design. She has since been reworking feminist themes and ideas in paintings and photography.

In her last semester, she worked with advisor Jessica Smith, an adjunct professor in textiles, to tackle a completely new medium: silk. Mariano wanted to incorporate sewing and embroidery onto canvas paintings of brightly colored forms representing the female body. However, she found it difficult to stitch into the hard, tight material. She began dying fabrics such as cottons and muslins, and later found, through a process of trial and error, success using dye on silk, followed by a process of rinsing and steaming the fabric and using a wax resist to control the medium. She could then stitch a metallic embroidery thread into the silk and attach the silk to the canvas.

"Textile wasn't really my department, but I fell into it," Mariano said. "This has been a huge experiment for me, exploring shapes, space, and lines on silk."

After just one semester of working with a new medium and an unfamiliar, complex technique, four of Mariano's untitled pieces were displayed at Moore's Senior Show.


by 2D Fine Arts major/Photography minor Pauline Mariano

The Senior Show, on exhibit between April 29 and May 16, displayed original work by graduating seniors from all departments, including fine art, illustration, graphic design, textiles, and interior design. The showcase is a culmination of all undergraduate work accomplished and brings together the theses of 93 graduating seniors.

"I imagine any body of work is an evolution from your past experience," says 2D artist Michelle Posadas. "If you look at my slides over the past years, there is little visual connection, but certainly my concepts have been considered over and over again."

Posadas has made her work about social issues, as well as the effect of society on the individual. Her senior exhibit explored the American family and its relationship to media and politics. She placed a series of photographs capturing relationships between family members-a mother, a father, and a daughter-in areas of the home, such as the bathroom, hallway, or kitchen. The characters in the photographs are real people wearing oversized heads sculpted from cardboard, newspaper, masking tape, paper maché, and acrylic paint. The forms are worn on the body like a mask and create what Posadas hopes are images that are "subtle, quiet, sincere, while powerful in content."

The student exhibit carries with it a high level of professionalism that is important for seniors making the transition from academic to professional careers. Several hundred people attended the opening reception on May 16, including regional artists and gallery representatives, who came to witness the progress and maturity of Moore's graduates.

According to Phyllis Mufson, director of Moore's Locks Career Center and planner of the event for the past four years, the exhibition increases in activity each year. "Many different audiences attend the opening, making it lively and exciting," she said. The opening featured the informal modeling of students' fashion designs and the sale of student artwork.


	by 3D Fine Arts major Michelle Posadas

Mariano, for example, sold her silk painting with metallic embroidery. It was also an excellent opportunity for her to discuss her work publicly, she said.

Students not only created original artwork for the exhibit, but also completed their own space planning and installation. Serenity Santos, a ceramic artist in the 3D fine arts department, crafted extremely sophisticated porcelain shelves to display her collection of porcelain pieces in the exhibit. Posadas invited viewers into the images of a dysfunctional family by placing a couch across from a coffee table containing a family photo album. Interior design projects included thoughtfully laid-out museums, restaurants, hotels, and healthcare centers, consisting of floor plans, 3-D models, textile displays, and even a computer rendering by senior Maria Giouzelis. Designer Samantha Smith enticed viewers with refreshing ideas for "Eyecandy," a full-service salon and spa, by displaying plans and materials against the backdrop of a pure white shower curtain and muted tiles, complete with a soap fixture turned business cardholder. And perhaps the most intricate interior design project was Sara Ford's Hotel Maldador, for which she took home the Shirley Vernon Award for Interior Design.

Other awards were presented to students during a senior dinner. Prizes went to Laura Weber, winner of The Shirley Vernon Award's honorable mention; Eileen Moore, recipient of the Rohm and Haas Fine Arts Award; and Amy Stephenson, recipient of the Annual Women's Caucus for Art Emerging Artist Award for her childlike multi media pieces. The Women's Caucus also granted Laurie Troppito a second prize. Mary Peterson won an illustration award and Jannell Wysock won an award in textiles, while Trinh Loi, Laura Rifkin, and Lauren Frysinger all took home awards in graphic design.

"All of the students were very supportive of each other," Mufson said. "During the ceremony, people were cheering and were very wild. There was a lot of energy surrounding the graduation."


by Textile Design major Janell Wysock

According to Mufson, a former textile artist with a masters degree in Creative Arts from San Francisco Art Institute, the seniors are a very talented group with the resources to become successful artists. She said a high percentage of Moore's students go into business for themselves. Career workshops, job postings, and a solid internship program also help Moore graduates use their skills out in the world. With the help of the Richard C. von Hess Fellowship and Scholarship-which provides a senior one year's tuition, living expenses, transportation, supplies, and a $5,000 traveling fellowship, Michelle Posadas will embark on a tour of Europe after graduation to investigate the long history of puppetry embedded in the culture's folklore. Many other students will find connections to Moore's strong alumni community, with 7,000-10,000 alums living in the area.

Moore is the only women's visual arts college in the nation, making it an important voice in the arts community. Seniors bonded during the exhibition and graduation festivities, celebrating their accomplishments and hard work.

"It was wonderful to see the evolution that my classmates and I have made," said Posadas.

Mariano added that she was thrilled to be part of the class of 2004. "They are wonderful artists and fabulous women," she said.

The closing reception of the Senior Show took place on Sunday, May 16. The work has been removed from Moore's galleries, but will be displayed online in August. Visitors will be able to access the virtual exhibit by clicking on a link at www.moore.edu/locks/lockspg.html.