Ellipses: MassArt Alumni Works in 3D by Massachusetts College of Art and Design Graduate Programs

ELLIPSES MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

ALUMNI WORKS IN 3D

CONTENTS ELIZABETH ALEXANDER 2 JUAN BARBOZA-GUBO 6 MALLORY BIGGINS 10 KEITH CERONE 12 NICOLE CHESNEY 16 ANTONY DODDS 20 STEVEN HASZONICS 24 ARTHUR HENDERSON 28 SIDNEY HUTTER 32 JANET KAWADA 36 CAILIGH MACDONALD 38 CAITLYN MARSH 42 JULIE MARTINI 46 SALLY MOORE 50 ABIGAIL NEWBOLD 52 JUDY PEARSON-WRIGHT 56 ALIA PIALTOS 60 ERIN RILEY 64 ISABEL RILEY 68 SEAN RILEY 70 STELL SHEVIS 72 CATERINA URRATA 74 FLOOR VAN DE VELDE

EVAN VOELBEL 82 ANDY ZIMMERMANN 86

ELLIPSES: ALUMNI WORKS IN 3D SANDRA AND DAVID BAKALAR GALLERY

JUNE 10 - JULY 13, 2013

Ellipses: Alumni Works in 3D is the second biennial juried alumni exhibition to be held at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Showcasing the breadth of talent and excellence embodied by MassArt’s alumni, Ellipses features the work of twenty-five artists and encompasses a range of three-dimensional disciplines, including sculpture, glass, site-specific installation, ceramics, fibers, and more. Spanning multiple generations of alumni, the exhibition highlights the work of practicing artists with graduation years from 1937-2012. In its 139-year history, MassArt has granted degrees to notable alumni, including Shelby Lee Adams (’89), Brian Collins (’82), Robert Cumming (’65), Sam Durant (’86), Christian Marclay (’80), Richard Phillips (’84), Jack Pierson (’84), Ellen Rothenberg (’78), Glen Seator (’84), May Stevens (’46), William Wegman (’65), and Jackie Winsor (’65). With more than 18,000 living across the globe, MassArt alumni can be found in almost every corner of the art and design world. They are Fulbright scholars, Oscar-winners, and Guggenheim fellows. MassArt alumni exhibit work in world-renowned museums and galleries, but they are also the quiet genius behind things we see every day, like blenders and Windex. They train the artists of tomorrow in elementary and secondary schools, as well as at colleges and universities across the country. Their contributions are significant and broad, and we are proud to have the opportunity to exhibit this small but exciting segment of their work at the college. MassArt was honored to have Dan Dailey, Professor Emeritus and founder of the glass program at MassArt; Chris Rifkin, Founding Chair of CRAFTBOSTON; and Emily Zilber, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s first Ronald L. and Anita C. Wornick Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts; to serve as our selection committee.

MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

ELIZABETH ALEXANDER BFA SCULPTURE, 2004

I create mixed media installations, sculpture, photography, and works on paper to challenge the convention and stereotype of gender and occupation. I choose images, materials, and found objects to symbolize different parts of my own physical, historical, and emotional identity as a working-class woman. The application or removal of decoration from an object or space affects its function and character. The decoration, often floral, is a stand-in for delicacy, femininity, cultivation, indulgence, and beauty, and acts differently when it is removed from a porcelain teacup or added to a tool. When added, the presence of decoration projects desire, prosperity, and escapism onto proverbial objects and places that are often overlooked. When removed, the absence of decoration signifies loss, vulnerability, and a leveling of perceived unreachable places. Regardless, the true nature of these objects, spaces, or images becomes out of place, uncanny, or surreal: tools are too delicate to use, the comfort of domestic space is alien, and working-class symbols are objects of desire. The chosen object, image, or space is deconstructed, reconstructed, concealed, or exposed to become a version of itself that is different, hidden, or exaggerated.

Elizabeth Alexander Keeping Up Appearances no. 1, mixed media, 11’ x 12’ x 8.5’, 2008 Installation at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Courtesy of the artist

Elizabeth Alexander Keeping Up Appearances no. 2, wallpaper, trim, sound, glue, 30’ x 11’ x 15’, 2011 Installation in Home Sweet Home at the Montserrat Gallery, Sound by: the Inevitable Minor Fires Courtesy of the artist

Elizabeth Alexander Keeping Up Appearances no. 2 (detail), wallpaper, glue, 8.5â&#x20AC;&#x2122; x 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, 2011 Installation detail from Home Sweet Home at the Montserrat Gallery Courtesy of the artist

JUAN BARBOZA-GUBO BFA SCULPTURE, 2008 barboza-gubo.com As an artist, I have been constantly searching for visual vehicles to represent my understanding of life as a path and a continuous process of self-actualization. I use the human figure as a totemic element of emotion, in many cases, under the cloak of ambiguous religious imagery. I present contemporary baroque landscapes and characters that float through a violent, active, and unstable universe that represent my sub-consciousness. Often, I use animalistic imagery to exemplify the duality of a pure soul on one hand, and human affliction on the other. Human-Deer is the main character for this series as it personifies the idea of struggle and torture on the path to self-fulfillment, offering a historical milestone and a thread that links ancient times with contemporary culture. While I internalize and reflect on my life experiences, I also attempt to confront and contrast both life and the harsh reality of my mortal self with the pure and real side of my soul. Through this process, I create a visceral expression of the cathartic and often painful experience of living as a journey from an initial state of “not being” to a final equilibrium state of truly “being.”

Juan Barboza-Gubo Cruor, cast crystal, 6.5” x 11” x 9”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

Juan Barboza-Gubo Proelium #1, cast aluminum and clear crystal, 18” x 22” x 26”, 2011 RIGHT: Juan Barboza-Gubo Cervus- Purificatio, cast aluminum, granite tomb stone, 70” x 64” x 32”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

MALLORY BIGGINS BFA FIBERS, 2010 malloryapril.com My current body of work is a material investigation into the ways women hold both a domestic touch and the ferocious potential for large-scale change. I’ve amplified the voices of activist icons into loud, bright pieces of fiber work buzzing with kinetic energy. Humbly functional objects emblazoned with provocative slogans and aggressive speech illustrate the way a womens’ domestic identity is so often mismatched with her desire to be an agent of change. To snuggle up beneath a quilt loudly displaying Mother Jones’ rallying cry is to illustrate the mysterious dichotomy of womanhood; that we are both the menders of stitched seams, and simultaneously the swift, fierce hands that shred them apart.

Mallory Biggins Pray for the Dead, hand quilted cotton quilt, 5’ x 5’, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

KEITH CERONE BFA GLASS, 2006

The damage caused and the energy released when the 2300 degree glass meets the prepared wooden molds acts as a fast-forward button for the aging process that time has on objects. In this way I use glass more as a tool than an artistic medium. The consequent destruction is not meant to remind us of our own mortality; rather, my main purpose in this work is to portray my obsession with the allusive power and spiritual resonance of an historical artifact. I rely on the activated energy within the neon to act as a metaphor for the aura that surrounds ancient objects.

Keith Cerone Façade, white kiln cast glass, neon, burnt, pine, 2’ 8” x 2’ 8” x 5”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Keith Cerone Continuum, neon, burnt pine, 3’ x 3’ x 5”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Keith Cerone Limbus, white kiln cast glass, neon, burnt pine, 2’ 8” x 2’ 8” x 5”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

NICOLE CHESNEY BFA GLASS, 1997 nicolechesney.com Warm breadth on cool glass, the play of cast shadows and light on a wall, falling feathers, a whisper—mysterious, gentle signs of life that evoke visceral, emotive responses. My work explores the relationship between light, space, visual perception, and imagination conjuring these subtle, often unnoticed aspects of our world. Created from layers of oil paint on etched, mirrored glass, my paintings envelope viewers in a seductive, mysterious space. Their constantly changing mirrored surfaces make each visual encounter unique and ephemeral. For those that stay, look, and linger, the works slowly, subtly reveal new facets of themselves. Viewers see a faint outline of themselves—a dark reflection that varies with the changing light and shade of oil pigment. Mirrors represent the human desire to see and reflect that which is desired. In this light, my paintings reflect back to the viewer their own imagined space—a desirous, inner landscape or an unknowable, future dreamscape. While I take influence from various artists associated with Abstract Expressionism, my work in many ways reacts against the noisy, boisterous paintings championed by the protagonists of that movement. Rather, my work explores and in turn champions the understated, ephemeral aspects of our world—whispers, innuendo, and intimacy—and offers a space for their contemplation.

Nicole Chesney Quell 2, oil on acid-etched and mirrored glass, 36” x 54” x 1”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

Nicole Chesney Arise, oil on acid-etched and mirrored glass, 48” x 44” x 1”, 2010 Courtesy of the artist

Nicole Chesney Vestige, oil on acid-etched and mirrored glass, 25” x 31” x 1”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

ANTONY DODDS BFA PAINTING, 1995 doddsantony.com â&#x20AC;&#x153;When two objects are brought together, no matter how apart their original contexts may be, a relationship is always formed,â&#x20AC;? writes Simon Sadler in The Situationist City. This is a statement with which I strongly identify. It describes how I approach artwork by cultivating new ideas through a mixture of unrelated objects, techniques and materials, employing signs and symbols to create a discourse between imagery and concept. I prefer the adaptability of mixed media because I can create new outcomes to the themes of abstraction and representation. Through my work I reflect on my surroundings, experiences and personal insights and compress seemingly separate and disparate elements into a cohesive whole. I have always liked the collage process and it has helped inform my ideas and work process throughout much of my career. I mostly worked in contruction material as a backdrop for experimenting with new and found materials in order to develop new relationships within my work. The underlying nature of my work is narrative, but my process is mostly abstraction in an attempt to push material beyond ordinary representation or easily recognizable objects in order to express new perceptions on life and experience. I supplement my work through theoretical, critical, and practical research in order to provide intellectual support for my art while remaining open to intuition and process in my artistic endeavours.

Antony Dodds Bucket Buddha, 5 gallon buckets, hydrocal, autobody paint, buddha, dimensions variable, 2009 Courtesy of the artist

Antony Dodds Floatation Device, sonotube, metal, inflatable dolls/animals, wood, 50” x 84” x 32”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Antony Dodds Remaining Uncertainties, plywood, cinderblocks, paint, wire, 78.5” x 72” x 56”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

STEVEN HASZONICS MFA GLASS 1979

My work is the visual expression of my life experiences and varied interests. I use simple, traditional vessel forms as my canvas. The imagery presented is the stew of my love of nature, culture, motion, and music.

Steven Haszonics Orange and Blue Camo Vase, blown glass, 7.5â&#x20AC;? x 6â&#x20AC;?, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

Steven Haszonics Forest Camo Vase, blown glass, 7.5â&#x20AC;? x 6â&#x20AC;?, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Steven Haszonics Tiger Vase, blown glass, 8.5â&#x20AC;? x 6â&#x20AC;?, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

ARTHUR HENDERSON BFA SCULPTURE, 2007 arthurhenderson.com

Arthur Henderson Beachman, vinyl and paint, 70” x 38” x 38”, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

Arthur Henderson 01 Nolta Prop, wood, polyurethane, butane, light bulbs, steel, 36” x 34” 39”, 2010 Courtesy of the artist

Arthur Henderson The Miserable Mr. Palmer, resin, plaster, wood and plexiglass, 30” x 10” x 12”, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

SIDNEY HUTTER MFA GLASS, 1979 sidneyhutter.com I am a sculptor who has worked with plate glass since the late 70’s. My work is distinctive in the field of art. Using machines and materials that have been specifically developed for my designs, including ultraviolet adhesives, my artwork reflects the evolutionary part of my life – ever changing and always developing. I am concentrating on sculptures representing three different sizes: the delicate MiniMe Solid Vase Form, the mid-sized Middy Solid Vase Form, and the majestic Solid Vase Form. Although the Solid Vase Form has been my focus for almost 20 years, it has been re-conceptualized many times. I focus on both the exterior and interior form of the vessel, which is the essence of sculptural glass interpretation. I describe a volume on the outside while portraying an interior landscape of color and light, emphasizing the interactions of the two. Some of the surfaces are rough; other surfaces are cut and highly polished to reveal the optical intertwining of color and light. The color comes from dyes that are introduced into the adhesive. My palette of colors is the entire spectrum of visible light – in fluorescent and non-fluorescent hues. Some are clear and some are on the opaque side. These colors interact within the pieces and convey various emotions depending on which angle the viewer is looking at it from. I see them as three-dimensional paintings – my canvas being round as opposed to being flat. The form is about a vessel, but what is inside the vessel is about the depth of color and light. Each piece is handcrafted and meticulously sculpted to emphasize its uniqueness. Each piece tells a different story of abstracted color and light.

I am proud to say that my work has been displayed in many international exhibits and in US embassies in Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa. Additionally, my sculptures can be viewed in major museums in the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY), the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), the Museum of Art and Design (New York, NY), the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC), the White House Crafts Collection, the Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY), the Toledo Museum of Art (Toledo, OH). My work is also on display at numerous other museums, public spaces and private collections around the world.

RIGHT: Sidney Hutter ALV#2, plate glass, aluminum, LED lighting, 24” x 15” x 15”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

Sidney Hutter PLPGV#36, laminated plate glass, 16” x 9” x 9”, 2006 Courtesy of the artist

Sidney Hutter SVF#215, laminated plate glass, 16” x 9” x 9”, 2006 Courtesy of the artist

JANET KAWADA BFA FIBERS, 1992

Why string? Why wrapping? What is it that draws me to this? Having time on your hands with nothing to do. How often do we hear that phrase? What does it mean? Can we reflect without feeling that we are empty? Winding these balls has been over the years a marking of time, a catharsis, calendar, performance, sharing, meditative, a way to document a time span. They were also an entry into a discussion. It could be a discussion on art or on politics. Their physicality opened up topics that could be hard to broach with others. In 1997, when I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to be in my studio, I began to work out in public as I waited and marked time. This first foray of using the string to create a ball was stream of conscious; I started and wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure when I would finish. At that point I was not thinking about the longevity of this project. I only knew that this is what I needed to do. That first ball grew to weight 94 pounds and took me about a year to create. By the end of that time, I realized what I was doing. I was tying up loose ends and marking time. And it became a metaphor for my feeling about life. Life is an ebb and flow; no matter what you finish or tie up, there is something always to take its place. These balls were not busyness for my hands. They were physical representations of specific times. And each ball has a history that the viewer will never know because you cannot see what is inside. Most of the balls are specific to me and my time frame. In two instances there is a special and specific relationship to others. I have worked on this body of work as I work in my other media. It became a meditative action for me and I found that I could, in fact, wrap and talk, wrap and listen and wrap and wander both in my mind and my body.

Janet Kawanda One Year & Two Semesters, string, variable (30” x 30” x 54”), 1997-2004 Courtesy of the artist

CAILIGH MACDONALD BFA SCULPTURE AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, 2012 cailighmacdonald.com These web-like forms start out as crocheted yarn that are then stretched and dipped in wax. The translation from here to the final cast state is a controlled accident with each piece maintaining remnants of the process used to generate it. While the initial goal is to recreate a complete form, the incomplete or sometimes broken forms can be more engaging and in keeping with the overall experimental approach. Now that the process of crocheting has become second nature, the preparation for these forms to be cast is paramount. Experimenting for both success and new discovery in preparation for casting is the new drive for this work. These crocheted, stretched, wax-dipped, and cast forms have now became hosts for experimentation in scale, color, material, and shape. In the past work, where the disk or sphere shape has been used as a vessel for experimentation, the form is now being used with outside information that dictates variation in form, shape, and pattern. Each individual piece has qualities that I very much appreciate, while simultaneously existing as small parts within a much larger set. I am fascinated and inspired by that which is unknown to me and, consequently, discovering these unknowns through the creation of my work.

Cailigh MacDonald Shelf Storage: 6 Months, bronze, wood, 18” x 13” x 24”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Cailigh MacDonald Disk Study #1, wax, iron, wood, 16” x 18” x 1”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

Cailigh MacDonald Color Reintroduction, iron, enamel, 24” x 24” x 24”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

CAITLYN MARSH BFA ART EDUCATION, 2009

MassArt taught me being a good thrower is not good enough. Practice makes better. After teaching pottery 5+ years post graduation, the wheel is still the most valuable tool in my toolbox. However, my work frequently combines wheel forms with slab elements. This process allows more volume and negative space, as well as more texture and depth to my glazes. Thrown forms have the stability I need to handle, flip over, and build onto without feeling my clay will collapse or crack. My work has a particular thickness that is strong, but not heavy. My functional ware never feels dainty or fragile. I expect the same from all my clay work or I would not be able to take it where I am going.

Caitlyn Marsh Pot 2, stoneware, 13” x 14” x 8”, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

Caitlyn Marsh Pot 1, stoneware, 20” x 16” x 12”, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

Caitlyn Marsh Pot 3, stoneware, 13” x 12” x 10”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

JULIE MARTINI MFA PAINTING, 2003 juliemartini.info Through my work I explore the relationship between science, nature, and the sacred. I hope to pose the following questions: Has science brought us closer to understanding the nature of life? Is it possible to glimpse the soul through the physical? Is science the new religion?

Julie Martini Everything Out of Nothing (installation view), glass petri dishes, acrylic paint, graphite, 90â&#x20AC;? x 90â&#x20AC;?, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Kyle Bryant Faith In Crossing, woodblock print, 24” x 18”, 2011 Courtesy of A Fine Thing: Edward T. Pollack Fine Arts

SALLY MOORE MFA SCULPTURE, 2000 sallybmoore.com, barbarakrakowgallery.com My work usually involves a balancing act between consciously built forms and those formed by chance, nature, or unconscious energy. Working in an architectural form allows me to contrast these opposing forces in several ways: contemporary/primitive, stable/ precarious, interior/exterior, above/below. Much of my recent work explores the clash between culture and nature as our consumptive needs and desires push many of our majestic fellow creatures to the edge of existence.

LEFT: Sally Moore Arabian Oryx, wire, thorns, bamboo, papier mache, paperclay, 89” x 60” x 5.25”, 2011 RIGHT: Sally Moore Torn Tall, bamboo, wire, paper, gold leaf, thread, sealed box, 98.5” x 28” x 15”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

Sally Moore Reach, wood, wire, papier mache, 30” x 35” x 25”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

ABIGAIL NEWBOLD MFA FIBERS, 2002 abigailanne.com My practice is a hybrid of design, scavenging and repurposing, and traditional craftsmanship. I primarily explore the concept of home and how, through a process of hand making, we are able to make ourselves more comfortable both conceptually and physically. My intention is to keep my work in a timeless, placeless genderless and classless dialogue with each of these identity markers playing roles simultaneously. I work primarily in an installation format utilizing paint and architectural details in a larger space to create a sense of place or environment for the objects I make. I often utilize a neutral background in order to offset the brighter colors that I employ as identifiers or punctuation throughout the work. Home My work primarily addresses the cognitive and kinesthetic understandings of home. In understanding the concept of “home”, I am redesigning its contents and questioning its structure, perpetually re-creating my own private domestic utopia. Similar to the practices of Frank Lloyd Wright and Eero Saarinen, I am interested in the home as a whole and how, when the structure as well as its contents are designed by the same hand, there is a cohesion that projects a strong identity as well as a distinctive way of life. I associate home with the presence of unique objects; specifically handmade objects. My work embodies not only many physical traditions of working materials: post and beam timberframing, quilting, and chair caning to name a few, but an impetus to inspire those who view my work of living similarly; making the practice of making itself more accessible if only by applying recognizable materials to a modern aesthetic sensibility.

Utopia I see home as a potential microcosm of utopia. Seeking utopia has a magnetic draw: to initiate an environment of perfection in an imperfect society, one where the ethics, materiality, communal interaction and aesthetics are regulated to a consistently high standard. I’m intrigued by the notion of living alone, together—a tradition of outsider culture, where utopia is an island haven. Using this island mentality paired with an ethic of self-sufficiency I am illustrating an existence with a preference for craft and look at modern alternatives to carving out dwelling space.

TOP: Abigail Newbold swissfisherman, various found and made objects, 8’ x 9’ x 3’, 2009 BOTTOM: Abigail Newbold crafting settlement, wood, fabrics, found objects, 20’ x 12’ x 14’ (shown), 2013 Courtesy of the artist

Abigail Newbold crafting settlement: hopechest, found, made, and altered objects, 12’ x 9’ x 4’ (shown), 2013 Courtesy of the artist

JUDY PEARSON-WRIGHT BFA GRAPHIC DESIGN, 1984 happyratsudio.com After 15 years of producing functional animalware at Happy Rat Studio, a transition to custom tile was made when we began construction on the New Mexico house. The studio bath will highlight that new work from Prairie Dog Tileworks. A long time fascination with casting life objects; from lizards and other critters the cat dragged in, which we used in the studio bath sink and tile, to plant pods of all kinds, is currently being explored in a new series based on tulip, agave and yucca pods. Vitreous porcelain pods are illuminated with LEDs. Both functional and sculptural all but the stones are made in the studio.

Judy Pearson-Wright From the Maplethorp series, stoneware, porcelain, copper, 6” x 5” x 36”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Judy Pearson-Wright Tulip Pod, stoneware, porcelain, copper, 4” x 4” x 36”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Judy Pearson-Wright Agave Pods, stoneware, porcelain, copper, 8” x 8” x 16”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

ALIA PIALTOS BFA CERAMICS, 2010 aliapialtos.com Between order and chaos, lightness and weight, strength and fragility, my work emphasizes the tension of oppositions. I am constantly developing a sensitivity to and expression of the precariousness, preciousness, and beauty of these adversarial structural dynamics. I am specifically interested in systems of support that undeniably shape our lives, yet frequently go unnoticed. Connections between the unseen forces of science and the internalized attributes of the human psyche inspire forms that accentuate emotive aspects of cause and effect. In this way, the tension of magnetism, polarity, and force can speak of longing, anxiety, and restraint. As a literal intersection of art and science, ceramic materials offer endless possibilities for metaphorical meaning. By capitalizing on the phenomenological qualities of clay and glaze, I utilize unique combinations of reactive materials in order to affect the regularity of structural forms. By beginning with an idealized structure, I give myself guidelines to work in, around, and against. Whether it is by my own will or the will of the structure itself, the resulting form inevitably deviates from the strict limitations of x, y, and z axes. There is a progression from the systematic planning of the construction to the improvised attempts to save the piece as it begins to resist my commands. Ultimately, the work is evidence of this resistance, this tension, this push and pull of intention and action, the rational and intuitive.

Alia Pialtos Hone, ceramic, 12” x 11” x 10”, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

Alia Pialtos Held, digital print of wearable sculpture, 20.5” x 20.5”, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

Alia Pialtos Held (detail), digital print of wearable sculpture, 28” x 48”, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

ERIN RILEY BFA FIBERS, 2007 erinmriley.com I am a tapestry weaver that spends hours weaving on a floor loom using wool yarn that I hand dye, manipulate or deconstruct. I weave images of young women in states of undress or exposure, personal objects, and various landscapes relating to destruction and death. I spend time researching addiction, sexual experimentation, popular internet culture, the effects of single parent households, and socioeconomic status. I am drawn to images that represent sexuality as the private and intimate event that it sometimes can be, but also finding the images that are the remnants of courtship; text message/IM/email flirtations turned into the litter of the internet or Facebook. I am using my own images that I have sent to lovers, and images of other women depicting the moments that I can relate to as a sexual being. I am also weaving the objects that I have formed attachments to, as well as objects that have had impact in other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives, displays of arrests, deaths, addictions. I am interested in the honesty of sexuality, but also how imagery, relationships, pornography, and sex is changing as a result of the mass depiction of these intimate moments. I am interested in how my coming of age on the internet has affected the quality (or mere occurrence) of relationships. I am inspired by the beauty of a woman who takes a self portrait for her own pleasure and the pleasure of the ones she cares about, and all the people who get to glimpse into that moment and what they might say on message boards, comments, and Twitter.

Erin Riley Exboyfriends, hand-woven wool tapestry, 42” x 28”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Erin Riley Passed Out, hand-woven wool tapestry, 36” x 39”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

Erin Riley Crush, hand-woven wool tapestry, 42” x 31”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

ISABEL RILEY BFA PAINTING, 1992 isabelriley.com I admire the formal Bauhaus construction sensibility; the union of craft and fine art and the relationship between usefulness and beauty. Textiles play an important part in my work and I am influenced by simple weaving techniques and other handling of thread such as embroidery, crochet, and knitting. I use yarn and wood as line and as drawing tools. My work thrives within extremes, alternating in sensibility between line (rope) and mass (wood), transparency (netting) and opacity (wall) and tension (the sandwiching and layering of materials and the pinching of wood) and loose connections (loopy knots and quick attachments). I use soft and colorful inexpensive craft materials in my work: yarn crocheted into big loopy strands or blankets and felt stitched together in quilt-like pieces that are sewn to wood constructions or are grommeted to the wall. Recently, my choices in palette and color placement have become more specific. I use color to accentuate the three-dimensional structure and the subtlety between materials. I have been using found patinas and playing with the texture of wood; be it the inherent patina of plywood or pine, the composite of particle board or the representation and illusion of wood printed on vinyl or tile. I then juxtapose this with colored wood or fabric that is squished or pressed between pieces. This creates tension and contrast. The grid often appears in the work, which results in a warp and weft conversation and recalls weaving. It returns full circle in my work’s internal references to craft. The materials imbue the work and make a story.

TOP: Isabel Riley LIVING PROOF, wood, acetate, fabric, metallic tape, 12” x 56” x 26”, 2011 BOTTOM: Isabel Riley Submerged, wood, paint plaster, 44” x 44” x 13”, 2010 Courtesy of the artist

Isabel Riley TIMES ARROW, wood, vinyl, thread, paint, 40” x 14” x 60”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

SEAN RILEY BFA PAINTING, 1999 polaresolare.net I credit my father Joseph Riley (1953-2008) with instilling in me the importance of work ethic as a major contributing factor to my labor-intensive enterprise. After his death, I employed his inherited clothing to create a memorial quilt. Being an abstract painter with no experience in sewing or quilting, I began to research approaches to quilt construction and patterning in Amish, African-American and Mid-Western traditions. While investigating their histories, I became fascinated by the care, intricacy and precision inherent to these made-by-hand functional objects.

Before initially taking scissors to my father’s clothing, I created trial collages and paintings in an effort to learn piecing procedures and techniques. My practice has since evolved into series of labor-intensive quilts, fabric works, sculpture and paintings. Issuing from my research on the multivalent aspects of quiltlore, I utilize a specific vocabulary to address work, loss and memory that reveals my fascination with the unfolding nature of symbolism and the rigor of formal abstraction.

Sean Riley Eulogy (back), quilt, machine-piece, hand-embroidered, hand-tied, 94” x 72”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

Sean Riley Eulogy (front), quilt, machine-piece, hand-embroidered, hand-tied, 94â&#x20AC;? x 72â&#x20AC;?, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

STELL SHEVIS BFA PAINTING, 1937

Stell has been an artist all her life. She graduated from MassArt in 1937 and married fellow student William Shevis in 1938. They became known as Stell and Shevis, producing very small editions of woodcut, and silkscreen prints which were sold all over the country through Greta von Nessen’s Showroom on 5th Ave, NYC. Moved to Maine in 1945, continued printmaking until 1970...retired from that and did more painting, and travelling, spending many winters in Mexico. Shevis had many one man shows of his painted wood constructions, in Maine, Ohio, California, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.

“Enameling is the most exciting medium I know…The possibilities are endless. Firing in a kiln at 1500* to fuse the powered glass to metal, then watching the colors change as the piece cools is magic! Often, many firings are needed as colors are added to achieve the jewel like effect. I don’t strive for perfection….I like to see the signs of the struggle, the effects of the fire. Machines can produce perfection but leave no trace of human touch.”

Stell, having inherited a great quantity of enameling equipment, started working in that fascinating medium and soon became “hooked”. Her work has been juried into six International Enameling Exhibitions, is included in a book “Contemporary Enameling”, and in the publication “Glass on Metal” for which she has written many articles. At 97, she is still experimenting with new techniques, and showing her pieces in local galleries, as well as in Kentucky at the next International Enamel Society Conference in August 2013 which she plans to attend.

TOP: Stell Shevis Connections, enameled copper pieces, old motherboard, masonite, 9” x 12” BOTTOM: Stell Shevis Fish, enamel (glass fused to copper) Courtesy of the artist

Stell Shevis Blue Rooster, enamel (glass fused to copper), 7.5” x 8” x 8” Courtesy of the artist

CATERINA URRATA BFA GLASS 2012

I have always felt a special connection to my childhood toys and books. They provided endless hours of joy, comfort, and escape. They were there no matter what, never judging or questioning, just accepting. The attachments and relationships formed with these inanimate objects and fictional characters were real, helping me understand and cope with the world around me. As I draw on these memories to create my sculptures, I find that these connections continue to be an important part of my life. I use glass for its inherent qualities of fragility and clarity. I often use clear glass to represent the shadows of memories, obscuring the details of an intimate thought, allowing the viewer to conjure up memories of their own. The recognizable and often iconic toys and imagery are transformed when recreated in a fragile, cold material that is always kept out of the hands of children. I find this contrast evokes a sense of sentiment, wonder, and sometimes discomfort.

Caterina Urrata Swing, flameworked and slumped glass, 10â&#x20AC;&#x2122; x 22â&#x20AC;?, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Caterina Urrata Wish, cast and flameworked glass, 32” x 15”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Caterina Urrata Wish (detail), cast and flameworked glass, 32â&#x20AC;? x 15â&#x20AC;?, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

FLOOR van de VELDE BFA SCULPTURE, 2012 floorvandevelde.com Floor van de Velde is a Belgian born, South African cross-disciplinary artist and musician. As a ceaseless experimenter in sonic art, sculpture, electronics, and photography, she gravitates towards precision-oriented, systematic, and reductionist approaches to artmaking. Her work has been performed and showed in San Francisco, New York, Boston, and Cape Town. Floor holds a BFA in Sculpture from Massachusetts College of Art and Design (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;12) and is currently a candidate in the Program in Art, Culture + Technology at MIT.

Floor van de Velde Pattern is Movement, computer-augmented sculpture, video projection, dimensions variable, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Floor van de Velde Giant Leap, four Western Electric rotary phones, circa 1958; Retr, dimensions variable, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Floor van de Velde Score for Rhombi Wall, foam board shapes, video projection, 6’ x 15’ x 20”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

EVAN VOELBEL BFA GLASS, 2010 evanvoelbel.com Evan Voelbels work is a synthesis of art, science, and nature, drawing its inspiration from natural forms and patterns and utilizing a scientific illustrative approach, combined with artistic interpretation. His most recent series revolves around the idea of the specimen or, more specifically, the specimen jar. Glass has always played an important role in science, whether in chemistry, physics, or biology, glass and glass vessels often serve specialized functions. The specimen jar may take many different forms from bottles and bell jars to cylindrical vessels made to fit specific samples. Glass itself is a permanent material, meaning it doesn’t break down and degrade over time, and although fragile, if unbroken can last for thousands of years. Because of this, glass has been used for centuries to preserve things and until the past century almost every glass vessel was made by hand, which gives hand blown glass a sense of nostalgia and antiquity. The flameworked glass specimens of Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, as well as the illustrations of Earnst Haeckel inspired Evans current series of specimens. All three artists lived during a time when nature was only beginning to be understood in scientific terms. The true beauty and complexity of nature consumed them and the exploration of previously neglected or intangible realms like the ocean floor and deep within the rainforest yielded many new species that seemed to be sculptures themselves. Evan’s work is an attempt to accomplish the same task as the Blaschkas’ and Haeckel, to present each organism out of its usual context in nature and emphasize its existing sculptural demeanor while at the same time bridging the gap between art and science. While most of the specimens represent actual species, some are abstracted or entirely fictitious to provoke the imagination of the viewer and create a sense of wonder about what else may lie undiscovered at the depths of the ocean or in the most remote cave systems that seem uninhabitable but constantly prove to accommodate some of the most surreal and extra terrestrial creatures conceivable.

The ‘Colony Collapse’ series is a separate body of work which revolves around Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD, an epidemic affecting beehives worldwide. CCD causes bee colonies to disappear sometimes overnight and is still a somewhat unexplained phenomenon. Bees are a vital part of any ecosystem and are responsible for pollinating over 80% of all fruits and vegetables. Without bees, most of the food supply would dwindle and entire ecosystems would collapse and most likely never recover. The relationship between the glass honeycomb and the wood are meant to represent the relationship between bees and the ecosystem, the wood supports the glass and the glass supports the wood, neither can stand alone. Glass is the perfect medium to represent honey since it is very similar to honey in its molten state, and its ability to freeze in an instant allows it to capture movement and gesture making it appear to be active even when static. The process Voelbel uses to create the ‘Colony Collapse’ relies on the molten glass and wood interacting with each other and melding together, which leaves burns on the wood. The charred areas of the wood and clear patches on the glass honeycomb represent the disappearing hives and the devastating effect it will have on the environment. The goal of this series is to inform the viewer of this epidemic and advocate the importance of the honey bee to the longevity of diversity in nature.

Evan Voelbel Mytilus Edulis, hot sculpted and cold worked glass, 14” x 7.5” x 7”, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

Evan Voelbel Colony Collapse, glass, wood, 14” x 18” x 12”, 2012 Courtesy of the artist

Evan Voelbel Marine Specimen Pair, hot sculpted and blown glass, encalmo, 5” x 7.5” x 4”, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

ANDY ZIMMERMANN MFA SCULPTURE, 2003

I use projected and reflected images, anamorphically distorted images, and a wide variety of materials integrated into three-dimensional structures, as a metaphorical representation of perception and consciousness in its interaction with the outside world. In my work the meeting between the perceiving mind and its external surroundings is not a simple plane, but a complex, convoluted realm that is conditioned or affected by many factors. I represent these variables with the three dimensional sculpture that receives the image. My interest is in the changes that occur depending on where the viewer stands, how he moves, where he looks. What may from one point of view look to be a solid reality will from a different angle prove to be a transparent ghost of an image. In between areas of cloudiness, blur, and uncertainty, there are moments of clarity and insight. Much of how we perceive our surroundings hinges on where we stand, our point of view. I think there are many correlations between the worlds we perceive and the brain itself. I hope to bring insight into the reflexive nature of perception and conceptualization.

Andy Zimmermann Meaning and Nothingness, welded steel, mirrors, 7’ x 8’ x 18’, 2011 Courtesy of the artist

Andy Zimmermann Habitat (front and side view), C-print photographs on board, welded bronze, 4’ x 7’ x 1.5’, 2000 Courtesy of the artist

Andy Zimmermann Paper&Steel, paper and welded steel, 8’ x 4’ x 4’, 2010 Courtesy of the artist

MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston MA USA, T 617 879 7020 alumni@massart.edu, Alumni.MassArt.edu

As an innovative university for artists, designers, and educators we prepare our students to contribute to contemporary culture and to fuel the creative economy. We are proud of our unique status as the only independent public college of art and design in the country, and our heritage as the nation’s first degree-granting art school, founded in 1873. Our programs are consistently ranked among the top in the country. US News & World Report ranked our MFA program #1 in Massachusetts. Our 1750 undergraduate and 150 graduate students come from more than 30 countries, reflecting the international reputation of our programs, and Boston’s place as one of the great learning and research centers in the world. Our more than 18,000 alumni consistently rank high among leaders in the fields of fine arts, design, architecture, education, and innovation. Our urban campus offers more than 1,000,000 square feet of studios, workshops, classrooms, and galleries. We are located at the center of a world-class fine arts triangle, sited between the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Our Bakalar & Paine Galleries are one of Boston’s premier venues for contemporary art, showcasing emerging and established artists from around the world. Our 260 graduate and undergraduate faculty are teachers and artist/practitioners at the top of their fields, with a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Our alumni and faculty exhibit nationally and internationally at institutions including: MoMA; the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Center Museum; the San Francisco Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Arts Houston; the International Center of Photography; the Cleveland Museum of Art; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Victoria and Albert Museum (London); the Musee de la Ville de Paris; the Cleveland Institute of Art; and the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, among others.

CREDITS: Cover Image: Floor van de Velde (BFA Sculpture ‘12) Catalog Designer: Amanda Justice (MFA ’13) ©Copyright 2013 Massachusetts College of Art and Design All rights reserved; no part of this book may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher.