A Gallery of Inspiration

As North Central College’s studio art and graphic design majors embark on their creative journeys, they embrace the opportunity to explore their personal histories and find their inspiration. The academic work featured on these pages represents a range of artists’ stories—revealing connections to family, searches for identity and reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, they’re developing professional portfolios to launch careers in graphic design and other artistic pursuits. The works of three students—Molly Haupt ’21, Vincent Mayer ’22 and Allison Janis ’21—are now part of the College’s permanent collection.

Molly Haupt

The fiber art of graphic design major Molly Haupt ’21 represents her Chinese heritage as well as her American upbringing and family roots. “I was adopted from China by my American family when I was five months old,” she said. “I truly believe that adoption is a really special experience.”

The project Haupt exhibited in “Odyssey,” the senior art show, represented her pride in her dual cultures. She explained that embroidery was an artistic skill passed on to her by her great-grandmother. “I think of her every time I work on embroidery pieces.” Without a pattern or guide, Haupt stitched images of a tea pot and fan to incorporate her Chinese heritage,

using a soft color palette and materials to give the fiber pieces a sentimental feel. She made the round-shaped ceramic embellishments in the College’s pottery studio.

In her Graphic Design III course, Haupt co-edited a 60-page children’s book about a Chinese dumpling who traveled the world and befriended other foods from other countries.

Haupt enjoys working in a variety of artistic media and has found a market for her print art through the online platform Etsy. She landed full-time work after graduation as an interactive designer at For You Design, a digital marketing agency in Downers Grove, Ill.

“Taking Web Design with professor Hale Ekinci was challenging, but that was the start of my interest in UX/UI (user experience and user interface) design. Now I spend most of my time designing apps and websites, and I love it!”

Allison Janis

The secluded environment of remote learning during a pandemic inspired Allison Janis ’21 to reflect on her family’s past adventures. For her senior exhibit, she decided to travel virtually to places she loved, using the perfect medium for travel art: postcards.

“I’ve always loved the outdoors and for our family vacations we usually went somewhere we could hike, swim, or do something outside,” said Janis, a graphic design major. “So I wanted to create something based on the National Parks. I love the outdoors so much, and with it being so difficult to travel and actually experience these sites in person, I thought an illustration could be the next best thing.”

Daniela Sormova

Daniela Sormova ’22 channels her creativity toward her goal of becoming a professional designer, even if that meant producing her art remotely last year from her home country of the Czech Republic.

Her assignment for the course Graphic Design II was to fashion a package for an existing product that wasn’t a simple box. The opportunity to be creative around her family inspired a unique packaging design for a unique product: honey candy.

“This is a particular piece I am extremely proud of because I got to work on it with my dad,” said Sormova, a graphic design major. “The entire concept was my idea and my design but he helped with the math so all the hexagons fit within the building of the box.”

The finished piece will go into her portfolio and represents her ambitious career aspirations. “I put everything I have into every single project because it could potentially be the project that helps me land my dream position at a top tier design agency.”

Jacob Ray

Family gatherings inspired the work of Jacob Ray ’21, a studio art major. “I grew up in a large family and once a week we’d come together to have family dinner,” he said. “Family plays such an important role while an individual is growing up and that influences who they become.”

The family’s weekly gatherings included more than a dozen around the table—grandparents, an aunt, an uncle, cousins and his parents and three siblings.

Ray plans to open his own ceramics studio and store in California to sell his functional pottery.

Ray honored this family tradition by creating dinnerware for his senior exhibit in “Odyssey.” He used threedimensional modeling for a mug, bowl and plate. Next, he printed the models on a three-dimensional printer to create the physical forms that became plaster molds for casting the pieces out of clay.

Allyson Randa

Graphic design major Allyson Randa ’22 is still trying to decide what her future holds and what her dream will be. Fittingly, she focused her talent on creating a graphic piece that responds to the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Randa said, “I’ve never had a definitive answer and I still don’t have a dream job in mind. But I know I just want to be happy. This piece reflects that goal by visually and textually representing what I want to be in life: happy, thriving, and successful.”

Vincent Mayer ’22 is traveling the path of inspired artist and social activist/ entrepreneur to build a community of emotional support. He designed a line of clothing branded Cola that expresses his optimistic approach to life and his commitment to achieving his dreams— and those of others.

Vincent Mayer

“Cola is an acronym for Collection of Lost Ambitions,” said Mayer, a graphic design major. “It depicts the idea of not giving up on the things you love. A lot of times people play it safe and take a route in life that seems less risky than doing what they genuinely love.

“I’ve always struggled with self-doubt, so I created this optimistic-toned clothing brand to motivate myself and represent a good message. Cola Brand serves as a reminder of the importance of our passions and personal goals, something that is often overlooked in the hustle and bustle lives we live.”

Using digital technology, Mayer first designed clothing that “I thought would be cool for my friends and I to wear.” As he did, the brand’s identity evolved and now buyers who identify with the message become part of the Cola Community—a place of support and motivation toward life goals. He recently launched a separate campaign on Instagram (@cola.brand) for his clothing line and donated the proceeds to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Visit www.colabrand.supply to view more of Mayer’s work and to purchase his designs.

Kacie Warren

Kacie Warren ’21 has worked in ceramics for nine years and has developed an identity in her work that combines fun, interesting and unique designs with functionality. “I love to work with ceramics because I can share it with others who can use it for years while also enjoying the shapes and designs,” she said.

She draws her inspiration from the natural world, like human and animal forms, coral, and sea creatures. “I’m inspired by morphing things together to create something new and original—such as coral and mushrooms, or humans and trees.”

Warren won a scholarship at a local studio, ClaySpace, in Lisle, Ill., where she will take a course in Hand Building to develop and expand her knowledge. “Professor Christine Rabenold brought this scholarship to my attention and I was thrilled to submit an application—and win!”

Warren sells her pottery and other art locally and has launched her own brand on social media platforms called EnjoybyKacie. After completing her student teaching assignment at Eichelberger Elementary School in Plainfield, Ill., Warren will graduate in December with majors in studio art and K-12 art education.