Illustration senior Michelle Garcia has been awarded a Stephen D. Paine Scholarship! Designed to support students who are entering their final year in studio art programs at colleges in the city of Boston, the scholarship extends financial assistance in order to support their commitment to the making of art. Michelle’s work, and that of the other recipients, will on display at the Suffolk University Gallery until February 26th. Congratulations Michelle!
Sob Sister, acrylic on illustration board, 13 x 13in
In Michelle’s words:
“As a first generation American and Latina my ethnic identity is a growing element of my artistic practice. My time in the Illustration program at Mass College of Art and Design has given me a platform and opportunity to explore this identity and think concretely about what kind of missing visual language I want to see in my field and in our society.
Growing up in the Los Angeles metro I was extremely privileged and fortunate to have had access to affordable art programs that supported my curiosity around painting, drawing, culture, and personal history. After earning my Associate degree in studio art from a local community college, I wanted to continue pushing my desire to grow as an artist and educate others on social injustices.
I’ve built my art practice on idea that people do not have to be passive participants in an unjust racial system, but can create a racial reality in which everyone belongs. I strongly believe that racist ideals, laws, social hierarchies, and traditions cannot prosper when people resist them and deconstruct them as empty ideas.”
New Laws Create Voting Restrictions in Texas, acrylic on illustration board, 9 x 13in
The Rate of Black Men Whoe are Shot by Police Over White Men, acrylic on illustration board, 10 x 12in