School of Art

Frenn awarded Fulbright to pursue arts-based research in India

Colleen Rich — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 12:49:54 +0000

Frenn awarded Fulbright to pursue arts-based research in India Colleen Rich Mon, 07/01/2024 - 08:49

��AV professor Chawky Frenn, a painter and an associate professor in the School of Art, has received a Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award for research and teaching for the 2024-25 academic year. As a Fulbright U.S. Scholar, he will conduct international research while teaching at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India, in the fall.

Chawky Frenn. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“My research will evolve around the role of art as a bridge between cultures, religions, and classes,” said Frenn. “In my teaching proposal, I emphasized the potential of art to cultivate connections between diverse cultures and communities. I will teach studio art and guide students in creating artwork addressing pressing societal issues of their choosing.” At the end of the semester, Frenn will curate an exhibition of student work at Banaras Hindu University.

While abroad, Frenn will focus on creating his own art, documenting his research and travels, collaborating with Banaras Hindu University’s faculty on art projects, and putting together an exhibition of his work before returning to the United States.

This is Frenn’s second Fulbright. His first was in 2017 when he pursued his international research in New Delhi, India. “During my 2017 Fulbright, I connected with people from various walks of life,” he said. “I am excited to be given another opportunity to establish new relationships, collaborate with new international partners in art and education, and build another body of work informed by my experiences and travels.”

He added, “[During 2017] I forged many meaningful connections with artists and academics who, upon learning about my upcoming Fulbright, have already invited me to visit their universities.”

Frenn was born in Lebanon and immigrated to the United States in 1981. He has a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and an MFA from Temple University. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibits in galleries and museums across the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Paraguay, and India.

In 2009, Frenn received George Maso’s Teaching Excellence Award. He was a finalist for the same award in 2002 and 2006 and was also nominated for the award again in 2021.

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George Mason joins arts research alliance

Colleen Rich — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 13:38:14 +0000

George Mason joins arts research alliance Colleen Rich Mon, 06/24/2024 - 09:38

��AV has joined the Alliance of Art Research Universities (a2ru) as an institutional member through a concerted effort by multiple colleges and the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact (ORIEI). This action uniquely positions George Mason among other R1 institutions to support an emerging research culture in the arts.

George Mason's Center for Live Interactive Virtual Education uses the Window Wall™ system to connect leading artists with students from multiple institutions. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Justin Sutters, assistant dean of research and assessment in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), is taking the lead on the membership and has already attended one of the alliance’s conferences.

Sutters sees participation in the alliance as generative in that it provides insight into other research universities and some of the challenges that they're encountering. “I think this also gives us a framework to share best practices to see how other colleges are navigating the current fiscal and political climate,” he said.

In this role, Sutters will also be working to elevate the research and collaborations already taking place in CVPA with a longer-term goal of “a vibrant and rigorous supported arts-based research structure at George Mason.”

“I think a lot of the arts-based research isn't fully visible across the university,” Sutters said. “And there are a lot of researchers in our university who are seeking interdisciplinary opportunities with units such as CVPA.”

CVPA Dean Rick Davis was one of the George Mason administrators championing this move. “Joining a2ru represents a pivotal moment for George Mason's profile as a major participant in the national conversation,” he said. “We've already both benefited from and contributed to the dialogue around the fast-changing world of research and creative production in the arts.”

Among the other universities participating in the a2ru are Dartmouth, Stanford and Georgia Tech. Other alliance members in Virginia are Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University.

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Andy Yoder featured in new Baltimore exhibition 'Strata of Synthesis,' opening April 6, 2024

Pam Muirheid — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 17:14:46 +0000

Andy Yoder featured in new Baltimore exhibition 'Strata of Synthesis,' opening April 6, 2024 Pam Muirheid Tue, 03/26/2024 - 13:14

In This Story

Andrew Yoder

Door Number Four, 2008, by Andy Yoder. Mixed media (styrofoam, plexiglas, artificial flowers)

Strata of Synthesis is an exhibition where artists Andy Yoder (professor at Mason School of Art) and Phaan Howng examine the natural world as a fantastical state. They propose connections in historical and contemporary crises relating to intricate layers of domestic and societal narratives within their work. This synthesis within their practice manifests their efforts to explore diverse logical aspects of meaning and interpretations within their everyday environment.

Andy Yoder was born in Cleveland, Ohio, studying at Skowhegan and Dartmouth College prior to graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Art. His work is in numerous public and private collections, and exhibitions include shows at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Queens Museum of Art, Winkleman Gallery in New York, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has been reviewed in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and Art in America. Commissions include works for ESPN, Continental Airlines, Progressive Insurance, David and Susan Rockefeller, and the Saatchi Collection. He currently maintains a studio at Stable in Washington DC while living in Falls Church, Virginia.Phaan Howng | Andy Yoder STRATA OF SYNTHESIS APRIL 6 - MAY 18, 2022 Opening Reception: April 6, Saturday, 2-4 pm

Phaan Howng (b. 1982 Providence, RI) received her BFA in Painting from Boston University in 2004 and her MFA from the Mt. Royal School of Art at MICA in 2015. The artist has presented solo exhibitions at museums including the Baltimore Museum of Art in Maryland and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C, Asian Arts and Culture Center at Towson University in Maryland, MoCA Arlington in Virginia, and Dinner Gallery in New York City. Her work has been featured in notable publications such as The New York Times T List, Smithsonian Magazine, Artnet, and the front page of the Baltimore Sun. Howng lives and works in Baltimore, MD.

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Murals at Mason: 'Icons of Fashion'

Melanie Balog — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 18:42:53 +0000

Murals at Mason: 'Icons of Fashion' Melanie Balog Thu, 01/11/2024 - 13:42

Emely Ramos

Murals at Mason, part of Mason Exhibitions, aims to increase diverse representation and provide paid opportunities for students and professional artists across Mason campuses and in the community.

"Icons of Fashion" is a 209 foot long, 7 foot tall mural at Tysons Corner Center. The mural, featuring a series of iconic women throughout different periods of fashion, was painted by Emely Ramos.

Ramos is a Northern Virginia-based artist who graduated from ��AV with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2023. She is studying for a Master of Arts in Teaching in Art Education at Mason.

These notable figures are displayed in a runway format to showcase their memorable outfits. Following these women are an assortment of flowers to mirror their beauty and the personalities of each gown. Ramos chose the type of flowers and colors for each woman to capture the character of each piece of fashion.

Her work often showcases portraits of people with an intentional use of vibrant colors to emphasize their personalities.

You can see more on the Murals at Mason page or by visiting Tysons Corner Center; the mural is near H&M and Hyatt Regency. Photos by Sophie Bae.

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Drone masterclass helps students explore real-world problems for first responders

Sarah Holland — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 18:29:01 +0000

Drone masterclass helps students explore real-world problems for first responders Sarah Holland Mon, 12/04/2023 - 13:29

“Imagine a time when hearing the buzz of a drone is not a sound of fear, or annoyance, but instead a sound of hope,” said Dallia Laban, an electrical engineering major at ��AV.

Dallia Laban opens her group's presentation. Photo by Evan Cantwell/��AV

Laban provided the opening to her team’s proposed drone innovation: a CPR drone they’ve named Skylife Support. This drone, they explained, could be deployed by first responders to reach patients and provide emergency CPR while an ambulance is enroute. After their four-minute presentation, a panel of judges asked them about growth projections and certification requirements. The audience applauded, the team returned to their seats, and the next team began their presentation on a drone system that could filter air to combat post-wildfire pollution.

Christopher Vo calls this a “Shark-Tank style pitch competition,” which closes out his Unmanned Aerial Systems Prototyping course. The Fall 2023 course marks the third successful semester of the course’s programming.

Vo is a two-time Mason alum, receiving both his MS in Computer Science ’07 and PhD in Computer Science ’14. After graduating with his PhD, Vo co-founded Sentian Robotics and served as its chief scientist until earlier this year. Sentian Robotics develops novel drone technology, such as the Hive—a drone fleet aircraft carrier.

In addition to being an accomplished robotics scientist, Vo also has a passion for teaching. “I’ve always wanted to bring drones and other new technologies out of the labs and into the real world,” he said. This course allows him to get back into the classroom and bring his knowledge as a start-up owner and robotics professional to a new cohort of students each semester. This kind of partnership is a hallmark of Mason’s entrepreneurial approach, which earned it the top ranking among public universities for research performance in entrepreneurship.

The masterclass, hosted by the Mason Innovation Exchange (MIX), is an eight-week program that meets every Thursday evening throughout October and November. Out of 300 applicants, only 30 students are selected to participate. They represent a wide range of degree programs and education levels, from first-semester freshmen in the Global Affairs Program to graduating PhDs in mechanical engineering. While the course is noncredit, students earn a microcredential upon completion.

Of course, the appeal of a course like this is in the drones. Building a drone and learning to pilot the drones is what inspires most students to apply. But Vo emphasizes that drone construction and piloting is only a small part of the overall course.

“The program is more about how you can use this technology in the real world, so the course is built around our students developing a solution to a real-world problem in first response and law enforcement using drone technology and pitching that solution to stakeholders.”

Students are put into teams based on their degree programs—Vo ensures an equal distribution of engineers and humanities students, as well as diversity of degree level amongst each team. While learning the technology and building a drone, teams must decide on a problem to tackle, theorize a solution, develop a prototype, and pitch their idea to stakeholders.

While learning the nuances of drone building and piloting, students heard from Steve Burmeister of Mason’s Forensic Science Program on emergency preparedness, and Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon, the director of educational and career pathways in the College of Science, on microcredentialing.

A student shows his group's miniature prototype during their presentation. Photo by Evan Cantwell/��AV.

Before the pitch competition, students learn the foundations of pitching from Lisa Shapiro, assistant director of entrepreneurship programs in the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact; Fred Briggs, founder and CEO of Applied Impact Robotics; and Gisele Stolz, senior director of entrepreneurship programs and business incubators in the Office of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

The top two groups in the pitch competition receive a monetary prize to be split among team members; the third prize goes to the “People’s Choice.” Students are not allowed to vote for their own design.

This year’s judges include Jordan Higgins, adjunct faculty in Mason’s School of Art and lead human-centered engineer at MITRE; Mike Koontz, MS Computer Engineering ’08 and director of mission technologies at Raytheon; and Kuzeyhan Ozdemir, a seasoned start-up mentor and one of the MIX’s in-house mentors.

Because the course incorporates elements of programming, engineering, creative problem-solving, and entrepreneurship, diversity of thought and skill on each team is critical to teams’ success.

“It’s a unique opportunity for our students to work with truly interdisciplinary teams. They don’t often get the chance to cross-pollinate in standard coursework,” Vo explained. “This course really emphasizes the importance and value of collaboration, cooperation, and learning from other disciplines.”

As of now, the projects end with the conclusion of the course. But Vo hopes to see teams carry on after the course to fully develop their solutions into marketable products.

“We can solve wicked problems through interdisciplinary innovation,” he said. “And that’s what I’m hoping our students take away from this course.”

Learn more about The MIX

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ARTS by George! 2023 Raises More than $275,000 to Support Mason Arts

Zoe Harr — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 14:25:00 +0000

ARTS by George! 2023 Raises More than $275,000 to Support Mason Arts Zoe Harr Tue, 10/10/2023 - 10:25

CVPA Dean Rick Davis holds Fund-A-Student auction prior to the evening's concert. Credit: Risdon Photography.

ARTS by George! returned on Saturday, September 30, 2023, hosted by the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) at ��AV. The benefit event, which was headlined by GRAMMY and Tony Award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry, raised more than $275,000 for student scholarships in visual arts, dance, music, theater, game design, film, arts management, as well as for the Mason Community Arts Academy, Green Machine Ensembles, and the Great Performances at Mason season at the Center for the Arts. With donations still coming in, ARTS by George! has raised more than $4.1 million for the arts at Mason since the event began in 2006.

The event gave students and faculty from each discipline an opportunity to present behind-the-scenes showcases, film screenings, performances, and interactive experiences. Programming was held in eight open studios, venues, and rehearsal halls across Mason’s Fairfax campus, with beverage and cuisine stations offered throughout.

“ARTS by George! 2023 is in the books, and one for the books,” remarks CVPA Dean Rick Davis. “Thanks to a considerable village, this edition was quite possibly the most uplifting, free-flowing, artistically engaging version of this storied tradition. A hearty thanks to all the students, faculty, staff, and volunteers who made it work better than ever, and to Renée Elise Goldsberry for a generous, inspiring concert and toast, and to our patrons, donors, sponsors, and supporters of all kinds for whom we do the work.”

During the evening’s showcases, guests flowed in and out of three buildings on the Fairfax Campus: deLaski Performing Arts Building, Harris Theatre, and Horizon Hall. Inside deLaski, students from the Dewberry School of Music dazzled the crowd with the powerful voices of Mason Opera students or the impressive instrumental skills ranging from piano to wind symphony. The Dewberry School of Music didn’t stop the beat all night, with talented instrumental and vocal musicians presenting piano, jazz, and opera selections during the nearly two hours of student showcases.

Mason Community Arts Academy perform selections from Newsies. Credit: Risdon Photography.

Just down the hall, students from the Mason Community Arts Academy presented previews of their work and in a separate room, Film at Mason played selections on an array of television screens, inviting patrons to see what students had created in the program. In another wing of deLaski, emerging professionals of the Mason School of Dance performed to packed houses. With both intimate dance performances, as well as the Mason School of Dance’s collaboration with the Dewberry School of Music in their revival of “Come Sunday,” rooms were frequently filled shoulder to shoulder with enthusiastic audience members.

As guests made their way out of deLaski across the Johnson Center Plaza, they were enticed into Harris Theater by the sounds of Mason School of Theater students. Alternating their time on the Harris stage, students astonished the crowd with songs from their upcoming production of 9 to 5 The Musical as well as a student-written one-act play by Dyllan Hutchinson entitled “So, Two Spies Walk Into a Restaurant,” which premiered earlier in The Originals! this September. More music flowed from the amphitheater space between Harris and Horizon Hall, where Green Machine’sFife and Drum ensemble as well as Green & Gold Soul, joined by dance group Emerald Desire, kept energies high as guests ambled along the walkway into Horizon Hall.

Mason School of Theater students (left to right) Kamy Satterfield, Sarah Stewart, Emma Harris, Lexi Carter, Aiden Breneman-Pennas, and Brett Womack join Renée Elise Goldsberry on stage during the evening's concert. Credit: Risdon Photography.

Inside Horizon Hall, Mason’s Computer Game Design program and Virginia Serious Game Institute created mini studios inside the Mason Innovation Exchange (MIX), where guests explored a change of scenery with actual reality and virtual reality headsets. Also in the MIX, the School of Art and Mason Exhibitions gave guests a chance to play with printing, personalizing a postcard they could take with them as a memento of their experience, while elsewhere in the space, Mason Computer Game Design and Mason Exhibitions invited visitors to play selections from the 2023 Progress@Play Competition and Master of Art in Teaching students demonstrated 3D printing. In addition to the buffet within Horizon, Mason Exhibition’s Metamorphosis, an exhibition created by Mason faculty, decorated the space and a Dewberry School of Music student played guitar in the seating area to round out the spectacular mood in the space.

Dewberry School of Music alumni flutist Eduardo Fajardo. Credit: Risdon Photography.

After the showcases, guests transitioned to the Center for the Arts for a live Fund-A-Student Raise the Paddle event, which brought in more than $36,000 towards the total raised, prior to the performance by Renée Elise Goldsberry. Guests and concert-goers were also treated to Dewberry School of Music piano student Kai Shi and School of Music alumni flutist Eduardo Fajardo in a performance paired with personal anecdotes about the importance of student scholarships.

Capping off the evening, Renée Elise Goldsberry performed a concert culminating in multiple standing ovations, an explosive encore, and multiple sing-along moments from Hamilton fans in the exhilarated audience. Interspersed with personal anecdotes, Goldsberry emphasized the importance of student scholarships and love for young artists, noting that she started as one herself. For her final number of the evening, Goldsberry invited Mason School of Theater students Kamy Satterfield, Sarah Stewart, Emma Harris, Lexi Carter, Aiden Breneman-Pennas, and Brett Womack to join her on stage in a medley from the musical Rent. With tears and shining smiles, the students bowed with Goldsberry stepping back to gesture to the students with a proud expression on her face.

Renée Elise Goldsberry and Rick Davis lead a champagne toast on stage. Credit: Risdon Photography.

After the show, Goldsberry and Davis ended the night with a champagne toast on stage for donors, students, and George Mason faculty. Goldsberry reimagined Hamilton’s “Satisfied,” singing, “A toast to ARTS by George! and ��AV. To the donors and the teachers who are always by your side. To the students and the hope that you provide, may you always be satisfied!"

See more images from the event by visiting a gallery of images.

ARTS by George! has raised more than $4.1 million since it began in 2006, with net proceeds going toward student scholarships and community arts programs.

It’s not too late to contribute! Make a difference in the lives of Mason Arts students, staff, faculty, community arts partners, as well as arts lovers of all ages in the region. For more information, please visit the CVPA website.

View Images from ARTS by George! 2023

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Elevating Mason’s Green Studio with the Patriot Green Fund

Lauren Reuscher — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 13:48:34 +0000

Elevating Mason’s Green Studio with the Patriot Green Fund Lauren Reuscher Wed, 09/13/2023 - 09:48

The Green Studio, located on ��AV’s Fairfax Campus, is a permaculture garden, outdoor studio, and lab space dedicated to hosting ecological art and design projects by students from across the arts and sciences. Founded in 2010 by Mark Cooley, associate professor in Mason’s School of Art, the Green Studio has been home to numerous projects over the years.

Jennifer Ashworth, manager of the Green Studio, wanted to elevate the space in preparation for more student projects in the future. She applied for funding through University Sustainability’s Patriot Green Fund and was granted financial support to revamp the garden in preparation for the new academic year.

Photo by Audrey Kwayke/Mason Facilities

The Patriot Green Fund is a $100,000-per-year sustainability fund provided by Mason Facilities to make Mason’s campuses more sustainable through infrastructure improvements and student research projects.

In May 2023, the Patriot Green Fund Committee, which includes students, faculty, and staff, approved Ashworth’s application and awarded $1,200 toward the acquisition of new soil and plants for the garden.

An overarching goal of the project was to support the garden as a thriving ecosystem and sanctuary for native wildlife. Ashworth, who joined Mason in 2022, selected native species that would combat overgrowth and facilitate maintenance of the space, while also crafting a visually appealing garden.

Photo by Audrey Kwayke/Mason Facilities

Beyond the immediate benefits, Ashworth has a long-term plan for the garden. She envisions it as a living, learning laboratory for educational workshops and projects. By collaborating with campus classes in the arts, environmental studies, and civil engineering, she wants to create opportunities for students to engage in hands-on learning experiences and develop a deeper understanding of the ecosystem and sustainable practices.

^{I’m excited for the next generation of students to explore the Green Studio," Ashworth said. "It’s their space—an open studio space for research, experimentation, expression, or just a space to absorb. It’s wild and beautiful and worth discovering.”}

Photo by Audrey Kwayke/Mason Facilities

To get involved and volunteer in the Green Studio, visit University Sustainability’s volunteer portal or reach out to Jenn Ashworth.

Individuals with innovative ideas to further enhance sustainability at Mason are encouraged to apply for funding through the Patriot Green Fund.

Sustainability at Mason

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Mark Cooley

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Healing Artist Collective highlights work of Mason students, alumni

Shayla Brown — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:24:29 +0000

Healing Artist Collective highlights work of Mason students, alumni Shayla Brown Tue, 06/20/2023 - 14:24

The Edges of What I Feel, an exhibition by the Healing Artist Collective curated by recently retired ��AV professor Peter Winant, features the artwork of an eclectic group of Mason School of Art students, staff, and alumni. The diverse group of artists participated in the exhibition with the common goal of healing.

From left: Steven Luu, Michelle A. Smith, and Peter Winant with other Mason artists at Mason Exhibitions Arlington for the "Edges of What I Feel" opening. Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

One of the featured artists, Mason alum Michelle A. Smith, is a surviving military spouse, and she said the exhibition allows her to express the pain of losing her husband.

Steven Luu and Michelle A. Smith with her piece "Absence: Grief." Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

"I'm confronting and expanding on the emotions of grief and loss with this exhibition. It's a difficult question without a definitive answer," said Smith, who graduated from Mason in 2021 and recently received a Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) Fellowship.

“Through art, through the healing, it is cathartic for me to deal with these processes,” said Smith, who draws inspiration from nature. “I feel like the people who see what I'm doing might not know the whole backstory, but they don't have to in order to make a connection, feel something, to be able to put themselves in that space.

Smith is particularly fascinated by seeds and their processes and potential. Seeds are both creative and destructive, just like people, said Smith, whose work makes that connection between nature and humans, and seeds and souls.

“Michelle has an experience that is beyond imagination for somebody like me,” said Winant, who retired from Mason on June 1. “Much of her work has been autobiographical; exploring herself and areas within that were brought about through traumatic experience. In the making of that work, there's always something that requires a huge amount of personal courage and I really admire her for that.”

Featured artist and alum Steven Luu served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years as a combat medic. Using materials such as concrete and epoxy resin, Luu addresses the concept of death in his work.

Steven Luu (center) with his piece Fourteenth Heads. Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

“In the war zone, [there are] dropping bombs and debris flying everywhere. So, I had a horrible experience with concrete, and now I really don't like concrete. But this project is how I make peace with the concrete. I'm actually OK. I'm revisiting it. I transformed my past into this material that [traumatized me], and now I’ve become a viewer. So, I'm no longer carrying it with me,” he explained.

Luu and Smith are pioneers in many ways, said Winant.

Luu wrote to Winant in 2016 asking to be an art student at Mason. “I wasn't an artist at the time, I was a medic, but Peter said that I have the attitude [of an artist] and that changed my life forever. So, I'm very grateful for that,” said Luu, adding, about Winant: “He’s not just a professor, but a friend and mentor.”

“It's been such a privilege to work at George Mason; for me to grow as the university has grown, and to be a part of something that's just an amazing story,” said Winant.

Other artists featured in the exhibition include CJ Davis, Moe Lewis, Liz Louise, Abdulrahman Naanseh, Alanna Rivera, Adrian Scalzo, and Tessie Van Dyke.

The Healing Artist Collective exhibition, The Edges of What I Feel, will be featured through August 26. To see more School of Art events, visit their page.

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Murals at Mason: 'Sediment to Sky'

Lauren Reuscher — Tue, 16 May 2023 19:37:36 +0000

Murals at Mason: 'Sediment to Sky' Lauren Reuscher Tue, 05/16/2023 - 15:37

Murals at Mason, part of Mason Exhibitions, produces public art projects that engage social justice issues and enrich the university’s learning environment. Murals at Mason hires artists, many of whom are students, and mentors them during the mural-making process. The result? Beautiful, high-quality murals at Mason locations and in the local community.

Sediment to Sky mural by Nadya “Bella” Steare. Photo by Sooyhun (Sophie) Bae

Murals at Mason commissioned School of Art student Nadya "Bella" Steare to design two murals that reflect the research focuses of faculty and students at Mason's Potomac Science Center. The staircase mural Sediment to Sky focuses on each layer of the Potomac River watershed, highlighting native flora, fauna, and microorganisms.

Sediment to Sky mural by Nadya “Bella” Steare. Photo by Sooyhun (Sophie) Bae

Climbing up the staircase evokes the sense of ascending from the riverbed while having close encounters with locally found species of fish, birds, and mammals. The side wall mural depicts researchers and community members studying and enjoying nature at the Potomac Science Center.

Sediment to Sky mural by Nadya “Bella” Steare. Photo by Sooyhun (Sophie) Bae

The side wall mural focuses on the coexistence of people and wildlife. It depicts water birds such as the osprey and great blue heron, as well as researchers and equipment used for environmental science study. Together, both parts of the mural feature more than 25 species of native macro and micro fauna, as well as several aquatic and terrestrial plants. Learn more about the mural.

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Picture This

This nontraditional student puts the focus on others through her photography

Shayla Brown — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:15:51 +0000

This nontraditional student puts the focus on others through her photography Shayla Brown Mon, 05/15/2023 - 13:15

Sisc Johnson in front of some of her photography. Photo by Cristian Torres.

Sisc Johnson, a ��AV School of Art student and staff member, will be the first in her family to graduate from college this May.

“My parents never graduated high school,” said Johnson. “[My siblings and I] were in and out of foster homes, and we were always raised to believe that college wasn't an option for us. It wasn’t until I started working at Mason, that I discovered I actually could go to college.”

Johnson, who started at Mason as the business manager of Student Centers in 2008, began taking nondegree classes. Her determination to earn a degree, coupled with her discovery of Mason’s employee tuition benefit, led her to enroll in the BFA in photography with Art and Visual Technology (AVT) program in 2018.

“I originally went into the interdisciplinary studies degree program and one of my first classes was a photography class, with Sue Wrbican. She was amazing and it completely changed my trajectory,” Johnson said.

Johnson was very active in the Writing for Artists course during the pandemic, said course instructor Heather Green.

“Sissy was great because when we were all doing class from our houses, it could be a little bit demoralizing, but she would always bring her unique perspective, her insights and humor, and kick off the conversation,” said Green, an assistant professor in Mason’s School of Art.

Although her parents never finished high school, Johnson understood the value of a degree and encouraged her two daughters to go to college, and both earned degrees—at Lewis and Clark College and University of Virginia—as their mother pursued hers part-time while working full-time.

“We’re so lucky to have Sisc, one of our most dynamic students, bringing her business experience and art knowledge to her new position in School of Art,” Green said.

Johnson, who also teaches photography at Stepping Stones, a treatment program for court-involved boys, age 14 to 18, often incorporates social justice into her artwork.

“Every year I take cameras over there and teach art as a way of expressing what's going on and expose them to Mason. Hopefully they [will see that they] can go to college too."

Her projects on the prison systems and prison reform are inspired by loved ones who are in and out of incarceration, said Johnson, similar to how her projects on women’s rights tie back to her personal experience of being a woman who grew up in the foster care system of rural Tennessee and dealing with many gender inequalities.

Johnson, who now works for the School of Art as the business and operations manager, has several projects featured on her personal portfolio website.

“I don't like talking about my experiences very much, so I focus on others,” she explained. “One of my last projects ‘Lost in America’ was about undocumented members of our community and the abuses that they suffer.

“I've been at 7-Eleven photographing them, and somebody will drive up in a truck that says ‘Build the wall’ on the bumper. Those things really enrage me.”

Bobby Yi, assistant director at the School of Art and the interim director for painting and drawing, has been Johnsons’ academic adviser throughout her career.

“Sissy is pretty freaking amazing,” Yi said. “That challenge of having to juggle so much is humongous, and it speaks volumes about her personality and what she's willing to give for her family and for other students.”

“There's been so many times that my peers at Mason all show up for me when I need them, and they all motivate me,” said Johnson.

“One thing about Mason is that everybody has an opportunity to make their dreams come true here, and Sissy is the embodiment of that,” Yi said. “She deserves all the accolades that she could get.”

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Frenn awarded Fulbright to pursue arts-based research in India

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Andy Yoder featured in new Baltimore exhibition 'Strata of Synthesis,' opening April 6, 2024

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Murals at Mason: 'Icons of Fashion'

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Drone masterclass helps students explore real-world problems for first responders

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ARTS by George! 2023 Raises More than $275,000 to Support Mason Arts

It’s not too late to contribute! Make a difference in the lives of Mason Arts students, staff, faculty, community arts partners, as well as arts lovers of all ages in the region. For more information, please visit the CVPA website.

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Elevating Mason’s Green Studio with the Patriot Green Fund

Sustainability at Mason

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