ArtsWorcester’s 12th Annual College Show Exhibits Holy Cross Student Artwork

Ten Holy Cross students participated in ArtsWorcester’s 12th annual College Show, which exhibited the artwork of students from the Worcester-area colleges and universities, and ran from Feb. 5 - 26. The juror for this year’s show, Kristina Durocher, director of the University of New Hampshire Museum of Art, selected 9 students to receive recognition awards; among them were Holy Cross students Nina Ho ’16, Margaret MacMullin ’16, and Purva Rumde ’18.

The work of Sophia Jin ’15, Katie MacMullin ’18, Josephine Nuranto ’18, Mae-Chu O’Connell ’19, Allison Thiel ’17, Sarah Valente ’16, and Ryan Hatfield ’18 was also featured in the show. Holy Cross students submitted work in a range of media, including photography, drawing, printmaking, digital media, sculpture and painting.

Nina Ho '16, Margaret MacMullin ’16, and Purva Rumde ’18 discuss their award-winning pieces below:

Nina Ho ’16 “My Instalife,” matte paper book

“Social media has become an important part of our lives. In a way, it has somewhat taken over how we make and store our memories. Instagram is a great example of how our memories have become digitalized. Therefore, through this work I wanted to transform my piece from 2-dimensional into 3-dimensional and from digital back to physical. I did this by using the photos I posted on my Instagram account and recreated that into a physical ‘photo album.’”

Read the full blog post here.

Margaret MacMullin ’16 “Paper Plane,” oil bar, paper, and collage

“I created ‘Paper Plane’ as my final project for ‘Fundamentals of Drawing.’ Professor Remby had introduced the class to oil bar just a few weeks before and it became my favorite medium: I could smudge and smear the paint with my fingers, removing the usual barrier of utensils between the artist and the work. The idea of the paper plane as a subject came from a song about a broken relationship, but as I started sketching, the idea developed into something more. Just like a paper plane is subject to even the smallest gust of wind, so is any new endeavor. When the hand releases the plane, control of the plane is surrendered.

“While drawing, I thought about how I would soon be entering the unknown, traveling on a real plane to study abroad. Anything that I had ever started and failed, begun and succeeded, everything I will ever attempt--all of that, for me, is in that drawing.”

Read the full blog post here.

Purva Rumde ’18 “Tangles,” pastel and charcoal on paper

“For class, we were asked to construct a portrait inspired by an artist known for their compelling self-portraits. I chose Frida Khalo, who utilized surreal-realism as a vehicle to convey her physical but also psychological self. While Khalo's work proudly highlights her insecurities and attributes, I am more muted. I don't share my personal fears. After much self-reflection, I came up with different aspects of myself that were uniquely ‘me.’

“My hair is my biggest insecurity, but also my most defining physical characteristic. My introspective work is an attempt to shine a light on this darker aspect of my psychological self, in a hope to one day overcome my fear of my tangles and develop an appreciation in its place.”

Read the full blog post here.