INNOVATION: 2022 NOVA/MASON FOUNDATIONS JURIED EXHIBITION
Juried by Babette Pendleton – Exhibition & Programming Associate, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, The George Washington University
To see all of the art from the exhibition, visit:
masonexhibitions.org/exhibitions/innovation
This years NOVA/MASON show was a huge success! Our collective arts foundations students, who are Foundations level students (Freshmen or Sophomore) currently enrolled NOVA and Mason students. showed us how exceptionally talented they are!
This exhibition explores the dual challenges faced by Foundation Level art students: learning about a new medium and honing their craft within the structure of the class assignment. Innovation celebrates those works that expand on, push the boundaries of, and go beyond those in class assignments. Whether in craft, design, or concept, developing technical skills and an artistic voice is not an easy task. Innovation is an exhibition dedicated to the students working on building their skills and finding new approaches. All works exhibiting personal growth or an innovated approach to classroom work will be considered
There are a variety of positive aspects to bringing our students together in one exhibition. NOVA students get to see the level of art by their student colleagues at Mason and learn about the arts program from them and their professors as well. Often Mason students are prior NOVA students and having alumni return to see their friends is rewarding for all!
Each year the exhibition toggles between NOVA and George Mason. This coming year everyone working to have the exhibition in a professional arts venue to help provide an extraordinary learning experience for how galleries work and provide a broader community experience and access to seeing everyone’s art!
This year’s Juror is Babette Pendleton, the current exhibition and programming curator at George Washington’s Corcoran School of Art & Design in DC who also teaches within the Curatorial Practice program at MICA. She holds a BFA in Dance & Choreography from Cornish College of the Arts, and an MFA in Curatorial Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) with a minor in Critical Theory.
Experimentation, intentionality, and collaboration are central aspects of Babette Pendleton’s multidisciplinary work as an artist, curator-producer, and researcher. Her national and international curatorial work manifests in forms of collective and collaborative organizing, project management, visionary and strategic consulting, and exhibition/performance producing. Babette is the director of Yellow Fish, a durational performance art festival which aims to bring awareness to the significance and study of time through cultural practices and artistic mediums, while facilitating community involvement in historical and contemporary thought surrounding Durational Performance. Notable past work includes, director and founder of the Pendleton House—a twenty-five person interdisciplinary art collective; director of the experimental gallery space, New Tomorrow; and producer and project Manager for Sarah Cameron Sunde’s global series, A Durational Performance with the Sea. She most recently worked as a consultant with Robert W. Deutsch Foundation in Baltimore, MD and Coffey Street in Brooklyn, NY. Her current research focuses on reconfiguring contractual agreements inside collecting and commissioning initiatives with specific emphasis on putting care practice and performance methodologies at the forefront of contract law. Babette
The works she chose are inspirational and often tell a personal story or stories of others or experience itself.
This year’s show is headed by Jessica Gardener and Brian Davis. Jessica head’s our NOVA Alexandria Ceramic’s and 3-D Arts program and Brian, teaches New Media and Sculpture at George Washington University and George Mason University.
The reception was offered time for students and families to dive deeply into our student’s intentioned-artwork.
School shows are often the first experience our young students have with exhibiting to the public.
The rewards are immediate, as art-goers have a huge appreciation for technique and process.
It’s also a wonderful moment for our artists to explain their work to others.
Before long it was time for Jessica to gather everyone together to begin the awards ceremony. First, our Provost, Dr. Annette Haggray was kind enough to give a wonderfully inspiring thank you to all of the students, for their creativity, confidence and talents.
Babette spoke about all of the works and the extra-ordinary creative ways the students went beyond the classroom assignments and used highly innovative creative thought.
First award of the night was our Honorable Mention , which went to MJ Gomez-Salazar! Congratulations!
Our Third Place Winner, Ian Dermott! Congratulations!
Brian Davis, 3-D professor at George Mason, proudly took pictures of all of the winners! It’s a rewarding moment!
Our Second Place winner went Faani Tabrizi Nezhaad’s. She could not be there but her family was!
Our first Place winner’s award went to Pasindu Weeramunda! Congratulations!
Finally, Congratulations to our People’s Choice winner, Ryan Funkhouser!
Students from all of our arts came in to see the works and learn from them!
Dr. Nicole Munday, Associate Dean for the Social Sciences, enjoying Vicente Figueroa’s Artwork.
Vicente Figueroa discussing her artistic Book artwork.
Jessica takes a picture of Robbyn Smith and her incredible artwork: Barking Mad Blue.
It’s an exciting show and everyone really enjoyed the works and meeting other students!
Sofia Vazquez-Espada enjoyed explaining her work : Color is a Concept.
Students enjoying Ariana Barbery-Cornejo’s work: Perception Features.
Rachel McGrath and Bethany Davis’ photographic images were wonderfully well recieved.
Yesenia Garcia in front of her lovely piece: Izanami.
A special thanks go out to Brian and Babette for ALL their hard work and creativity in making this show happen.
Stacy Slaten, the head of our 2-D Department proudly enjoying the student work from her and others classes.
To see all of the art from the exhibition, visit:
masonexhibitions.org/exhibitions/innovation
Congratulations to all for being so creative and taking the courageous steps to let your work be seen!