Handmade at MassArt

By Courtney Goodrich

The lingering winter and upcoming week of finals and portfolio reviews didn’t stop the more than 60 students and 90 alumni from creating and contributing artwork to this year’s MassArt Made Spring Sale. Located in the lobby of Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s Tower building at 621 Huntington Avenue in Boston, the show includes hundreds of 2D pieces as well as a refined collection of ceramics, hand-blown glass, jewelry, and even clothing. It runs through May 9.

I first recognized the beautiful screen prints by Rusty and Ingrid Creative Company (above), which we saw at The Boston Flower & Garden Show earlier this spring. Rusty and Ingrid Kinnuenen, alumni who met at MassArt, are the husband-and-wife team that designs, stencils, and screen prints the pieces in Gloucester, Massachusetts. With big fields of solid color and attention-grabbing graphic compositions, the pieces offer an intriguing look at Boston’s urban scenes and the New England landscape.
For fine art painting, these abstract light post paintings by Felipe Ortiz, who graduated in 2009, are especially intriguing. Small and beautiful, each brushstroke is expertly executed.

Rebecca Davidson

is an artist with a glaze painting technique that provides enigmatic results. After graduating from MassArt, Davidson went on to complete an MFA at the University of Pennsylvania. She now works at Feet of Clay Pottery, a cooperatively run studio in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Speaking of ceramics, I definitely have a weak spot for them. And there are a lot of great examples in the show — Marketa Klicova’s large earthy bowl is gorgeous.

I loved the black-and-white castle scene complete with hovering bats on Erica Hood’s small plates.

Senior ceramics student Owen Roberts had fun with his meat cups.

Jon Baring-Gould’s “spirit shakers” are filled with pieces so that when you shake them, they make a sound. The faces on the top are most endearing.

But what had to come home with me? This rough sketch of the Boston skyline by Liveta Lapinskaite.

And this watercolor greeting card of a melting ice cream cone painted by Danielle Tieg.

Great design is always at your fingertips! Read Design New England’s May/June 2015 issue online!