Savor
Gillian ArdenNatural Affinity
Zach Liljeholm
The goal of this body of work is to move the audience's relationship to environmental activism from one of guilt and obligation, to one of protective passion. I challenge the audience to investigate their preconceived understanding of the natural world, and the multitude of the ways they communicate and interact with the environments they inhabit in their everyday life."
Butterflies and Rosemary
Samuel Buchek
My maternal grandmother passed away when I was 4. I have a single memory of her, where I’m sitting at her kitchen table eating pasta with oil and garlic. After she passed, my mother took over one of her central roles in the family: cooking. She was now the one who had to prepare all the dishes my family enjoyed during assorted holidays.
My grandmother left behind a collection of recipe cards, containing dozens upon dozens of recipes that she had made or collected over her life. It’s through these cards that my grandmother’s memory lives on. After being asked by different relatives if they could get certain recipes, my mother made the decision to put together a recipe book containing scans of all the cards. She made multiple copies, ensuring that my brother and I would both have one. When I thought about these recipes and about that sole memory I have of her, I realized that the majority of my memories involve food. From eating passatelli at Easter to eating simple tomato sandwiches on my back patio, my memories revolve around food. With this realization, and my continual desire to honor my grandmother and make up for the time we never had, my thesis began with the idea of remaking the recipe book I was given. I wanted to take something practical and use my bookmaking skills to create something beautiful, a recipe book that my grandmother’s memory deserves. My thesis expanded to me giving my memories physical form, focusing on the positive experiences food has given me over the years. From the act of making pasta from scratch, to the process of getting pizza with my family, I want to share these memories with those around me.
My grandmother left behind a collection of recipe cards, containing dozens upon dozens of recipes that she had made or collected over her life. It’s through these cards that my grandmother’s memory lives on. After being asked by different relatives if they could get certain recipes, my mother made the decision to put together a recipe book containing scans of all the cards. She made multiple copies, ensuring that my brother and I would both have one. When I thought about these recipes and about that sole memory I have of her, I realized that the majority of my memories involve food. From eating passatelli at Easter to eating simple tomato sandwiches on my back patio, my memories revolve around food. With this realization, and my continual desire to honor my grandmother and make up for the time we never had, my thesis began with the idea of remaking the recipe book I was given. I wanted to take something practical and use my bookmaking skills to create something beautiful, a recipe book that my grandmother’s memory deserves. My thesis expanded to me giving my memories physical form, focusing on the positive experiences food has given me over the years. From the act of making pasta from scratch, to the process of getting pizza with my family, I want to share these memories with those around me.
Spectra
Xander Munc
The work culminated as a series of posters, 2D and 3D animation, book covers, interactive webpages, and sculpture, allowing me to explore my range of creation capable of sharing a single vast topic. From creating hybrid map/graph data visualizations, to my own equations which represent musical intervals as mathematical sculptures, this work aims to guide the viewer through the world of waves that surrounds them and connect them to the processes that shape the spectrums of our universe.
The work for Spectra was made using Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, Figma, Maya, Bifrost, Processing, p5.js, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and R.
Cultivation
Sarah Goodsell
Press Start
Olivia BrownSketchbooks
Morgan ClinardFour friends, four sketchbooks I designed and handcrafted for individuals who have different art processes. Aiming to capture and understand the different ways they approached their work and what a blank book could bring to them, I asked them to give the sketchbook back to me after a month.
Fulfillment
Adam KahlkeIn addressing these fears, I’m hoping to satirize them in a physical and engaging way that not only invites participation, but provides a form of fun and enjoyment — “taking the edge off”. For those reasons, I’ve chosen to make a satirical board-game focused on the concept of searching for fulfillment, finding success in a dramatized “dog eat dog” world.
My game features several challenges for players to fulfill, from amassing money, planning out your investments, and achieving fulfillment, all with a touch of rivalry through light player versus player “war” mechanics ranging from light theft, to the fall of technology.
Maine College of Art & Design
522 Congress Street, Fl 3
Portland, Maine
Gillian Arden
Olivia Brown
Samuel Buchek
Morgan Clinard
Sarah Goodsell
Adam Kahkle
Zach Liljeholm
Xander Munc
Peter Alfano
Jan Fairbairn
Dylan Hausthor
Amy Parker
Mary-Jo Valentino