MADISON, Wis. – Even as they read their names written on a plaque next to their work, Ro Storrs and May Martinez found seeing their sketchbooks on display at a Madison museum Friday morning hard to believe.
The Mount Mary University fashion students got the attention of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art’s director last May as she was putting together an exhibit centering on the idea of home, the same theme they had in class.
“One of the things I think is actually incredibly vital is making sure people can see that they can have pipelines and pathways into the arts,” said MMoCA’s Christina Brungardt.
Brungardt, the museum’s Gabriele Haberlan Director, said she decide to bring them on because their work resonated so well with MMoCA’s exhibit. After a few months of communication, for a few select students like Martinez and Storrs, their working went from being a regular class assignment to going on display.
“My heart was beating super, super fast. I was so excited and so nervous,” Storrs said. “I had no idea that I would ever get an opportunity like this in my life.”
It’s an opportunity Mount Mary University assistant professor Elena Pitts is thrilled her students have. She said it’s especially because in their industry having artists go without the recognition they deserve is common.
‘The marketing kind of business aspect of that, sometimes we (lose) really bright designers just simply because they are not that business savvy and they’re more on the art stuff,” she explained.
For a lot of the young artists participating, getting to that point was a journey of self-discovery, at times emotional. Fashion student Martinez said at first, the idea of defining home was overwhelming.
After taking a step back, she was able to find her path, and it began with her roots.
“I (came) from Mexican parents who were born and raised in Mexico,” she said. “They never failed to make me feel like I’m part of that culture.”
So she decided to incorporate that culture in her designs, hoping it resonates with museum visitors who make their way up to the third floor exhibit.
“Whenever I feel like someone can just be like, ‘Oh that looks something I would wear or do, this person gets it, they get me, they get my culture,’ it’s just more than enough for me to be happy and proud,” she said.
The Mount Mary University students’ work will remain on display through Jan. 29. The main exhibit “Home” will remain through Feb. 19. For more information, click or tap here.
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