Grand Valley Magazine Winter 2015 - (Page 12)
A RTS
Acclaimed artists guide,
teach students
by Matthew Makowski
Internationally recognized visual artist
Nayda Collazo-Llorens surpassed more
than 200 applicants during a nationwide
search in 2013 to become Grand Valley's
first Stuart B. and Barbara H. Padnos
Distinguished Artist-in-Residence.
Working in various forms of media,
including drawings, prints, video and
installation works, Collazo-Llorens strives
to examine the way in which information
is perceived and processed.
"My work invites the viewer to reflect
on the complexities of the mind and the
fragmented manner in which we perceive
what is inside and around us, particularly
as we try to cope with a complex world
in an age that is as much about data
overload and hyperconnectivity as it
is about distancing and dissociation,"
Collazo-Llorens said.
Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico,
Collazo-Llorens received a Master of
Fine Arts in studio art from New York
University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts
in printmaking/graphic design from the
Massachusetts College of Art. She has
held previous residency positions in New
York, Florida and Puerto Rico, and also
has teaching experience from Carnegie
Mellon University, Indiana University in
Pennsylvania and Kalamazoo College.
The nine-month Artist-in-Residence
position offers an opportunity for
working artists or scholars to teach and
12
Winter '15
mentor students in the Art and Design
Department as well as speak on campus
and to the West Michigan community.
"Nayda will be primarily working with
our students, providing them with an
example of what a practicing, active
artist in the world does while helping
them understand how they're going to
manage, navigate and succeed once they
have graduated," said Virginia Jenkins,
Art and Design Department chair.
Collazo-Llorens is also teaching
Intermediate Drawing and participating in
critiques and reviews of students' work.
"I appreciate the opportunity of linking
my studio practice to Grand Valley,
sharing research and making purposeful
connections with students, faculty and
other members of the community,"
Collazo-Llorens said. "I envision this
position as one of exchange, which
allows me to exist in a porous and elastic
space within the institution."
While Collazo-Llorens is the first
Padnos Distinguished Artist-inResidence, the position was originally
established in 2005 as the Padnos
Distinguished Chair by late West
Michigan businessman, humanitarian
and philanthropist Stuart Padnos. It was
a way to honor his late wife, Barbara's,
adventurous and artistic spirit, while
also promoting the teaching of art at
Grand Valley.
"I appreciate the
opportunity of linking
my studio practice to
Grand Valley, sharing
research and making
purposeful connections
with students, faculty
and other members of
the community."
-Nayda Collazo-Llorens
Artist-in-Residence Nayda
Collazo-Llorens, left, is the Padnos
Distinguished Artist-in-Residence.
photo by Amanda Pitts
In 2012, the department consulted with
Padnos' sons Doug and Jeff to rename and
redefine the position as the Distinguished
Artist-in-Residence in an attempt to clarify
expectations for applicants.
As each new artist-in-residence brings
fresh ideas and perspectives, Jenkins said
she is looking forward to seeing how the
position will evolve.
"We will learn what strategies for
immersion of the artist in the department
and the community work well and what
strategies need to be adjusted," Jenkins
said. "Teaching our students how to adapt
and change to meet an ever-changing
environment is one of our important goals,
and a goal also that the department needs
to model as we work with different artists
holding this position."
For more information about
Collazo-Llorens' work, visit
www.naydacollazollorens.com.
http://www.naydacollazollorens.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine Winter 2015
Campus News
Athletics
Donor Impact
Arts
RMSC celebrates silver anniversary
Get a job
Another man's treasure
YGR
Research
Sustainability
Q&A George Grant Jr.
Off the Path
Focal Point
Alumni News
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