Artwork Makes Massive Showing in Boston
Hannah McGrath’s "Sunken Cities” looms on the Art on the Marquee’s 80-foot screen at the Boston Convention Center.
06/04/2014
By Sheila Eppolito
For two years, Massachusetts art students have had the opportunity to share their work with hundreds of thousands of people – audiences only dreamed of by most aspiring artists.
Art on the Marquee showcases works from Massachusetts college students on its 80-foot-tall, 7-screen LED marquee outside the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in South Boston. Entries are judged by a group of artists, curators and Boston Convention Center staff.
This year, three of the seven artists selected are from Assoc. Prof. Ellen Wetmore’s Studio Workshop in Video Installation class, and their work will be seen by people in cars, on foot, in meetings and hotels in the vicinity of the bustling Summer Street marquee location.
Joseph Amico’s work, called “Community,” is a 30-second video with an inside look at the mechanics of a clock. In it, the slow, independent gears work together toward a common goal. Amico focuses on sculpture with an interest in Steampunk. He became interested in art in his first year of high school, when he began sketching characters and tracing work, leading him to a passion for understanding the way things are built. Amico, a Reading native, owns an online Steampunk jewelry business called Gallant Gears.
Hannah McGrath’s art keeps her very busy. McGrath is a painter and animator, and is part of the Student Art Union. She paints murals for the Merrimack Community Corps and created animation for Pentucket Players’ “Spamalot” production.
McGrath, a Haverhill native who is heading into her senior year, created a work called “Sunken Cities” — a mixed-media, stop motion animation and video inspired by the Quabbin Reservoir, which was created by flooding four western Massachusetts towns. McGrath’s work peers into life above and below the Quabbin’s surface, featuring buildings from Enfield, one of the towns that was destroyed.
“Having my work showcased on such a large scale is overwhelming, but exciting of course,” she says.
Jia Yi Lin was born in British Hong Kong and has lived in many places, including Guangzhou, China, Honolulu, Boston and Lowell. Her work, “Disappearing Horse,” is inspired by “Alice in Wonderland” and Alice’s experiences traveling through different worlds after falling into the rabbit hole.
The students may have learned a thing or two from their instructor: Asst. Prof. Wetmore showcased her work in this exhibit in 2012 — work from students was shown starting in 2013.
Every Sunday at 8 p.m., all selected works are featured. Art on the Marquee will be on display throughout the summer.