Student Stories

What drew you to this artwork?

So I knew who Cindy Sherman was before, and this piece is really striking, just with the expression. It's pretty small, actually. For some reason, that made it kind of compelling for me; it's just kind of tiny and powerful. Cindy Sherman is a very famous woman and I really identify with her... I like [her] expression in the photo. It's kind of mysterious. So that's what drew me to it.

Did this piece change your appreciation or thoughts regarding professional artworks?

I feel like I had a good impression of professional artwork before, but this has made me think like, how does MIT let students take multi thousand dollar pieces home? I don't know. I couldn't believe that I was so lucky. It just made me feel really lucky. I was like, no way am I going to get to live with an authentic Sherman. It was a very accessible kind of ethos and I was just more impressed with MIT and their attitude towards their students. It just made me feel like so much trust has been given to me, and I was like, oh, wow, I guess art is for everyone.

What drew you to this piece?

[Carmelo] Since I moved to Cambridge, in 2018, I have been looking at this piece because I have an architectural background. So having a drawing done by a very well known architect, brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, was super exciting to me. And I've tried to get it [through the Student Lending Art Program] multiple times. This year, because the Student Lending Program changed its process, we were able to secure an early spot. We entered the museum and it was there, so I had no doubt, I was like, ‘okay, I'm going to finally get it this year.’

How familiar were you with this artist prior to choosing this piece through the Student Lending Art Program?

[Carmelo] I studied urban design, urban planning, so I was super familiar with the well known, leading pioneer architects of modernist architecture like Oscar Niemeyer, and the amount of buildings that they built all over the world, from, of course, Brazil, the US, Italy. This piece is a temporary pavilion that was commissioned in 2003. So I like this idea that it was a temporary thing, it was not a building that was supposed to last forever.

How did you decide where to put the artwork? Did you move it at all?

[Elena] We were looking at several places with light. We had already gotten all of our other furniture, so the only other place that we had discussed having it was in front of the couch so we could see it from here, but honestly, we don't even use the couch that much, so we thought this would be the best place for us to see it.

What drew you to this artwork?

I saw this little label that said Tiffany Crossing the Albroz, medium: glow in the dark ink. And I really liked it, and that it was done with glow in the dark ink. That makes it very unique compared to the other artworks, and there's so many to choose from.

How has having this piece in your apartment changed your appreciation or thoughts around professional artworks?

Yeah, we often think of art as something that is designed to hang in a museum or in a public place and be appreciated in a very specific context. You're at the museum with your friends or you're in the town square, but when you've got something hanging in your room, it's there when you're happy, and it's there when you're sad, and it's there when you're tired, and it's there when you're hungry. And a great piece of art… it's there with you no matter what; it meets you where you're at. That's something I'd never thought about before, because I would only see works of art in a museum or on a projector in a course, but never kind of just with me, even in moments when I was not primed to engage with art. 

What drew you to this particular piece? 

I chose this piece because it's by my favorite artist, Bruce Nauman, and it's the only one in the collection that's by him. Having it in my space was really motivating for me to just keep making work because I hadn't made any artwork during this pandemic, or the past two or three years. And my art degree kind of got cut short a little bit, which was really difficult for me. So, having it here was really motivating for me to have during this time.

How did you become familiar with Bruce Nauman and his work?

I did my undergrad art degree in studio art, and I was assigned to go to the Bruce Nauman show during art class. He had a show at the MoMA and his installations really resonated with me. That was the first time that I saw his artwork and I felt really excited about it. This work that I have here in particular, I knew from when I saw it that it was an intaglio etching because I've done printmaking before. And that really excited me because it reminded me of this part of my past. I can tell that it was all made on one large, probably copper, plate. It was exciting for me to remember that and reminisce about my art degree as well.

So what drew you to this particular artwork? 

I was drawn to this piece because it felt optimistic. And one thing that I love about it is the fact that anyone looking at it can take away something different. What I saw when I looked at it was a playful brain. You have this very alive, playful feeling, but there's also structure and interconnectedness. I also love that I'm able to ask the same question of other people when they look at it. And I got a lot of good answers. Probably my favorite random answer that I've gotten is that it looks like a ball of objects that have formed a planet, like from the video game Katamari Damacy. I've even been able to show it on Zoom to older family members. Some people have told me it looks like a patchwork quilt. It definitely forms an important centerpiece of this room. So I like the fact that this is open to interpretation, and it feels uplifting to me to have in my space. 

How did you decide where to display this artwork?

I recently moved into this apartment when the lottery happened. So I knew that it would be a goal to find something to fill this huge wall. I did have it in mind for this wall when I was in the lottery space, just kind of thinking about what large horizontal piece would make sense there.

And the smaller artwork placed beside it? 

The day I came to choose an artwork, I was really torn between two pieces; this and then a really interesting woodcut that depicted an eerie grotto full of trash. I ultimately decided to go with the Nina Bovasso because it felt more aspirational than having an eerie grotto trash fill up most of the wall. I still loved that piece I was leaving behind so much that I took a photo of it, and I printed it out. I put it in a little frame, next to the main piece that I actually picked up from the Student Lending Art Program.

What drew you to this artwork?

I was originally looking for an oil painting. My space is kind of Gilded Age inspired. The woman in this artwork has the historical hair piece and the corset, the kind of fashion elements of the era. So when I saw her, I was like, I really like her; I have to go home with her. She'll fit the vibe. 

This is your first time participating in the Student Lending Art Program, how did you hear about it?

I was told by a friend. When I got admitted to MIT, she took me to her apartment and I noticed she had such cool art. She explained she got it from the Student Lending Program. 

How has this program changed your appreciation for professional artworks?

I wanted a real oil painting for a while, but they're so expensive, so I knew I probably couldn’t buy one. This program is really cool as a way to get art into people's homes who normally can only afford cheaper prints. 

What drew you to this artwork?

What initially appealed to me was that it was a Red Sox photograph. I'm local, I'm from Boston, I like the Red Sox. What initially appealed to me is that there is something so local in the program. But when I brought it back here, I got to thinking that there's lots of information in the image, like encoding the image. That's probably a very MIT way of phrasing it, but when you look at the photograph, you could see information about the game and so you can actually pinpoint when in the game it's happening and even what game it is in the first place. 

After picking up the artwork, did you do any research to learn more about the artist or about the photograph?

I mentioned that there's information in the photograph. Because I like baseball, I know of websites that track baseball games historically. And you can see in the photograph, the matchup is between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox. And you can see how the game has progressed in terms of the score. I also knew from the title that the player here was Jim Rice, who played in the late '70s. So I clicked around even to a subsequent season and I found a game that matched that criteria.

In examining this photograph, what jumps out to you as significant? 

I actually kind of noticed an emotional aspect to the photograph. I think it's a combination of a bit of foreboding and tenseness, anxiety, but also ultimately perseverance

What drew you to this artwork?

I was moving into a very simple space with clean lines; very modern. So I wanted something that was sort of the opposite of that, to balance it out. I gravitated towards this more organic looking piece with soft edges and a lot of color.

How did you decide where to place this artwork?

I remember thinking I want to place it somewhere where I can look at it often. This just felt like a natural option, in front of my desk, a place where I'm often sitting. With that said, I have a very small home with it being one room, so it could have gone anywhere, but I really did want it to be the focal point of the space. 

What has been your favorite part about living with this professional artwork?

Coming into graduate school having had some professional experience, I really wanted to have a more holistic approach to my graduate school program. So, for example, right now I'm taking an ‘Intro To Black and White Film’ class and I feel like having this art piece has been a constant reminder of that balance that I want to have during my time here, and how it's important to prioritize something I value.

What drew you to this artwork?

Part of why I wanted to do this interview in my last year [at MIT], is because I've done the SLAP program, probably four or five times, and I always had my eye on this piece. It was very special to be able to get it in my last year. 

I loved the sunflowers and light. The feeling of this really quiet, peaceful domestic scene has always been something I've strived for in my own life. During the pandemic, taking peace and pride in my home life was a big focus for me. Also, I spend so much time in this room, writing my thesis here, a few months ago I caught COVID and quarantined in here… so having this cheerful, but peaceful piece of art has been special.

How did you decide where to place the artwork? It’s certainly in conversation with these two artworks on the right. 

I had these two larger pieces of art and wanted to put them together and there are some tonal similarities between them. Obviously, between the birds and this one, they’re both more natural scenes. I also think some of the colors speak to each other.

These [on the right] are both done by a good friend of mine from MIT who has moved across the country, but was in my lab group my first two years and is a special person to me. So it is a nice thing to have.

What drew you to this artwork?

The thing that drew me to this one was that it's not very in your face. I really like the geometric pattern and the color scheme. I like it from a mathematical perspective… I know the artist was pretty big in mathematical and geometric inspired art. At the time, I didn't have any other artwork in my apartment, so it allowed me to think about how I could start that room. For me, it was subtle without being boring.

Has your perception of this piece changed since when you first picked it off the wall during the SLAP exhibition?

I actually began to appreciate it more when I got the email that I have to return it. I sit here and have my morning coffee, and it's always there and I quite like it. I was actually thinking about trying to get a print of it or something similar.

How did you choose where to put this artwork? 

I wanted it in a space where I get light in the room. I wanted this to be something that I saw every day. I'm slow when it comes to decorating my space, so it takes me forever to put something up on the wall and actually commit to it. 

How did you learn about the Student Lending Art Program? What made you want to participate?

I got an email from the dorm spam and it said that the List Center was giving away different artworks if you got picked from the lottery and I like art so I said why not? I entered with a couple of my friends but I was the only one that actually got it so it was kind of unexpected.

What drew you to this artwork?

There were quite a few still available when I went to pick. There were a couple of others that had a bit more color and, at first, I was looking for something more colorful,  but I thought this was a really nice piece of artwork and it’s an older style of chinese painting. I thought it looked like a tree and I really like trees. It felt very nice and calm and I like the brush style so that’s why I picked it.

How’d you decide where to place the artwork in your dorm?

I wanted it to be somewhere I could see it. I had already filled up my walls so that was kind of the only open space, but it’s also on display.

What conversations has this artwork sparked?

I do point it out to people. My friends all agree that it was a good choice and it does fit in with the room. They’ve said it seems like something that I would pick out, so it goes with a lot of things that I like. People ask about it a lot, how I got it, why I borrowed it… so I explain to people that it was through the lottery and that MIT has a Visual Arts Center. When I first got it, I went to the List to get it with a couple of friends that didn’t know about the building. It’s cool for people to find out that MIT has more arts centered initiatives. 

How did you decide where you wanted to hang this piece? 

We decided on it pretty spur of the moment. In the summer, we have more plants on the opposite wall so it was nice to have green to balance out the colors in the plants.

What drew you to this artwork?

I like that it’s geometric. I do a lot of digital fabrication stuff so I was also thinking, ‘oh well I really like this, maybe I could try and recreate it.’

You’ve been living with the artwork for nearly nine months now, did you notice anything new about the piece after spending more time with it? 

As I looked at it more, I noticed the depth and the subtle texture. 

What drew you to this particular piece?

I like the tryptic composition as well as the fact that it was clearly made out of several physical elements. I also enjoyed the balance of figurativeness and abstractness in this picture.

How did you choose where to display the piece?

I wanted to see it when I entered my bedroom, and that was the only available wall.

Due to COVID-19, this piece has been with you for an unusual extended period of time, living in your space for two years. How has the extended loan period added, changed or affected your experience with the piece?

The piece has become even more familiar, to the point that I could no longer imagine the room without it (it looks very empty now).

What drew you to this particular piece?

It’s an aquatint etching of what looks like a slave ship (or is it a ship of migrants in search of shore?), and the idea that really drew me was the struggle within this. There’s an interplay of light and dark as the piece depicts people who are suffering in all types of ways, and it also depicts them in their humanity. We’re all undertaking journeys, and what I really found interesting was the power of these journeys and the movement of people.

How did you choose where to display the piece?

I live on campus, and this piece was hung in my living room, up on the wall next to my work desk. Light falls the best in the living room, next to the big windows, so the piece comes out nicely in the afternoon sun. The colors within the piece change their hue through the day based on the movement of sunlight.

Due to COVID-19, this piece has been with you for an unusual extended period of time, living in your space for two years. How has the extended loan period added, changed or affected your experience with the piece?

Having this piece for an extended period of time has made for a more intimate relationship between myself and the painting. It was almost as if a guest was invited into one's space and the guest stayed longer than anticipated. The artwork created a sense of the familiar and served as an anchor through COVID. This image of a slave ship has also felt relevant to the times we’re living in as it's a powerful and painful reminder of the inheritance of racism in this country. So many people were displaced early in the pandemic; however, this artwork has seen me through the pandemic and borne witness to the time we’re living in. I have a fondness for this painting, and it’s been quite meaningful to have this particular piece with me through COVID.

What drew you to this particular piece?

I love the bright colored shoes contrasting with the muddy water. She seems like such a badass—willing to rock a great outfit in any and all conditions.

How did you choose where to display the piece?

In both my living spaces, I wanted Shit Kicker to be of central focus. That way, I could enjoy the energy every day in my living/working environment.

Due to COVID-19, this piece has been with you for an unusual extended period of time, living in your space for two years. How has the extended loan period added, changed or affected your experience with the piece?

I got to live with Shit Kicker in two different apartments because of COVID19—she has really become a central part of my Boston décor. I miss her deeply now that she is gone.

What drew you to this particular piece?

First, I liked its size. I also noticed that it matched the color scheme of my section of my room. The pale pink and evergreen lines matched my “Grand Budapest Hotel” poster also hanging on my wall.

How did you choose where to display the piece?

I hung it above my desk. In my bedroom at home, my walls are a mosaic of hung items ranging from postcards to a thrifted tennis racket. The wall above my desk is a continuation of this practice. Displaying it among my own posters made the piece feel truly incorporated into my room.

How does the piece interact with your space?

The piece definitely draws people’s attention, but it also makes sense among the items in the room. Its presence in my dorm is similar to the one it had in the gallery when I first saw: it blends in, but once you spot it, it stands out.

What has your experience been like living with the artwork? 

Living with the artwork has been a source of inspiration for me. I did some research on the artist, Audra Skuodas, and the ideas behind her work are very intriguing. She portrays the concept of vibrational vulnerability: the invisible phenomenal of incremental cause and effect. Living with this art has introduced me to new ideas that I otherwise would not have encountered.

Do you think that its presence has an effect on you personally?

I watched a video where Skuodas compared art to science because they both are pushing boundaries. I have always been interested in the humanities and the arts, and at a place like MIT, I was nervous I would only focus on technical subjects. I have been happily surprised that there are so many opportunities here that highlight the intersection between science and art. Skuodas’s work helped me locate my interest in these crossroads.

What were some things you looked for in a piece while you were making your choices from the collection? 

I’m so used to getting just a few minutes with artwork in a museum. I was surprised to find that I looked for very different characteristics when picking out a piece to spend a whole year with. There were some funny text-based pieces and surrealist works that I loved in the gallery but that felt a little overwhelming for a long-term relationship. I thought that pieces with big, bold colors might create a more comfortable, long-term sense of joy.

What drew you to this particular piece?

I liked the clean lines, how even though it’s really simple there’s something new to discover every time you look at it.

How did you choose where to display the piece?

I live in a small Cambridge apartment, and it’s easy for the rooms to feel cluttered. The geometric minimalism of the piece ensures that it always feels clean and comfortable in that corner of the room, at least.

How does the piece interact with your space?

I live in a small Cambridge apartment, and it’s easy for the rooms to feel cluttered. The geometric minimalism of the piece ensures that it always feels clean and comfortable in that corner of the room, at least.

What has your experience been like living with the artwork? 

It has been a treat. When I got it, I sent photos to some members of my family. It was really special to hear their reactions – everybody connects with it in a different way.

What were some things you looked for in a piece while you were making your choices from the collection?

At this point in time my place was only half furnished, so I was really looking for something to guide future design decisions. There wasn’t a specific checklist, just a vaguely defined emotional assessment: I had to really want it. I strolled through the gallery three times before making a decision. Part of the fun was busily obsessing over all the details.

What drew you to this particular piece?

I’ve always been a softie for nostalgia, a sense of vastness, etc. For me, the strongest idea from the painting is passage of time. The dominant colors are various shades of rust while the building’s foundation is heavily eroded, yet the building itself still stands. What will fade?

What will remain? After looking it up, I found Mnemosyne to be the perfect name. It’s one the painting shares with the Greek goddess of memory, mother to the nine muses.

How does the piece interact with your space?

I think mid-century modern design does a good job of being thematically clean, allowing other elements to stand out. There’s instead a sense of overgrowth as soon as you enter the apartment due to plants overflowing from every corner and every wall. A planted fish tank with a bonsai moss tree takes center stage. I also have a couple of vaguely Greek busts, pieces of art, and bookends. The painting really drives the image of some civilization’s ruins being reclaimed by nature.

What were some things you looked for in a piece while you were making your choices from the collection?

I wanted to find something that would grow with me in my last year at MIT. I knew that I would be spending many hours alone, researching and writing and lying awake fretting over my thesis, and I was looking for a piece that I could have a conversation with as my own work progressed. 

What drew you to this particular piece?

At first glance the piece seems unassuming. A photograph of a framed picture perched on a wooden table against a serene blue background. The layers unfold, though, first with the phrase “Our Honeymoon,” written in a cursive script, opposite a pair of beach sandals. Rather than the anticipated romantic image – a vacationing newlywed couple – the frame bounds the iconic diagram of a slave ship. This commercialized, contemporary mode for displaying domestic bliss embeds, instead, a historic representation of oppression. I’ve found some of these same themes in my research on popular media representations of incarceration, and I appreciate that this piece challenges its viewers to engage with their own culpability.  

How did you choose where to display the piece?

Because the work invites close, intentional viewing, I chose to nest it in my living space. It hangs in my bedroom, and I think that this placement serves to foreground the fraught relationship between domesticity and complicity at the center of the work. In particular, it hangs on my blue bedroom wall above a wooden dresser, mimicking the piece’s own composition. 

What originally drew you to this piece?

I’ve always liked little abstract art, and I felt like it would fit into my room also, kind of, that’s why I chose it. I just really liked it. I think his piece was also in the MoMA like when I saw the artist—because I’m from New York—and I usually like went to the MoMA. I recognized the artist.

How did you choose where to put it?

I brought it home, and I was like ‘okay, I’ll figure something out.’ But it just seemed to fit in. I was also thinking, like, somewhere here—and I like that it is right above my bed.

What originally drew you to the piece?

That piece was…two reasons: one is the artist. I was saying it before but I’ll say it again, the artist, Kiki Smith, is from my neighborhood in New York. She works there and is somebody who I’ve admired or quite a while but definitely could not afford her pieces. So it was wonderful when I saw it hanging in the gallery, but before I saw it hanging in the List, I saw it hanging in a friend’s house last year. So it’s got a little lineage in my personal, sort of friend-family group here at MIT which is really nice. So it was my first choice both because of the artist and content, because, like, Kiki Smith makes a lot of work that I think is really stunning but that I wouldn’t really be okay with living with. Just super intense, aggressive, forest spirit work. It was like a really happy medium where it had a lot of her person in it, but maybe not so much that I couldn’t interact with it every day. It also had that sort of local lineage.

How did you choose where to put it?

I always make my rooms really crowded, just full, overflowing with things, and I decided I would keep the walls almost entirely blank, and that’s the first time I’ve ever done that in a space. So I had lots of white walls, and I wanted to wake up in the morning and face this cat spirit and, as I said before, I think of it as a dreamcatcher. It feels very—sort of protective sort of like it’s not paying attention to me, like most cats. The morning interaction with it is a nice one. So I was thinking about that, and I definitely wanted it in my room versus in a living room. I wanted it in my space. 

What drew you to this particular piece?

When I went to the gallery day—it was one of the first ones I saw. I think probably, selfishly, it’s because I’m a dog person, so that definitely drew me to it. Also, the size I thought was really striking. Because, you know, it’s a large piece, but it’s relatively simple in the center, so it wasn’t—it felt like you could really focus on it. It didn’t feel too busy or overwhelming, and I really liked that. It felt very accessible.

How did you choose where to put it?

This was my first choice! So, I knew I wanted something—well, I was hoping I’d get anything—and I was especially hoping for something for this space, in my apartment. I left this area blank when I moved in, hoping I would get something. So, I’m lucky, I think, in that the size, and both the content and color, the form, all fit really well.

How do you feel it effects your space?

So, when I moved in, I love to decorate, so I was kind of visualizing stuff in this space. There’s a lot of space in this apartment—the ceiling is really high—so it felt a little bit intimidating, and I knew I wanted something big and singular right here. I didn’t want to do, I don’t know, a photo wall or something because that would be overwhelming in my kind of study/living space. So, I left this blank hoping that I would get something that fit, and it did.

What drew you to this particular piece?

“Well, I applied for it last year but I didn’t get it. I’ve always liked Frances’s work… I think I first saw this piece in her show at the MFA. It was cool to see it in a museum then take it home. I later got to do a studio visit with her and am actually writing an article on her right now… so I can work on the piece at my desk while the work hangs next to it.”

How did you choose where to display it?

“I didn’t want to put it over my bed, and that’s the only other wall space.”

Cassandra: it definitely goes with everything, which is like, so weird.

“Yeah, that’s actually another reason I chose it, because it goes well with my room… I used to have a vase like the one in the piece, but my roommate’s cat broke it today.”