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.