2024 Merit Scholarship Recipient: Kasandra Suarez

Describe the work you submitted for merits.

My body of work can be described a mixture of humor and horror, a saturated color palette, a surreal environment, maximalism. I feel as if my target is everyone of all ages who enjoys a bright palette.

Why did you decide to come to MCAD?

I applied to many art schools, I had a difficult time choosing. It became clearer MCAD was my choice because they gave me a lot of benefits. I don’t come from a background of money, however receiving the Presidential scholarships and Laptop Grant was important to me. I received support from both my parents and this school, so I felt more confident in my decision.

What's next for your practice? Anything you're really excited to make?

More mixed media materials, more color, more about my cultural background being latina, more experimentation! I’ve been meaning to make a hand-made calendar or more book binding techniques that can be a collection of illustrations.

Favorite thing about college life (so far)?

Currently very happy with MCAD’s community of artist. My artwork is fueled and inspired by all the artists that I am surrounded by on this campus. Everyone experience is welcomed and appreciated, in high school I was told college won’t care about my mental state or feelings but I’m glad to say they were wrong. MCAD staff care and they are helping me through my journey as an artist.

What inspires you?

I currently have a work-study at the Service Bureau, I have access seeing students and staff prints. I always see what everyone is creating and there always a print that makes me go, “OH! Damn that’s cool, I should try making something like that.” If I have the opportunity to work here that means I should be making the most out of it!

Do you have a favorite piece you've made? Describe it!

My favorite piece is ‘Window of Intimacy’ : It’s 11 x 17 inches, made traditionally with colored pencils and POSCA Markers, it is a surrealists take of joy during moments of intimacy, letting your body tingle with sparks and an inner warmth and heat from the person’s touch. The hands aren’t a specific person, but they are meant to feel like they have total control and consent to see me at my most vulnerable moment. They glow to illuminate these emotions, be the light within the darkness that obscures queer love, intimacy between a woman and entity beyond gender.

Anything you're obsessed with at the moment?

I’m obsessed with Trolls 1,2, &3 and Luca, both are my comfort movies. I enjoy revisiting them and reading the artist book at the MCAD Library. I am so glad to have access to artist books of many animated films I have grown watching and understanding the process of these medias.

Lastly, do you have a favorite question we didn't ask? Tell us and answer it!

What is your favorite thing to draw? I enjoy drawings anthropomorphic animals, original characters, or a mixture of both. Sometimes personal aspects of the people around me are applied to the characters. What are some themes in your art, are you inspired by children or children’s media? My themes in my art is a mixture of cute and horror. I find my artwork to be cute due to cartoon shows I watched, which was on Nickelodeon and PBSKids channels. My favorite shows is Dragon Tails, Word Girl, and Yo Gabba Gabba. The horror aspect comes from my older cousins playing horror games around me and I decided in order to toughen up I must draw and watch more scary videos. All those scary stuff began to end up in my artwork and fusing with the cuteness.