Cazenovia College Art Gallery to Show Fashions Designed by Maureen Wilson

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One garment from the Jovian Desert "5nomads" collection

CAZENOVIA, NY (05/09/2013)(readMedia)-- The Cazenovia College Art Gallery in Reisman Hall will host the annual Division of Art and Design Senior Award Candidates' Exhibition from May 6 - May 18. Five Art and Design Program students, selected by a jury of Art and Design faculty members, have been nominated to receive the prestigious Art and Design Division Program Award. Work by these students will be on display through commencement week, when the award winners will be announced.

Maureen Wilson, of Hartford, N.Y., has always had interests in traveling, drawing and designing. She is a candidate for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fashion design, with a minor in studio art, to be awarded at Cazenovia College on May 18, 2013.

In 2012, her summer internship at Luckystone Feltworks Studio exposed her to the art of traditional felt-making. This experience proved to have a lasting effect as culture and natural beauty prove to be central in her art and fashion design work. In her Senior Capstone project, "Mongolia Today: A Test of Traditions," Wilson explored the uses of clothing as related to survival.

Her senior collection, shown at the College's 40th Student Fashion Show in April, is titled "5nomads." She writes of her designs, "Inspired by the vanishing culture of Mongolia's nomadic herders, these pieces are a response to the questions, 'what does one need to survive?' and 'what can one go without?' Each ensemble is worn by one of five different travelers in an imaginary world I titled The Jovian Desert. I thought about where they lived, how they lived, and what would satisfy their needs in order to survive. As my understanding of each character increased, my designs became more fine-tuned to their needs. Each of the textiles, designs and accessories aided in their lives. I want to transport the viewer to a world where necessity and desire are one, where people carry what they need on their backs and walk straight in the face of a cold sun. The Jovian desert is cold and vast and relentless. And these are my five nomads."

In addition to her nomination for the 2013 Division of Art and Design Award, Wilson is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, and was a Dean's List student. She also received a number of merit scholarships and awards. She was a 2013 Senior Designer, at the Annual Cazenovia College Fashion Show, where she was responsible for choreography, lighting and sound. She studied at Canterbury Christ Church University in England during her junior year, and was a member of Cazenovia College's Art Club, the Outdoor Recreational Club, and the Drama Club and the Cazenovia Wildcats Cross-Country Team.

The Cazenovia College Art Gallery in Reisman Hall, 6 Sullivan St., is on the corner of Sullivan and Seminary streets in Cazenovia. Hours during the academic year are: Monday through Thursday, 1-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.; Friday, 1-4 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 2-6 p.m. Summer hours vary. Shows and receptions are free and open to the public. The gallery is handicapped accessible.

For information contact Jen Pepper by e-mail to jpepper@cazenovia.edu. Information is also on the Web at www.cazenovia.edu/art-gallery.

Cazenovia College, founded in 1824, is an independent, co-educational, baccalaureate college near Syracuse, N.Y., offering a comprehensive liberal arts education in an exceptional community environment, with academic and co-curricular programs devoted to developing leaders in their professional fields. Cazenovia, named one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report, is also a national College of Distinction. For more information, visit www.cazenovia.edu.

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