艾米·利里亚诺(22届文学硕士) 

The onset of the pandemic and the shuttering of PAFA’s digital lab made Aimee Liriano realize that she needed to obtain equipment of her own if she wanted to create an independent, 作为插画家的成熟实践. “我爱大工作,” she explains, 与此同时, 我很注重细节, so I really became dependent on working in PAFA’s digital lab (pictured above), 在大屏幕上创作，用大格式打印东西. When I lost access to these resources, I had to find new ways of working.” These changes also led Aimee to think about what she would need when she graduated to continue her practice as a freelance designer and illustrator.

艾米对这个地方很着迷, and some of her illustrations capture a whimsical take on her travel destinations, 而其他人则对熟悉的领域另眼相看. “我绘制了一张我家乡的有趣地图, Santiago, 在多米尼加共和国, 它在那里非常受欢迎.  我想很多人认为这个小地方是理所当然的, 我想展示一些我非常喜欢的地标.  现在我在研究费城的地图.” Creating these works have been helped by Aimee’s ability to utilize her newly acquired drawing tablet and computer to move seamlessly between her home studio and PAFA’s digital lab.  

Júlia Godoy (BFA ' 22) 

这一年她获得了艺术风险基金奖, Júlia Godoy改变了她的做法. She utilized her grant to extend her exploration of utilizing natural materials, 她在南费城的邻居那里收集黄赭石, 在威萨希肯山脉的矿物质中发现了天然红色, 把贝壳磨成美丽的白色.

“我最初的想法是创建一个Anders Zorn调色板,” she explains, 他指的是上个世纪伟大的瑞典艺术家, “通过风险投资基金, 我得到了一个专业的玻璃研磨器和其他工具来制作颜料. However, I quickly found that the paints I made were too precious to utilize for traditional oil painting, 我开始以更有暗示性的方式工作, 放弃我长久以来的期望, 以更有目的性的方式工作, 在一幅干燥的画上涂上多层玻璃. This style is more meditative, and it connects me to the women I grew up with. The women in my family at home in Brazil are all holistic healers and collectors of herbs and plants that they use in their practice.” 

在她的提议中，Júlia与她的根有着强烈的联系, and her personal statement is used in student workshops to show prospective applicants how to draw on personal experience to write a compelling 美术风投基金 grant statement: 

“My earliest memories are of smelling white roses in my great grandmother's garden under the hot sun in Goiania, Brazil. 微风会带来一股香甜的水果香,葡萄牙语是柠檬草的意思, 是沿着地界的边缘种植的吗. The strong lineage of women in my family used this to brew tea to serve and sip while discussing life at the patio table. 当我的祖母们说起他们之前的几代人, I sat on my mothers lap while drawing on the white tablecloth with the bright red juices of the acerola cherry gathered from the tall tree in the backyard. The acerola stained my skin, and even after washing the tart scent remained. These were smells and colors I was comfortable with and were reminiscent of my home.”

克拉丽莎·基尔(21届文学学士，22届证书) 

For Clarissa Kear, the process of applying for the 美术风投基金 was as important as the actual grant itself. “Presenting ideas for grants and proposals is going to be a big part of my life as an artist, and the Venture Fund experience helped me to figure out clear and concise ways of breaking down my ideas,” she explains, “当我向资助者和陪审员做陈述时, it was great to know that they wanted to hear how the grant would extend my professional life.”

Clarissa was recently able to leverage the lessons she learned into applying for and landing a student curator internship with Axalta. This PAFA-created program brings student curators into corporate spaces, and Clarissa will be working at Axalta’s Global Innovation Center at the Navy Yard, developing an art exhibition and fine art programming for Axalta’s employees. “我为面试做好了准备,克拉丽莎解释说, 在我做完风险基金的演示之后, 这感觉是有机的，无痛的.” Clarissa will be mounting a year-long exhibition both at the Navy Yard location and at Axalta’s headquarters in Glen Mills.  

克拉丽莎的风险投资基金拨款用于购买Ipad, some software, 还有帮助她把想法变成现实的配饰. She states, “I like to work with a balance between traditional art making methods and digital practices, and I needed to get digital tools that would help me brainstorm in ways that will speed my process and reduce waste.” Clarissa used part of her funds to acquire professional development in new software programs, 包括Mental Canvas和Procreate. Her goal is to become an expert in emerging software as a way of increasing her visibility as an artist and attracting the attention of companies that share her values. “我认为从电影角度看,” she explains, “and I love how Mental Canvas allows me to create dimensional drawings that can be entered into and even turned into video assets.” Ultimately, she hopes that her adoption of new technologies will give her a competitive edge when she graduates. Says Clarissa, “I’ve already utilized my new tools in creating some commissioned animation and motion design, 包括给公司客户的电子节日贺卡.”