Art Program and Alumni Are Focus of Exhibit

When NECC art alumna Reneiry Santiago ‘17 shared with Marc Mannheimer, her former art professor, her interest in curating an art exhibit, he knew just where she should start – at Northern Essex. For years, Mannheimer had imagined an all NECC alumni art show, but with a full teaching schedule, serving as coordinator of exhibits for the Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace, as administrator of the NECC Art Instagram page, and his own art, he knew he had little time to set aside for such an endeavor. But, with a co-curator, the show could become a reality.

And so it did.

The first alumni art show, displaying the works of 10 alums who graduated from the General Studies: Art and Design program, was exhibited in the ArtSpace in the Harold Bentley Library on the Haverhill campus for a month this winter. The show included 44 works, including paintings, drawings, prints, digital design works, and photography.

“I agreed to co-curate the moment he mentioned this,” Santiago says. “It was an amazing opportunity and I’m really grateful.”

Mannheimer, who has taught at the college for 18 years, would like to see this become a regular event.

“Our graduates are extremely successful artists and designers who have transferred to top art and design schools,” he notes. “I believe it is very important for our college and department to allow our current students and the local community a chance to experience the range of talent our students possess.”

The NECC Art and Design program provides a focus in either fine arts, multimedia, photography, or graphic design. Each focus leads to an associate degree.

Kailey Johnson ’16, who exhibited four pieces, transferred into the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston, where after she earned her bachelor’s degree began working in the MFA’s member and visitor services department.

“I’ve always been an artist at heart, but never saw it as a career option, she says. “I enrolled in this program and everything just clicked. Everything came into place. I was happier. I had more direction. I felt more powerful. I always felt like I had something to say and here I learned a visual language to express myself.”

Austin Wells ’16 was eager to participate in the show. “Why? Because I love this art department. The faculty are more like friends.”

The works and stories of many of the art & design alumni can be viewed on the neccartdesign Instagram page.

Photos from the Alumni Art Show, clockwise from top left: Co-curators Reneiry Santiago and Professor Marc Mannheimer; Autumn Markey ‘15; Ryan Silva ‘16; Kailey Johnson ‘16; Kailey, Reneiry, Ryan, and Autumn; Austin Wells ‘16