The exhibit will be on view through April 18
By Sissi Aguila ’99, MA ’08
Miriam Blasco Turrion is a business management major at FIU, but for months she has been immersed in the art world planning and installing MORT, a sculpture constructed using old clothing.
She is one of the 47 Honors College students who curated this year’s Aesthetics and Values exhibit at the Frost Art Museum. They are the students of Honors College fellow and painter John Bailly. In his yearlong seminar, students from different majors work with local artists to research, curate and promote the A&V exhibit.
Opening night of the exhibit March 24 drew a packed house of students, faculty, staff and artists. The Museum was buzzing with excitement about the exhibit and praise for the students. A small group gathered around Blasco to hear behind-the-scenes details of her collaboration with Guerra de la Paz, a Miami-based artistic duo that created MORT.
“You get to go to the studio and see where the artists work,” she explained. “Originally, I wanted a different piece for the collection but it wasn’t right for the space. So we worked together to get something that was right.”
The exhibit features the works of Bhakti Baxter, Xavier Cortada, Guerra de la Paz, Richard Haden, Bert Rodriguez, Gerry Stecca, TM Sisters, Frances Trombly, Wendy Wischer, and Ricardo E. Zulueta. This year, several of the artists created works specifically for the exhibition
“I have wanted to be part of the Aesthetics and Values program for a while so I was very happy to be chosen – doubly happy it is at the Frost,” Stecca said. “I had a great experience with the students who chose me.”
Finance major Alexandra Montesino, worked with artist Xavier Cortada. “This experience has broadened our horizon,” she said. “I had no idea Miami had such a large art community.”
Many alumni of the Aesthetics and Values class attended opening night to show their support and celebrate how far the class has come. When Aesthetics & Values started, students would curate an exhibit in the library.
“The alumni have made this what it is,” said Bailly. “I never imagined anything like this. It’s their dedication, hard work and crazy ideas of how we can do this that has transformed it.”
Bailly thanked Carol Damian, director of the Frost, for opening the doors to 40 students, many who had never taken an art class.
He added, “This is the culmination of eight months of work. As of today, the students are no longer student-curators. They are curators.”
A&V student-curators:
Verónica Allais, international business and finance
Eugenia Alliegro, business administration and marketing
Brian Alonso, international relations and political science
Walter Alves, international relations
Diego Arrieta, fine arts
Jocelyn Baéz, business, finance and MIS
Michelle Callava, finance
Miriam Blasco Turrion, business management
Elgina Cantave, management and finance
Ana Paola Capaldo, English literature and women’s studies
Jonathan Choukroun, computer science
Noor Daghistani, biological sciences
Marilyn Dominguez, public relations
Sonja Dyrdal, communications
Johan Ekman, international business and marketing
Luis Fernández de la Vara, economics and political science
Daniel Raul Gonzalez, psychology and political science
Juan Grillo, finance
Corina Guzman, biological sciences
Gissel Hermida, biological sciences
Lien Hernández
Fernando Intriago, English
Isselle Medina, finance and international business
Carmina Montealegre Reyes, international business and marketing
Alexandra Montesino, business administration and finance
Michelle Montesino, accounting
Jessica Napuri, biology
Katherine Napuri, biology
Jenesis Mercedes Negron, biology
Michelle Neshin, psychology
Remin Ozbay, theatre arts
Victoria Palma Flores, human resource management and management
Kanwal Raja, biomedical engineering
Andrew Rice, management
Giselle Rodriguez, English
Laura Rodriguez, international business and marketing
Ana Ruiz, art history
Hermis Sanchez, criminal justice
Alma Santiago, psychology and biology
Belinda Sardiñas, international business
Marai Alejandra Torcida, advertising
Arielle Trujillo, psychology
Melanie Vazquezm, criminal justice
Enrique Alejandro Villa, biological sciences and chemistry
Linda Eirene Ward, English and marketing
Johayra Witter, psychology
Simone Renee Worsdale, advertising