Students unveil Aesthetics & Values exhibit at The Frost

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