We are interviewing some of the generous MFA alumni who donated to our new MFA 2020 Fund, which will support scholarships for future Black, Indigenous, and People of Color MFA students.

Our new goal is to raise $40,000 by July 11, 2021 (the closing of our Then & Now, our alumni exhibition), allowing us to increase the size of the yearly grant to match the other MFA merit awards.

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Please join us in learning more about Suyao Tian ’17 and her creative practice.

Which year did you graduate and what brought you to MCAD for your MFA? Could you speak a little bit about your background? 

I graduate 2017 MFA in design (Branding Identity).

Could you speak a little bit about your background?

I was born and grew up in China and have a BFA in Music education. I was also an assistant professor in China’s collage for three years. I came to the United States in 2011 and changed my major to art and got BA from University Central Arkansas. Afterwards I completed my MFA in art and design from MCAD. After graduating in 2017 from MCAD, I began working as a freelance artist, designer, and independent curator.

How did your art change while you were at MCAD?

I really benefited from the one on one mentor programme during the MFA study. It allowed my lingering focus to center on a specific area, to fully understand the whole process of branding works of design. I had the opportunity to explore and practice the whole process of branding design, and that’s been a really precious learning experience. It has definitely made my works stronger.

How has your work evolved since your time at MCAD?

MCAD provided me the opportunity for the full experience of branding of branding product design, all the way from idea and product design to development, manufacturing, and marketing. I had to fully understand and practice to make my design work have a cohesive style. After graduating, I continued to explore different areas like curation and fine art.

What is next? Any new projects or jobs that are in the pipeline?

For Fine art: I’m a freelance artist exploring watercolor and water based media.

I’m also preparing a couple solo shows and exhibitions throughout this year. I have a list of commission works and a couple big art fairs coming soon. I just finished a wallpaper project with a local wallpaper company.

For Design: I still work on design items for my fashion brand Modern Cover. In the winter I may be adding some new products.

For curation: I’m just starting a new project which I am so excited to introduce the folk art from my hometown in China, bringing it here to the US. There will be lots of new things to explore! Stay tuned!

You donated to support our MFA 2020 Fund, which benefits future Black, Indigenous, and People of Color MFA students – thank you! What motivated you to contribute to this scholarship effort?

In my country, there’s a saying that states that “a drop of water, needs full river to return.” I appreciate the education MCAD gave to me, it’s my honor to give something back to help others too!