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 Zoe Cinel ’18 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? 

2018. I have a BFA in industrial design but I always dreamed of being an artist and didn’t know it could be a career. When I first came to MCAD as an international student in 2015 for just a semester I took printmaking, acting, videography and gender studies classes that inspired me to pursue art as a professional and life path. 

How did your art change while you were at MCAD?

Coming into the MFA program, my focus was on documentary and video making. During my time in the MFA program I experimented with spaces, objects and materials and started incorporating video into sculptures and installations. Building confidence through the conversations with my mentor Piotr Szyhalski and the critiques with the other MFAs, my work started growing in scale until it became quite large and site specific. I loved having access to the MFA gallery. It was kind of like having a playground!

How has your work evolved since your time at MCAD? 

During my second year I became part of the artist collective CarryOn Homes, comprised mainly of MFA grads and alumni. COH opened the doors for me to a new artistic field which I never considered before: public art. Since graduating I have worked on many projects with CarryOn Homes, including public art platforms and traveling exhibitions. When I am not working with COH, I like to collaborate with other artists and curators on projects that range from performance, new media, walking practices, video and more. Lately I have been developing more connections with curators and institutions in Italy trying to create a bridge and show the contemporary side of Italian culture.

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

I am currently working as a full time Curator at the Rochester Art Center and on a couple of public art projects with the City of Rochester, DMC Rochester and the City of Minneapolis. 

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? 

It’s just fundamental to support this effort of making a privileged experience such an MFA accessible from an economical standpoint.