Rochester Art Center offers the opportunity for all people to understand and value the arts through innovative experiences with contemporary art. Ivonne Yáñez, ’23, received a joint award from the Rochester Art Center and the MCAD MFA Launch program for a financially supported solo exhibition last year. We had a brief interview with her to learn more about Ivonne’s experience and glean some valuable advice. See her answers below, in English and Spanish!
A piece from Ivonne’s exhibit
- How did your work at the Rochester Art Center build on/relate to the work you made during the MFA program?
While preparing to conclude my thesis exhibition, I simultaneously worked on constructing a solid body of work that I could present in a single exhibition after graduation. Rochester opened the call for submissions for this exhibition, and I applied by merging the content I had already showcased in my first solo show at Random Access Gallery in SY, NY, with some pieces I had planned to exhibit for my thesis. This helped me gain clarity on how I wanted to direct my next step in creating a coherent exhibition that brought together everything I wanted to express under the concept I had in mind.
Upon graduating, this body of work that I had been building started to make sense, and I began creating more pieces that aligned with everything I had previously researched during my thesis investigation. As I prepared for my written paper, I truly found many symbols and pieces that clicked into place once I had time to materialize all the concepts I had explored before. Thus, “Like a Little Tlaquepaque Vase” was born, an exhibition filled with hidden details, both material and symbolic.
Mientras me preparaba para concluir mi exhibición de tesis, simultáneamente trabajaba en la elaboración de un cuerpo de trabajo sólido que pudiera presentar en una exhibición después de graduarme. Rochester abrió la convocatoria para presentar esta exhibición y apliqué fusionando el contenido que ya había expuesto en mi primer Solo show en Random Access Gallery en SY, NY, y algunas piezas que planeaba exhibir para mi tesis. Esto me ayudó a tener más claridad sobre cómo quería dirigir mi próximo paso para crear una exhibición coherente que reuniera todo lo que deseaba expresar bajo el concepto que tenía en mente.
Cuando me gradué, este cuerpo de trabajo que había estado construyendo cobró sentido y comencé a crear más piezas que alineaban con todo lo que había investigado previamente durante investigacion de tesis, realmente pude encontrar muchos símbolos y piezas que encajaron una vez que tuve tiempo para materializar todos los conceptos que había investigado antes. Así nació “Like a little Tlaquepaque Vase”, una exhibición llena de pequeños detalles escondidos, tanto material como simbólicamente.
- Is there anything new or that you didn’t expect in your work from this show?
Yes! The pieces evolved as I worked; my process was consecutive and full of experimentation. Every time I finished one vase, I wanted to make another, and at the same time, I connected the concepts with the research I was conducting. The theme that inspired me the most was La Lotería Mexicana, and the more I delved into it, the more inspired I felt to create new vases.
Si! Las piezas fueron evolucionando conforme iba trabajando, es decir, mi proceso fue consecutivo y lleno de experiementación, cada que terminaba un jarrón,quería hacer otro y al mismo tiempo relacionaba los conceptos con la investigación que hacía, el tema que más me inspiró fue el de la Lotería Mexicana y entre más indagaba más inspirada me sentía para hacer nuevos jarrones.
RAC curator Zoe Cinel (left) and Ivonne in conversation during Ivonne’s artist talk in front of the show title and her “Awake” banner.
- What was your experience sharing your work with the Rochester community? How was it different from the Twin Cities community?
Rochester’s was welcoming and very professional at all times! I had the opportunity to connect with local artists. The experience brought many surprises, including the support of the community and friends from Minneapolis who came to see the exhibition in person (it’s a long drive). It filled me with joy to receive posts with photos of my work. It definitely helped me broaden my horizons, and seeing my work in such an important place as the Rochester Art Center inspired me to apply to more spaces and galleries.
Rochester fué acogedor y profesional en todo momento! Tuve la oportunidad de conectar con artistas locales. La experiencia trajo muchas sorpresas entre ellas aprecio el apoyo de la comunidad y amigos en Minneapolis que fue a ver la exhibición en persona (es un camino largo). Me llenó de alegría recibir posts con fotos de mi trabajo. Definitivamente me ayudó a expandir mis horizontes y ver mi trabajo en un lugar tan importante como es Rochester Art Center me inspiró para aplicar a mas espacios y galerías.
- How does working with a museum differ, if at all, from working with other types of art institutions, in your experience?
Each show has come with new adventures and fun experiences. The hype of knowing that I was going to exhibit my work in such an important place filled me with so much energy that once my participation was confirmed, I started creating sculptures everywhere, in my house and my studio.
I was surprised to see the number of people involved in the process, curator Zoe Cinel, and the great team that helped me install the exhibition, the design team that prepared the graphics for the postcards, and the team of educators who took the time to closely engage with my work.
Cada show ha venido con nuevas aventuras y experiencias divertidas. La emoción de saber que iba a montar esta exhibición en un lugar tan importante me llenó de tanta energía que una vez confirmada mi participación me puse a crear esculturas por todos lados, mi casa y mi estudio.
Me sorprendió ver la cantidad de personas involucradas en el proceso, la curadora Zoe Cinel y el gran equipo que me ayudó a instalar la exhibición, el equipo de diseño que se encargó de preparar los graficos para las postales y el equipo de educadores que se tomó el tiempo para conocer de cerca mi trabajo.
Ivonne and MFA ’24 Malini Basu during Ivonne’s image transfer workshop at RAC
- What advice, anecdotes, or inspiration do you have for future grantees?
It might sound cliché, but documenting is crucial, this is something I’ve maintained in my own practice up to this moment, and I also share it with my students. I try to document every process and each piece I create. I keep a folder of files on my computer where I save every application I’ve submitted. It always helps to revisit past documents to see how the way you talk about your work has evolved. 😀
Suena a chliché pero documentar es super importante, es algo que mantengo en mi propia practica hasta el momento y comparto con mis estudiantes también.Trato de documentar cada proceso y también cada pieza que hago,conservo una carpeta de archivos en mi computadora donde guardo cada aplicación que he hecho, siempre ayuda re-visitar documentos pasados para ver como ha evolucionado la manera en la que hablas de tu propio trabajo. 😀
