Noah Humes (BFA Communication Arts/Illustration ‘17) and Sofia Enriquez (BFA Communication Arts/Illustration ’14) are the winners of the second annual Alumni Mural Competition.
"We had so many excellent submissions this year which made the decision a challenge for the jurors, so in the end, the decision was unanimous to choose two winners. We are so proud to have such talented alumni," said Hazel Mandujano (BFA ’03, MFA ’10), Director of Alumni Relations.
Jurors for the 2018 competition included Victoria Burns, Sandra de la Loza, Norm Laich, Vincent Ramos (BFA, Fine Arts '02), and Phranc. Renée Fox (BFA, Painting ’02) was the inaugural winner in 2017.
From Noah's proposal: "In this painting, titled "Home", the subjects, who are each of African descent, are literally and figuratively placed in their neighborhood located in Southern Los Angeles. There are ten human figures who are standing in the middle of their street drenched in Western, Eastern, and Southern African regalia and clothing. As "Home" over time for them has been Los Angeles, California is it really where they are from and who they are? They are confronting who they are and where they derive from, ultimately what their identity is. The clothing roots from Samburu, Kenya, Kuban embroidery from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lagos, Nigeria, and Windhoek, Namibia. The dog stands in as protection representing a hyena for the Gadawan Kura (Hyena Men of Nigeria).
They are in the midst of stripping away the "European mindset" or the "Mindset of the colonizer" and replacing it with the African body of principles and value systems. In addition, it is knowing the thought of existence which slowly evolved from their forefathers over time, and having the chance to recreate an African ideology to guide them forward. Identity relates to each human being within their personal lives, careers, etc. It is a universal element of our human experience we are destined to address to truly discover ourselves and our homes." See more of Humes' work.
From Sofia's proposal: "I plan to illustrate my experience of living in Los Angeles and attending Otis College of Art and Design," proposed Enriquez. "I am inspired by how over-concentrated the city is with people, work, and movement. I chose to write a few words in Spanish that I heard a lot from my immigrant parents while I was attending this school. This facility is where developed my style of perpetual patterns of faces and paisleys that symbolize eternity and life. I believe that this mural is an effective way to inspire viewers to slow down and to be present in their day with a 'museum without walls' experience." See more of Enriquez' work.
An opening reception for both murals will take place Sunday, September 30 as part of the College’s 100th Birthday Party, the murals will be installed through June 2019. Learn more about Otis College's Centennial Celebration at otis.edu/FindYour100.