2023 MFA Thesis Exhibition
The Master of Fine Arts is the terminal degree for practicing, professional artists. The MFA Thesis Exhibition is the capstone experience of the graduate program, demonstrating a personal direction and mastery in the work of the artists. Graduate candidates presenting their thesis work in the 2023 MFA Thesis Exhibition are: Dan Baker, Marcus Escribano, Lilah Heyman, and Aimee Jette.
Dan Baker
Master of Fine Arts, Interdisciplinary Visual Art
Bachelor of Arts, Photography | WCSU
A resident of Danbury, CT, Dan is an interdisciplinary artist who works in multiple practices, including photography, printmaking, painting, drawing, and collage. In 2021, he earned a BA in Photography from WCSU, where he is currently pursuing an MFA in Interdisciplinary Visual Art. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant at WCSU, he has worked in several advanced photography courses.
In his artist statement, Dan writes, “The culmination of two years cannot be easily summed up into one show. This is an attempt to show my best within this time. This work shows the ups and downs of everything that I have faced within my education. . . Mixing my background in photography, I attempt to show the emotion that I felt to create these works. I mix the mediums that I use to show what I want to express. The work in this series does not have a continuous meaning, just as my experience.”
Dan’s work was exhibited at the Brookfield Craft Center in 2021 and at WCSU in “Covering Blue Note (1 & 2)”, collaborative shows with the art and music departments in 2019. His short film, entitled “Perfect Lovers,” was shown on The Marty Heiser Show and The Chris Pante Show, Danbury, Bethel and Ridgefield Television. Upcoming in May 2023, he will have a solo exhibition of mixed media works at Art in Common Gallery, Ridgefield.
Email: dbak7003@gmail.com
Website: danbaker.myportfolio.com
Instagram: @danbakerart
Lilah Heyman
Master of Fine Arts, Painting
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting | Fairfield University
Lilah, who lives in Bridgeport, CT, is a painter, drawer, printmaker, and embroiderer, currently completing her MFA in Painting at WCSU. She earned her BFA in Studio Arts from Fairfield University, where she received the CAS Arts & Sciences Award for Distinguished Work in Visual and Expressive Arts. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant at WCSU, Lilah has worked in Drawing I, Painting III, and Printmaking classes. She also worked with Fairfield University Art Museum and contributed to the creation of a coloring book based on the museum’s permanent collection.
Lilah creates from direct observation, focused on intimacy in one’s private life. She is interested in documenting a daily routine, discovering occurrences of pattern and repetition. In her artist statement, she writes, “I paint playfully, using color as light, and I pay attention to how light changes through various scenes. I enjoy using bright, bold colors to capture a sense of vitality. I paint still lives and interior scenes that focus on the rituals and beauty found in daily life. Time connects to my paintings, showing the way that time can stand still for an instant or how separate moments can blur together as one.”
In 2022, Lilah’s work was in a group exhibition at Bruce S. Kershner Gallery, Fairfield, New Beginnings… After the Pause, where she was honored with a People’s Choice Award. Her upcoming exhibits include a three-person show at Bruce S. Kershner Gallery from June to August 2023, and a solo show at Art in Common Gallery in October 2023.
Email: lgheyman@gmail.com
Website: http://www.lilahheymanart.com.
Instagram: @Lilah.Heyman.Art
Marcus Escribano | M’esco
Master of Fine Arts, Interdisciplinary Visual Art
Bachelor of Arts, Photography | WCSU
Marcus is a resident of Danbury, CT, pursuing his MFA in Interdisciplinary Visual Art at WCSU. He earned his BA in Photography from WCSU in 2019 and received the Department of Art’s Excellence in Photography Award. He also studied abroad at the Rome Art Program in the summer of 2018 and was invited to return in 2022 as a visiting artist and painting instructor. Marcus has also taught art classes at Harambee Youth Center in Danbury. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant at WCSU, he has worked with art students in Two-Dimensional Design.
In his artist statement, Marcus writes, “Inspired by my ignorance, driven by my curiosity, I am a multimedia artist using tools to further my language. I paint, photograph, sculpt, write, anything. I am an Afro-Latino born in the United States, where my main source of inspiration comes from Taino cultures and European art during the Renaissance. I am not one, but many languages.”
Since 2017, Marcus’ work has been in gallery and online exhibitions in the U.S., as well as Italy, Greece, and Hungary. In 2022, he was represented by NYC gallery Artifact at Miami Art Basel. In an upcoming group show in South Korea, one of his paintings has been selected for the permanent collection of the Yukyung Art Museum. His work is also in the collection of the Danbury Fair Mall and has been published in British Vogue Gallery and Vanity Fair.
Email: mescophoto@gmail.com
Website: www.highbrowblog.com
Instagram: @mesco_photo
Aimee Jette
Master of Fine Arts, Interdisciplinary Visual Art
Master of Arts, Creative Arts Therapy Counseling | Hofstra University
Aimee is a resident of Ridgefield, CT, completing her MFA in Interdisciplinary Visual Art at WCSU. She received an MA in Creative Arts Therapy Counseling from Hofstra University in 2019 and a BA from Albertus Magnus College.
Since 2002, Aimee’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in CT, NY, and PA. She was awarded a Gullkistan Artist in Residency in Iceland, where her work was also exhibited. In 2016, Aimee founded Art in Common, Inc., a non-profit charitable organization that connects communities by promoting creativity and compassion through the expressive arts. Art in Common Gallery, located at 602 Ridgebury Road in Ridgefield, CT, had its grand opening earlier this year and offers art classes, workshops, and gallery openings.
In her artist statement, Aimee writes, “What excites me about painting is capturing the emotional landscape of a place, whether internal or external. A landscape becomes a residence to mark contrary ideas or truths. Our memories of objects and events exist in the topography of our psyche. What is placed in the foreground and pushed back depends on the emotional intensity and chemical processes that dictate the event. I am fascinated by how these artifacts are stored. What does it mean to access this? . . . Ultimately, the external and internal landscapes personify the layers of our consciousness, which I confront and expose through art.”