New Faces at WSW: Summer 2014 Edition

Left to Right: Mei Fung Elizabeth Chan, Alyssa Bucci, Rachel Myers, and Mary Gordon.

Each year the Workshop feels the footsteps of countless newcomers, and in the wake of a busy spring we welcome another group of talented young women to the studio. The first week of July brought four new interns and now that the dust has (somewhat) settled from their arrival, Lizz Thabet joins the staff to continue expanding WSW’s digital presence.

The time they have here varies. The summer intern will only be here for two months, the studio and administrative interns will remain for six months, and our new blogger has been appointed for a one-year term. Their presence here keeps alive a tradition of ever-expanding community; their work contributing to 40 years of growth at Women’s Studio Workshop.

“internal chatter” by Alyssa Bucci.

Studio intern Alyssa Bucci grew up in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from the Ohio State University in December 2013 with a B.F.A. in Printmaking. Prior to joining WSW, Alyssa was working with a non-profit glass studio, Glass Axis, and interning at Igloo Letterpress. Most of her print work has been in relief, and she sees the printmaking process as a physical release of built-up emotion. Alyssa’s work focuses on relationships, her compositions made mostly of text and floral patterning. While at WSW, Alyssa wants to explore letterpress, photopolymer printmaking, and papermaking

“Bird Flu H7N9 in China” by Mei Fung Elizabeth Chan.

Studio intern Mei Fung Elizabeth Chan has traveled to WSW from Hong Kong, China. Mei graduated from Bridgewater State University this spring with a B.A. in Printmaking. She has explored both Western and Eastern printmaking techniques, and ultimately hopes to unite them in prints that are culturally rich and unique. Her work focuses on current social problems in Hong Kong, as well as the relationship between humanity and society. Mei is excited to join WSW and have the opportunity to work with so many different artists and instructors.

Ceramic work by Rachel Myers.

Administrative intern Rachel Myers grew up in Buffalo, New York. She graduated from SUNY Geneseo in the spring of 2013, earning her Bachelor’s in English Literature. Rachel’s previous work has been mostly based in ceramics, focusing on form and utility. During her time at WSW, she hopes to continue working with clay, while exploring the book arts, and different print- and papermaking processes. Rachel is inspired by the structure of narrative, and is currently interested in finding unique ways to combine image with text.

“Chicken Dance” by Mary Gordon.

Summer intern Mary Gordon was born in Germany and has lived in Manhattan, Kansas for most of her life. She attends Kansas State University, where she’s working towards a B.F.A. in Painting and Printmaking. As the summer intern, Mary works on the ArtFarm and prepares midday meals during the Summer Art Institute.  For her, art is a meditative exploration, and she has found that cooking shares many of the same restorative qualities. In addition to learning more about the fiber and dye plants rooted in ArtFarm, Mary looks forward to interacting with artists of all ages and backgrounds.

Lizz Thabet was born and raised in North Carolina, moving to New York to study photography and visual culture at Rochester Institute of Technology. She earned her B.F.A. this spring, and now joins us to manage digital content, including the WSW blog. Lizz has worked as a Publications intern with Afterimage: The Journal of Media Arts and Cultural Criticism in Rochester, NY and as an Exhibitions intern with Visual Art Exchange in Raleigh, NC. Lizz’s work focuses on the intersection of language and photography. She contemplates an embodied version of photography through drawing, painting, and video.

Lizz is excited to work with the many artists-in-residence that come through WSW and wants to contribute to the conversation surrounding artists’ work as it develops. Through the blog, Lizz will be talking to artists about work they want to produce, but she will also have the unique opportunity to watch as projects grow and change. Stay tuned for her forthcoming posts!

We’re eager to dive into a busy fall with all of these bright young women on staff! Their presence here is just one part of our expansion, helping the WSW community to continually grow.

For more information on our internship program for young women and for upcoming application deadlines, check out our Internships page.