Alumna’s Artwork Chosen for Major Exhibition at Montclair Art Museum
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Emily Carrasco Perez, stunned and elated by the news last spring that one of her artworks had been accepted for a professional exhibition at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM).
Emily’s piece, “Infertile Venus,” is now on view at MAM until January 5 in the exhibition, “2024 New Jersey Arts Annual: Exploring Our Connections,” and is one of 63 works chosen from over 1,000 submissions for the exhibit.
This is an amazing career accomplishment for Emily, who only last May received her associate in fine arts degree in PCCC’s 52nd commencement ceremony and graduated with the Studio Arts Graduate Achievement Award.
Emily was still some weeks away from graduation when she submitted her work to MAM to fulfill the portfolio class requirement for the degree program.
The goal of this assignment is to give students who plan a career as an artist the experience of going through the submission process for a professional exhibition. One typically would not expect the work of students to be chosen for exhibition at this early point in their career.
But sometimes the unexpected does happen, especially in the case of a strong talent. “I was the youngest one there,” said Emily, admitting that she felt somewhat intimidated when she met some of the other 61 artists featured in exhibit. “Everyone seemed to know one another, and they all appeared to be very experienced, but I felt proud about my work.”
This isn’t the first time “Infertile Venus,” drew recognition. The black and white paper cutout was among several of Emily’s works featured in PCCC’s Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition in 2023, where it received the first prize award.
A notable contrast to the artist’s two gentle, pastel-hued paintings also in that show, “Infertile Venus,” portrays a bleak landscape dotted with tree stumps and dominated by a distorted depiction of the ancient Greek sculpture “Venus de Milo,” an statue in the Louvre believed to depict the Greek goddess Aphrodite and famously recognizable, because the arms are cut off.
“I was thinking about how, over time, on the planet or in her own life, a woman can be cut off, made powerless,” said Emily of her mature and disturbing work.
Emily loved coloring and creating crafts since she was a child in Peru. “I dreamed what most artists dream…to sell my work and make a living with art.”
At PCCC, Emily encountered challenge and growth in the art classes. “Professor (Mary) Dajnak and Professor (Azadeh) Amiri made me try things I didn’t think I could do, and they helped me to discover more about my art.”
Emily says she really didn’t like to draw and never tried sculpture but did more of both in her art classes and appreciated the results. Not a fan of abstract art, she prefers the realism of Michelangelo and other early artists but tries not to be influenced by any other work.
Emily admits she resisted at first when Professor Dajnak suggested that her talents indicated an affinity for design, perhaps even more than painting. “Now I see that with “Infertile Venus,” said Emily. “That work is definitely more of a design piece.”
The enthusiasm Emily feels for her PCCC art professors is mutual. Thrilled to hear of Emily’s success with the MAM exhibition, now retired Professor Mary Dajnak had these words about her former student:
“Emily is an exceptionally gifted and skilled artist. During her time at PCCC, she was, without question, one of the most remarkable students I had the privilege of working with. Highly motivated, hard-working, and with a relentless commitment to craftsmanship, she often spent hours beyond class time in the studio refining her work.”
Now pursuing her bachelor’s degree in visual arts at Montclair State University, Emily hopes to go on to a career creating and selling art, but may consider teaching as well.
“My goal is to help others through art,” she said. “I want to help others find their art, the way my professors helped me to find mine.”
Written by Linda Telesco
Back to News