WHAT’S NEXT FOR ARTS & DESIGN GRADS?

It’s fascinating to look at senior projects and portfolios to see what the newest crop of emerging photographers is creating. That’s why I love serving as a portfolio judge for The New School Parsons School of Art, Media & Technology MFA Photography graduating class each year. But I love expanding my explorations see what’s coming out of other schools, other arts, other disciplines altogether. This is what’s next! And that’s important.

A newly graduated NYU Tisch photography student caught my attention, not just for her artistry and her unique style, but also for her perspective on the transition from student to graduate to emerging artist.

We also checked in on an alumnus from Pratt Institute whose debut work we admired a couple of years ago. Since then, she has been working as a shoe designer for Stuart Weitzman, and while that’s very cool, we can’t see which of the brand’s designs are hers.

Check them out below… and stay tuned.

JILLY AWNER

“What’s next?” is always the key question lobbed at new graduates, new retirees, and newly designated champions. And while it’s exciting to consider, and we all want to know, photographer Jilly Awner, who recently graduated from NYU Tisch, wants to focus on a different answer.

“The most common question I'm asked these days is ‘what's next?’ Before answering that question, though, I have to figure out ‘what's now?’" she says.

In searching for clues, Awner reviews her past few years living as a student in New York City. “... my making and taking of images has shifted from calculated projects to a more snapshot-like documentation of things that catch my eye,” she explains. “It's possible my way of looking at the world has evolved, but it could just be my unintentional method of existing in a time already oversaturated with images.”

For her senior show, Awner explored reefs from a new perspective, from a freshwater quarry in Pennsylvania -- to a saltwater sanctuary in the Florida Keys -- and several wrecks in between.

“Rather than operating my camera as an autopsy tool, I am photographing to shine light on thriving underwater habitats,” she explains. “By using the photograph as evidence, reefs can be brought to the surface of conversation surrounding conservation, inspiring positive change through action.”

Where is Awner off to next? She quotes Bilbo Baggins’ response to the same question, "I'm going on an adventure!"

Awner invites you to check in on her to see where that adventure leads and to contact her (just don't ask her "what's next").

CHANEL SHI

In the last few years, the field of Industrial Design has gone through dramatic changes, largely thanks to digital technology.

This has exponentially expanded tools and access so that everyone can create something significant if they want to. It has unleashed a massive wave of creativity and interactivity, where designers and users trade places and co-create.

The convergence of industrial design with scientific research, from biology to artificial intelligence and robotics, has opened up new opportunities for humanity to advance, culturally, aesthetically, and responsibly.  

Chanel Shi, an award-winning industrial and fashion designer, currently working as a shoe designer at Stuart Weitzman. Her approach reflects these tools and materials advanced and her interest in biomimicry.

Shi graduated with a master's degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute. She also holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design Engineering from Zhejiang University. She also studied Industrial design at National University of Singapore, and studied Interior design at UC Davis.

During her graduate studies, she focused on shoe design with wearable technology. Her master’s thesis concentrated on shoe design, looking at movement and form found in nature. She also explored beauty and meaning of art through the technology of sensors and human-computer interaction as well as 3D printing.

At Pratt, Shi expanded her work to include design for small leather goods, handbags, and jewelry design. Two of her bag designs have been published in a book, Creative Bags. Her bag design, “Transformation Shopping Bag,” won the most popular bag design in the crowdfunding of BetaBrand.

After graduation, Shi interned in the Shoe Design Department at Marc Jacobs and Cole Haan. She also interned in the wearable product design departments at Perceptual Computing Group, at Intel. She worked on to design several innovative devices with Real Sense Tech and “Batman Virtual Reality Glass.”  

More recent projects include a "Sense Sound" workshop, which Shi produced in collaboration with Spotify and musicians, integrating her costume design and prop design.  

What’s next for Shi? We can’t wait to see.

Read more about Beautiful Graduations in A Journey to Celebrate Graduations: Camino De Santiago, Beautiful Launch Lines: Commencement Quotes, and Tiny Lights Make Big Impact & Change Worlds.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Jilly Awner. “Everglades National Park. Florida”
2. Image: by Jilly Awner. "Not an Obituary" series. Florida.
3. Image: by Jilly Awner. “Manhattan” Panograph series.
4. Image: by Jilly Awner. “Moon” series.
5. Image: by Jilly Awner. "Not an Obituary" series. Florida.
6. Image: by Jilly Awner. "Not an Obituary" series. Florida.
7. Image: by Jilly Awner. “Everglades National Park. Florida”
8. Images: “Y-3” shoe. Shoe designed by Chanel Shi. Courtesy of Chanel Shi.
9. Image: Sketches of “Y-3” shoes. Shoes designed by Chanel Shi. Courtesy of Chanel Shi.
10. Image: “Kinetic Sculpture” Costume. Costume designed by Chanel Shi. Courtesy of Chanel Shi.
11. Image: “Dip in Color” shoes. Shoes designed by Chanel Shi. Courtesy of Chanel Shi.
12. Image: “Jump Light” shoe. Shoe designed by Chanel Shi. Courtesy of Chanel Shi.
13. Image: Mini “Flamingo” bag. Handbag designed by Chanel Shi. Courtesy of Chanel Shi.
14. Image: “Batman” VR glasses. Glasses designed by Chanel Shi. Courtesy of Chanel Shi.
15. Image: “Ditch Day.” Editorial styling by Chanel Shi. Courtesy of Chanel Shi.
16. Image: 3D Bracelets, designed by Chanel Shi. Courtesy of Chanel Shi.
17. Image: by Jilly Awner. “Moon” series.
18. Image: by Jilly Awner. “Moon” series.
19. Image: by Jilly Awner. “Manhattan” Panograph series.