2024 Merit Scholarship Recipient: Gabriella Heath

Describe the work you submitted for merits.

I could probably talk someone's ear off about my artworks and why I made them, but instead of doing that for all the pieces I applied for the foundation merit scholarship with, I'll talk about my top three favorite artworks (its like choosing a favorite child, you say you don't have favorites- but in your heart you really do):

A Heart's Distance (pictured above left); This is a collage I made of two of my childhood friends (they are so cool and I love them very much! Hello to y'all if you are reading this!) This artwork considers the little things about them which are so dear to me, having known them my whole life, and what it means miss them. This artwork was accepted into the "Made at MCAD", (2024) juried exhibition of student work.

Flight Back Home (Fairy Homes) (pictured above right); This is a video I made to document my 3D sculpture project, Fairy Homes. In this project I recreate places from my hometown at a small scale atop mushrooms turning them into a hidden and impermanent fairy city. With this work, and the way I have constructed it- the paper skin of the sculptures will begin to weather and rot away revealing the metal bones of the sculpture's interior.

Blue Holidays (pictured below); This is a series I made for my FND 2D final, where I created a comic script and designed a character sheet, issue cover, comic page, and poster exploring this story. The comic I created "Blue Holidays", follows two siblings' paranormal encounters at a lake where the ghosts of their past don't stay buried. What's dead on a Blue Holiday, floats back to the surface.

Why did you decide to come to MCAD?

I came to MCAD for the Comic Arts major, as I very strongly have the aim of becoming a graphic novelist in the future. With my education at MCAD, I want to develop a wide range of skills so that I can create strong and complex works which challenge the boundaries and history of this field. My ultimate aim as an artist is to tell stories which offer a hand out to those that need hope, that need to know there is possibility in their life, and to create work for the queer community I wish I had growing up.

What's next for your practice? Anything you're really excited to make?

I'm really excited to keep making comics!!! I have so many schemes and plots and stories I can't wait to put to paper! Right now, the one I've been working on most has been really rewarding to see fit together, as it follows these characters with very strained relationships between them all- for reasons entirely unrelated to the bug-like hive-minded monster stalking them. This work looks at these characters after they have all fallen out with each other, and offers windows back into the past when these former friends and lovers cared about each other, as they fight to save themselves and the people they once loved from a monstrous fate.

What inspires you?

A lot of things really inspire me as a person and as an artist. I feel very lucky to have the family I do which hopes for and pushes me to succeed, especially with art. I miss them very much being here for school, but I work hard to make them proud! Additionally, I have been deeply inspired by my friends, my peers, my club members, my teachers, and my community throughout my life and want to create work which they'd be excited to find out I did, not just because they know me, but because of the positive impact of what I've made. As an artist, in a lot of ways, I am inspired by those people, but also I am greatly inspired by the music, comics, and books I have read and loved. I really, really love to read!!! I have a whole massive spreadsheet documenting what I've read and how I've liked it. Reading is so cool, if you're still reading my rambles go check out some books from your local library!

Anything you're obsessed with at the moment?

/|\ ^._.^ /|\ !!!Batman!!! /|\ ^._.^ /|\ This is pretty much always the case really, as I have always been such a fan of Batman!!! However, right now- I'm president of Batman club and have been having a ton of fun planning meetings. For our last meeting this semester I'm hosting a game show of Batman trivia (as the Joker) for everyone in the club (who can come dressed up as whatever batman character they want!) yay!!! /|\ ^._.^ /|\ !!! /|\ ^._.^ /|\ !!! /|\ ^._.^ /|\