Moore alumni, family and friends gathered June 9 to celebrate 2018 Distinguished Alumni Janice Merendino ‘74 and Harshita Lohia ’02.
President Cecelia Fitzgibbon addressed a crowd of more than 100 in the Great Hall in honoring the two women.
“The Distinguished Alumni Awards have been presented to many worthy alumni over the years in recognition of exceptional women who have made significant contributions to their fields, are champions of Moore and who serve as role models not only for women and artists, but for anyone who strives to make a difference in the world around them,” she said.
Alum and Board of Managers member Janie Gross, who was a classmate of Merendino’s, introduced her longtime friend.
“Our lives have intersected for nearly forty-four years since graduating,” Gross said. “For example, in the early nineties, Janice used her pioneering methodology to teach my youngest daughter Julie and a friend how to draw, with just a few easy lessons.”
Merendino, a teaching artist, college professor and founder of Philadelphia’s Clay Studio, talked about the openness and support she received from Moore faculty and staff as a shy, young artist. She also spoke of her 'Branch Out' drawing process, and helping people move beyond their limitations.
“Apart from my own artwork, my work has been centered around sharing the processes and thinking of artists," she said. "There is a tremendous amount of 'intellectual property' embedded in what we do that can be of value to many different kinds of people in crazy ways and in fields that haven’t been invented yet. I urge all of you to keep driving outside of your lane and share your innovative ideas with people in other fields. There is richness to be mined."
The Rev. Richard Fernandez, husband of the late former president of Moore Happy Fernandez, provided the introduction for Lohia.
“(Harshita’s) creativity is informed by a seemingly endless curiosity about colors and shapes, travel and the work of other creative artists,” he told the attendees. “Like many creative people in the arts, she has the emotional maturity to try something new, to risk, to take a chance.”
Lohia, founder of Harshita Designs, spoke of overcoming obstacles such as the loss of her home and portfolio in a 2005 fire, and the unexpected shutdown of a textile factory in India in the middle of her production line. She also thanked her professors and other alumni who helped her as she developed her business.
“To Moore students who are starting their careers or businesses, and to the alumni who have traveled your own paths…look around you,” she said. “The greatest asset you have is the people around you, who can help guide you to heights you could never imagine.”
Lohia’s many guests included her grandmother from India, who made her first trip to the United States for the ceremony.
The awardees were toasted with champagne, then guests enjoyed a reception in The Galleries at Moore to see alumni works on display, selected from hundreds of submissions by juror Molly Dougherty, former Galleries director at Moore and contemporary art curator and arts advocate.
The Alumni Visual Arts Committee’s Best in Show Award was presented to Lindsay Wister ’17 for her work Avacyn, The Purifier, a large winged costume made of Worbla, feathers, aluminum, flannel, spray paint and spandex. Michon Proctor ‘14 won the Juror’s Best in Show award for Neon Dream Bear Portrait made of marker, paper and pencil.
The 2018 Juried Alumni Exhibition is on view through Saturday, August 4, in The Galleries.
