MANDEM (MFA Studio Art ’15) Wins First Place at MoFA Exhibit
Art student Maize Arendsee (known by the art name MANDEM) won the first place award at the Artists’ League Summer Annual exhibition at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts for the painting “Medusa, Her Word Against His.” This year’s exhibit was juried by Amanda Karioth Thompson, the Acting Director of the Council on Culture and Arts for Tallahassee/Leon County (COCA).
MANDEM (Maize Arendsee and Moco Steinman-Arendsee) at the opening reception of the Summer Annual exhibit at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts on May 16, 2014.
Thompson had this to say about “Medusa, Her Word Against His” and why it was selected for the first place award:
“Aside from the fact that it is technically marvelous, this painting is challenging and imbued with dualities. I see a woman who is at once extremely vulnerable and invincible. Her posture is self-protective and though she’s clearly been through trauma, she survives. Confronting viewers with her cuts and bruises, she asks us to consider our own hard fought battles. She is a survivor, not a victim. There’s no doubt that this experience will be transformative and it seems she’s contemplating exactly how that transformation will manifest itself. This piece resonated with me. I try hard to remember that we’re all fighting some type of battle. You can either be destroyed or empowered by your struggles, it’s your choice.”
MANDEM’s mixed media piece “Equivalent Exchange” was also selected to be part of the exhibit.
The Artists’ League of the FSU Museum of Fine Arts was formed approximately two decades ago and is responsible for numerous exhibitions and events throughout the year, including the Summer Annual and the Arts and Antiques Fair at the Museum, as well as exhibits at LeMoyne Center for Visual Arts. Thompson, who regularly curates exhibits for COCA’s Art in Public Places exhibits, was enthusiastic about working with the Artists’ League for this show. “This exhibition is perfect example of the diversity that’s prevalent in this group. With artists working in a wide variety of mediums, styles and subject matter, this exhibit has something for everyone,” said Thompson.
The Summer Annual runs from May 16 through July 11, 2014. The FSU Museum of Fine Arts is open Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm, and is located at 530 W. Call Street in Tallahassee, FL. Visit the FSU Museum of Fine Arts website for driving directions and other visitor information.
Visit MANDEM online at MythpunkArt.com, or join them on Facebook (facebook.com/MANDEMik) or Tumblr (mythpunkart.tumblr.com).
MANDEM’s award-winning painting, “Medusa, Her Word Against His.”