OCSA is proud to introduce Curating Judith Leiber - The Early Years, the first installment of the Curating Your Passion series. This collaborative series offers unique access to inspirational art collectors, enthusiasts and supporters who have helped to shape our culture, including hands-on working partnerships between community art leaders and students from various Conservatories in creating powerful learning experiences that give the students the opportunity to share their interpretation and insights with the art community. 

 

Curating Judith Leiber - The Early Years is the result of a student-driven, extracurricular book project, the culmination of numerous hours of collaboration, discussion, research, and interpretation of thirteen students from Production & Design, Visual Arts, Creative Writing, and Integrated Arts Conservatories. In addition to writing the content, several students worked together to design the original artwork that is prominently seen on the book cover and select chapters.

 

Aside from creating some original artwork, two students were given the opportunity to decorate Judith Leiber purse foundations, which are to be auctioned at a future date. Cece Fanelli from P&D envisioned and embellished with computer chips and crystals, symbolizing the dynamic force of technology, while Candace Ramirez from VA painted tulips, the national flower of Leiber’s home country of Hungary and a representation of Leiber’s happiness in meeting her husband and her hope for a better world as a survivor of World War II. Both pieces pay homage to Judith Leiber’s artful and unique creations.

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From my perspective as an art collector/dealer, published author, curator, and project manager who has previously worked with OCSA students from multiple Conservatories on a number of curated public displays over the last several years, this collaboration affirmed my belief that OCSA students possess unlimited talents and potential and that their different backgrounds, interests and experiences could come together and yield extraordinary results.

 

I had the privilege to work with five students from the P&D Conservatory [Cece Fanelli ('22), Elly Efe ('22), Anthony Suh ('22), Zabby Bagnol ('24) and Ellie Yoshino ('27)], who each provided their unique and valuable contributions to the book, leaving indelible marks with their research and interpretation of the works that they examined. 

 

We are thrilled with the book that is in the process of being published—with the anticipated availability this summer 2022—and look forward to future editions of Curating Your Passion.  

 

~ Gary Yoshino, BA, BS, MA

   Project Manager, Curating Judith Leiber - The Early Years

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