The Cintas Foundation fellowship awards $10,000 annually to creative artists of Cuban descent. The foundation recognizes accomplishments from individuals who excel in architecture, literature, music composition and the visual arts. Three of the four winners of the 2012 Cintas foundation fellowships were awarded to FIU College of The Arts + Architecture affiliates.
The Cintas Fellowship in Architecture was awarded to Marilys Nepomechie, Professor of Architecture, along with Marta Canavés, Instructor of Landscape Architecture, for their collaborative work on the contemporary city, which has been increasingly urbanized over time. In this trans-disciplinary and environmentally sensitive project, the two faculty members carried out many projects over a number of years that recognized how the globalized world has adapted to the complex changes it has experienced.
Being part of the FIU family has helped Nepomechie and Canavés secure this achievement. “We’ve worked with many of our alumni. An environment that supports collaboration is paramount to any creative accomplishment,” said Nepomechie. For them, taking full advantage of their academic and professional affiliations has been essential in crafting an award winning trans-disciplinary project. Their work “ intertwines the art and science of architecture through: design, research, exhibitions, writing and teaching” said Nepomechie.
One of our alumni, Jillian Mayer 07’, was also recognized with this fellowship. Mayer received the Cintas Fellowship in Visual Arts. She uses drawing, photography, video, online platforms, installation, and performance to critique the dissonance between childhood optimism and the state of contemporary culture with playfulness. Mayer was one of the 25 selections for the Guggenheim’s Youtube Play: A Biennial of Creative Video. Her work calls upon scenarios of apathy, dysfunction, and disillusionment. Her work has been exhibited at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy; the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain; and at the Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, Germany.
“We are proud to earn recognition for a body of creative work and advanced research while at FIU,” concluded Marilys Nepomechie.
