Art Gallery Reveals Hidden Lives

By Lena Zhu | Published by March 23, 2020

Danielle Mejia has struggled with Rheumatoid Arthritis since she was 15 years old. Now a sophomore at Kean University, she wants to show others her struggles through the power of art.  

“To me, art is self-expression and storytelling. ‘Too Young’ is my story,”  the 21-year-old said. 

In a little corner on the first floor of Vaughn-Eames lies a small glass box museum. This museum showcases a variety of art styles created by Bachelor of Arts majors from Feb. 14 to Mar. 16.  

According to Cougarlink, “the opportunity to exhibit their artworks in a gallery setting creates a forum for Kean’s emerging artists that allows both the student and the public to gain a greater understanding of the creative process and the motivations behind it.” 

Mejia’s main motivation behind her resin art piece was her struggle with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting mostly those between the ages of 30 and 60.  

The disease, most commonly found in women, causes inflammation and pain in joints. The body attacks its own tissue and, in severe cases, can also begin to attack internal organs according to the CDC and arthritis.org.  

“The medications in my palm are antibiotics, antidepressants, and Methotrexate (a form of Chemotherapy that destroys cells, good and bad) which is also what’s in between my fingers and in the syringe, just in a higher dose,” Mejia said. 

Although Mejia suffers from RA, she does not like to feel bad for herself, but she often wonders what life would be like without living with the constant struggle.  

Mejia has had to miss school, be diagnosed with depression, get sick regularly, and explains to many people [like bosses and managers] about the autoimmune disease because RA affects her body internally.  

“Naming my piece ‘Too Young’ came from always being told that I was too young to have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Being told that always made me feel weird, almost like they didn’t believe me because I was young.”   

However, despite the obstacles she faces, she has learned to persevere.  

“I have learned how strong I am,” Mejia said.  

Mejia is currently pursuing Fine Arts with a concentration in Studio Art and also thinking about becoming a Psychology minor.  

There are many other students who have struggled like Mejia. Haydee Hidalgo, a 53-year-old transfer student, shares her many passions and expresses them through art.  

“Art has given me an outlet of self-expression. Where words have failed me, art never has,” Hidalgo, a junior double majoring in Fine Arts and Psychology, said. 

For Hidalgo, it’s about the  “joy and excitement” art is able to provide for her when she is lost in creating new pieces and the ability to share the moment with everyone she encounters.  

Hildago combined her love of art with the love of her pet poodle, Coco to create, “My Sunshine Coco.” 

“‘My Sunshine Coco is a living tribute to my constant companion and sunshine, my rescue Toy Poodle, Coco,” Hidalgo said. “ No matter how I’m feeling on ay given day, she always gives me a reason to smile and has brought sunshine into my life during times of sadness and joy.”  

To make her realistic structure, Hidalgo saved Coco’s hair after a haircut and used the remaining hair to finish the piece to create an art form that would be life-like. 

Hidalgo wanted to create a three-dimensional piece to pay a living tribute to her dog to showcase her personality and “her sweet nature.” The Fine Arts and Psychology major said she wanted others to experience [Coco] as she has, even when [Coco] was not physically there.  

Hidalgo’s end goal is to work in the art therapy field and is set to graduate in 2022.  

While Hidalgo created a three-dimensional art piece stemmed from her love of her pet, Coco, other art students like Mark Butfiloski found inspiration through media, namely, The Infinity Gauntlet from Marvel.  

Butfiloski, a 38-year-old senior Fine Arts major focused on two-dimensional art, used the concept of the Infinity Gauntlet stones to produce a deeper meaning in what he believes about the power of art.   

“Boiled down, the Infinity saga is about what can be done when an individual has complete mastery of the concepts [of the stones],” Butfiloski said. “For example, mastering ones use of their workspace when taking on a project, focusing one’s mind on completing said project, effective distribution of one’s energy or power needed to get the work done, bringing an imaginative concept from one’s imagination into our realm of reality, making good use of time when working to complete the project, and mastering the ability to pour one’s soul into the work to give depth and meaning.” 

To Butfiloski, art seems to create something from nothing and is “the language of the subconscious, adding to the depth of humanity.”  

He hopes that art will bridge gaps between people, concepts and experiences and ultimately bring them together.  

Lindsey Knipe, a senior Studio Arts major specializing in Printmaking, had a similar idea when she made a quilt to fabricate the story of her little brother, Tommy, who has been diagnosed with autism.  

“I decided to do the quilt about my little brother, Tommy, his coming into my life, he’s getting sick and his autism diagnosis,” Knipe said. “The little guy is 13 now and he has gone through so much…I wanted him to know how much I love and admire him.”  

Knipe chose to make a quilt specifically because she loves bringing traditional “women’s crafts into fine art.  

“Oftentimes, things like quilting, crocheting, knitting, and embroidery are dismissed as too crafty to be considered fine art because they were traditionally done by women in the household,” Knipe said. “I like breaking that traditional standard to do something original and unexpected in a traditional book arts setting.” 

Art has played a significant role in Knipe’s life. Aside from being a Fine Art student, she uses art to find her voice in topics she believes in.  

“My Bachelor’s thesis show, The Doubting Disease, confronts the misinterpretation of OCD in our lives and in the media. It is something I deal with myself and without art, I never would have been able to have the strength, outlet, and the voice to be as outspoken as I am on the topic.” 

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