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Blue Ribbon Recipient of the Month: Eliza Vaillant

We’re excited to share that Eliza Vaillant is our Blue Ribbon Recipient of the Month. The Blue Ribbon recognizes a staff member, volunteer or intern who has demonstrated great dedication and outstanding performance at Arts at the Armory. 

Eliza may be “behind the scenes,” but her work is essential to keeping Arts at the Armory running. She exhibits so many qualities that are essential to her role. She is detail-oriented, thorough, organized, responsive, patient, helpful, committed and steadfast. It is clear how much she cares about Arts at the Armory and wants the organization to succeed. 

1. What do you do at Arts at the Armory?
I am a member of the finance team. I take care of accounts receivables, accounts payables, and other tasks as they come up.

2. How long have you worked at Arts at the Armory?
5 years or so. 

3. What’s your favorite thing about working here?
The people are warm and kind, and I whole-heartedly support our mission.

4. What is something you would like our community to know about you?
I like learning new things and figuring out how to do them as efficiently as possible.

December 2020 Exhibition by Thato Mwosa

Thato Mwosa is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and illustrator who is known for creating black ballerinas. Thato was inspired to make her own illustrations after finding that black/brown ballerina art was scarce while trying to decorate the bedroom of her daughter, Tuli. The result is an array of ballerina silhouettes in different poses wearing bold and vibrant costumes. The ballerina silhouettes represent young girls of any color.  Thato’s Afrik Art series features black women wearing bold and vibrant Afrocentric fabric. She captures the beauty of a modern cosmopolitan Afrocentric woman who is sophisticated, fierce and is not afraid of expressing herself in bold color. The designs are intricate patterns that embody the Afropolitan essence. The animal series is specifically created for kids or nursery room décor. The illustrations are often in bold contrasting colors, which create a compelling palate.

Thato was twice the Artist of the Month (2016 and 2019) at the Wortiz Gallery in Milton. Her art has graced the walls of Dot to Dot Cafe and Dudley Cafe. She was the featured artist at the annual The Urban Nutcracker produced by the Tony Williams Dance Center.

Thato is currently a Film and Visual Arts teacher at Brookline High School. She has a degree in TV/Video Production from Emerson College and an MFA in Writing for the Stage from Lesley University.

For more info, please visit https://thatomwosa.com/

Inktober Exhibition by Joe Botsch at ROOTED

This month ROOTED Cafe is featuring work from Joe Botsch, a Somerville-based illustrator and comic book artist who specializes in the dark and macabre. His work tends to feature ghosts, monsters, and sinister characters, and he is known for expressing plot and story in singular images which invite the viewer to build the narrative in their own minds using the unusual imagery provided. This show features Joe’s recent “Inktober” work: a social media phenomenon that encourages illustrators to make an ink drawing a day, every day for the entire month of October. Joe specializes in a heavy, chiaroscuro inking that seems to sculpt three dimensional forms. The use of black creates an impenetrable darkness that begs the viewer to imagine what else might lurk in the shadows. 

Joe’s entire collection of Inktober illustrations can be found on Instagram @donotreadcomics. His comic book work can be found at www.DoNotReadComics.com.   

p.s. Joe is also the Operations Manager at Arts at the Armory so feel free to strike up a conversation with him if you stop into ROOTED and consider buying one of his original pieces, which will be on sale through the end of the month. 

The Center for the Arts at the Armory