Neda Lozanovic finds her voice at CCAD

The most unexpected aspect of Neda Lozanovic’s study at CCAD, she said, has been how much she has grown in just a few years.

“I’m surprised at the direction that I’ve taken and how I’ve changed as a person, but change isn’t a bad thing,” said Lozanovic (Fine Arts, 2019). “I used to be really quiet. I’ve found my voice in my work.”

Her scholarship was a happy surprise, too.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” she said about being tapped as the recipient of the Ann Hughes Allen scholarship for women printmakers. “It was really nice. It’s helped me afford housing this year and materials.”

Lozanovic grew up in Green, Ohio, after her family spent some time in California following a move from Zvornik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she had lived until she was six. Her painting taps into her Serbian heritage and issues of cultural experience and self-reflection.

Through gestural oil painting, collage, and figure drawing, Lozanovic presents colorful interpretations of identity that have grown from internal questions into external ideas.

“When I first came to CCAD, I really focused on skill. I was all about the formal aspect of making art,” she said. “Later, I moved on to explore and understand the conceptual side of art. How you make something can really say a lot about your work. I now consider how viewers will react to or experience a piece.”

In addition to her scholarship, Lozanovic supports her studies by working two on-campus jobs. She’s a student employee in the Ceramics Lab, and she teaches color theory on the weekends in CCAD’s Saturday Morning Art Classes.

“The jobs help me get to be a part of the campus. I think it’s super important to volunteer and really be on campus,” she said. “I like how small our [CCAD student] population is. You know every single student, you know their work, and you influence each other in a way.”

The Saturday Morning Art Classes have also influenced her plans for the future.

“I learned I like teaching,” Lozanovic said. “I’d like to continue painting and learning about art, share my work in galleries. But being a studio artist is kind of lonely. I want to work in an art museum, or in an education department. I like to connect with people.”

But her favorite thing about being an artist?

“My freedom,” she said. “The freedom I have and the voice to make art.”

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