Your workdays can be a joy (we promise)

There are those who dread the start of the workday. And then there’s Victoria Lavorini (Master of Fine Arts, 2016). “I wake up every morning giddy that I get to go do what I do,” she says of her job at the Pizzuti Collection, which began as an off-campus internship while studying at CCAD. Read more below.

Every CCAD MFA candidate participates in an off-campus mentorship program, and “off-campus” can mean just about anything. Students have participated in experiences as far away as a residency in Ireland and a three-week stay at the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle.

But Victoria Lavorini (Master of Fine Arts, 2016) knew she wanted to stay in Columbus when her Art Theory class (taught by Assistant Professor Carmen Winant) visited the Pizzuti Collection her first semester in fall 2014.

“I immediately knew that’s where I wanted my off-campus experience to be,” she said.

Her internship at the renowned collection in the Short North began that next spring in 2015. Her duties were varied and influential, she said. As an intern to the registrar, she assisted in exhibition installations, packed and shipped artwork, regularly cleaned and conserved artworks, updated object and artist files, and cataloged the art library.

Soon, the Pizzuti Collection put her artistic skill to use. She began designing materials like brochures, invitations, and postcards, using her skills earned during her time at West Liberty University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design in 2012.

Her talent and drive landed her a job title: Graphic Designer and Exhibitions Assistant at Pizzuti Collection.

“I wake up every morning giddy that I get to go do what I do,” Lavorini said. “I’m constantly surrounded by world-class art and have the honor of getting to help share it with others. Whether it’s assisting with the works’ physical presentation, or the way it’s presented in a printed or digital format, I love being able to play a part in exposing audiences to art that is happening right now.”

The opportunity has influenced her studio practice as well. Her 2016 thesis project, The Idiotic and Profound Showman, included large-scale photos from dog shows pasted on to carpet. The process relied heavily on collaging with found imagery. Today she only uses her own drawings and is making a lot of works on paper.

“The interdisciplinary component of CCAD’s MFA program made me realize that my design practice and my studio practice aren’t separate,” Lavorini said. “No matter what, I’m always depending on a grid, formal decision-making, and intuition. Going back and forth between the Pizzuti Collection and my studio has really enforced that. My inspiration remains the same, I just want to be sure that what I do with it is always evolving.”

Studio Visit Magazine published selections from Lavorini’s most recent work in its Volume 38 issue, which came out in August 2017.

“My professors and classmates strengthened tools I already had, and also provided me with new ones,” she said. “Students are really encouraged to become present in the local arts community, which is key to knowing where opportunities are.”

Learn more about CCAD's Master of Fine Arts program.

Learn more about CCAD's new Master of Design program.