LCAD MFA Alumna Represents Laguna Beach as Artist-in-Resident in San José del Cabo
Kate Landry taught overseas and in Orange County, California where the Maine transplant now calls home. But when she drove by Laguna College of Art + Design (LCAD), she felt the pull to complete her MFA in Painting and step into a life committed to art. “Life is busy and rushing by,” she said. When her cousin graduated from LCAD’s MFA program in Painting, Landry decided it was her time.
She was accepted into LCAD’s classically based MFA program and balanced her studies while raising her two young daughters. “This has been the best two years of my life,” she said. “It has been extremely challenging, but I’m so grateful for the connections I’ve made.”
Peter Zokosky, chair of LCAD MFA Program in Painting, approached Landry with the opportunity to apply for the Sister Cities Association Artist-in-Residency program. Landry jumped at the opportunity and worked closely with Nancy Beverage, LCAD trustee and executive committee member of the Laguna Beach Sister Cities Association, to develop a project that would marry her three passions: education, water conservation and art.
“Working with Nancy was empowering,” Landry said. “Her work with local Laguna Beach nonprofits and her efforts to recognize, celebrate and embrace the power of people-to-people interaction was inspiring.”
Landry was selected and, in April 2019, she traveled to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico representing Laguna Beach. She organized a Bottle Cap Mural Project, engaging local Mexican students to participate in all elements of the project from ideation to production. She worked with the students from Gente Joven, a local nonprofit which serves over 200 Baja students. The project stands as the largest bottle cap mural in Mexico and is located at the site of the future Youth Center of San Jose del Cabo.
“Early, quality art education challenges students with different points of view, enhances focus, discipline and provides the opportunity to reflect on the human condition,” Landry said. “Exposure to the arts can have a transformative impact, not to mention the intrinsic benefits such as critical thinking and contributing to the health of civil society.”
Landry received her MFA in Painting from LCAD at the College’s commencement ceremony on May 24th. She and her family will return to San José Cabo in June to continue her work with Gente Joven.
Her paintings will be included in LCAD’s annual Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Thesis Exhibition from June 1 through June 30, 2019 at Q Art Salon, 205 N. Sycamore Street in Downtown Santa Ana.
For more information about LCAD, please visit www.lcad.edu.
About Laguna College of Art and Design
Founded in 1961, Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD) is one of the top art and design schools in the nation. LCAD offers undergraduate degrees (BFA) in Animation, Drawing + Painting, Extended Reality Design (XRD), Game Art, Graphic Design + Digital Media, Illustration and Illustration in Entertainment Design, as well as Master of Fine Arts degrees (MFA) in Art of Game Design, Drawing, and Painting. The Dennis and Leslie Power Library at LCAD houses the historic archives of the College and The Rex and Joan Irving Brandt Papers. For more information about LCAD admissions, news, events and Annual Fund, visit www.lcad.edu. Facebook at @LCADBFA, Twitter @LCAD and Instagram @lcadbfa.
