February 13, 2024 — The new Made @ MakerLab Art Exhibit offers a glimpse into the innovative and collaborative atmosphere of Marist's Steel Plant, showcasing student and staff artwork crafted in the Marist MakerLab. 

MakerLab artwork featured in the Steel Plant Fashion Gallery. Photos by Nelson Echeverria/Marist College. 

Open to the entire Marist community through March, the exhibit celebrates the core values of creativity and experimentation, inviting everyone to explore their artistic potential within this dynamic space. From captivating fashion pieces to experimental installations, the exhibit demonstrates the diverse talents and boundless creativity thriving on campus.

Two student MakerLab technicians, Maddie Barone, a member of the class of 2024, and Kait Dugan, from the class of 2025, orchestrated, designed, supervised, and curated the exhibit, with assistance from fellow student MakerLab technicians.

“When looking at the first Made @ MakerLab Art Exhibition, with work from over 20 different students and faculty, it's powerful and exciting to know that the exhibit was put on by students passionate about getting directing and curating experience,” said Ais Oisín, Manager of MakerLab. 

"As an artist, I've always enjoyed creating my own body of work," said Kait Dugan '25. "As a person, I love working with other creative people like Maddie & Ais. Made @ MakerLab was a way for me to do both as a curator."

From left to right: Ais, Maddie, Kait at the exhibit. Photo courtesy of Ais Oisín.

"I was excited to challenge myself," said Maddie Barone '24. "I wanted to show people that you can make anything in MakerLab, and you don't have to be super artistic to do so."

Many of the student artists were eager to showcase their work and share how helpful the MakerLab was in their creative process. 

Student piece displayed at Made @ MakerLab Art Exhibit. The dress is by Caitlin Fracasso '24, and was created for her CFDA scholarship project. Photo by Nelson Echeverria/Marist College.

"The dress I displayed at the exhibit was a part of my collection called Eco Feminism," said Caitlin Fracasso '24. "I originally was cutting the petals for the dress by hand, but it was taking hours. Then I realized I could go to the MakerLab and use the laser cutter. It saved me so much time and made the process a million times easier."  

A hub for creative energy, the MakerLab welcomes students and faculty of all disciplines to unleash their imagination and explore the intersection of art and technology. Equipped with state-of-the-art tools, from fabric and 3D printers to laser and vinyl cutters, this inclusive space fosters collaboration and innovation, empowering individuals to bring their visions to life.

"My art piece in the exhibit is an ode to my learning experience at Marist," said Abby Koesterich '24. "I combined what I already knew about graphics and photography with new skills like woodworking and electrical engineering. I could not learn this all by myself, so I reached out to different resources at Marist, leading me to work at the MakerLab." 

"The photographs in the exhibit depict my vision of what ‘Nature Photography’ embodies: vibrant colors, organic shapes, textures, and deep highlights and shadows," said Evan McMullen '24. "In the MakerLab, I used the large format photo printer and large paper cutter to get a high-quality print and have precisely cut white borders on my photos."

“This exhibit is a great way to see how students and faculty from different disciplines, like fashion design, merchandising, and art utilize the equipment in the MakerLab to support and elevate their work,” said Sónia Roy, Fashion Gallery Director. “This space fosters collaboration and innovation, precisely what we hoped it would do.”

You can see the Made @ MakerLab Art Exhibition at the Steel Plant Fashion Gallery until March 29. Learn more about the MakerLab by following @MakerLabMarist. 

Marketing and Communications intern Zoe Fernandes '24 contributed to this article.