Anina Major MFA 17 CR at RISD Craft 2016. | photo by Jo Sittenfeld MFA 08 PH
After several years of working in graphic design, Bahamian-born grad student Anina Major MFA 17 CR returned to school as a fine arts major eager to inspire others with what she has discovered through the act of making. Technically speaking, her current work combines weaving with the creation of clay objects, but the ceramist is still motivated by the same desire to communicate that drew her to graphic design.
“Art is a vehicle for dialogue,” says Major, who makes time to work in the RISD Writing Center and contribute to the our.risd blog when she’s away from the studio. And though the written word is no longer prominent in the finished product, writing – and the desire to speak that moves people to write – is still central to her process.
“Writing helps me to clarify my thoughts in a way that helps me make decisions about materiality, technique and the message I want to convey through a piece,” Major says. In fact, she sees her role as a black, female artist from outside the world’s core art centers as a statement in itself. “At a time when inclusivity matters so much, I am inevitably contributing to that discourse,” she says, embracing the opportunity to do so.