Edison State College Art Students Travel to Iceland
Mar 19, 2014
March 19, 2014 – FORT MYERS, FLA. – Three outstanding Edison State College art students are preparing to deliver wishes to Iceland. Those wishes were generated during the Yoko Ono Imagine Peace exhibition at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery at Edison State College and collected from her WISH TREE. During their trip, the students will visit Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavik.
The art students, Josué Charles, Leila Mesdaghi, and Chris Lacoste, were selected after demonstrating maturity in the arts and an appreciation for enhancing their artistic abilities.
The Fulbright Commission of Iceland has invited Art Professor Dana Roes, an alumnus of the program, along with the three art students to visit during their trip for a four-day intensive field experience in landscape painting and drawing. In addition, they will participate in activities as representatives of the college at the University of Iceland and Iceland Academy of the Arts.
For ESC Art Professor and former Fulbright Fellow Roes, it seems like just yesterday that she made a life changing trip to Iceland. Fast forward 20 years, she is returning with these deserving student artists.
"I am thrilled to be returning to Iceland with three of my most promising art students. It was a transformational experience for me twenty years ago and to get to share it with them now is truly a gift,” said Roes.
The students are overly excited and are looking forward to not only study art abroad, but to represent Edison internationally.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Charles. “I never imagined I would ever travel to Iceland, so I am very excited to go and see how it will inspire my art and to serve as a representative of Edison State College.”
“It was definitely a shock to be chosen,” said Lacoste. “I think the landscape of the area will be most inspiring to me.”
“I’m very excited because I will be doing a performance piece on an iceberg while we’re there,” said Mesdaghi. “Hopefully, we will all bring back with us a deeper sense of peace, harmony, and humanity that we can share with others.”
The public is invited to meet the student artists and see the artwork inspired by their forthcoming trip in ferðalag (a journey or voyage): a curated show with ESC Student Artists Josué Charles, Christopher Lacoste and Leila Mesdaghi at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery. In conjunction with this exhibition will be the 2014 Juried Student Art Show in the Rush Library Ground Floor Lobby. An opening reception for both will be held on April 10 from 4 to 6 pm.
###
Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, Edison State College is Southwest Florida’s largest, most accessible and ranked nationally as one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Serving more than 22,000 students per year regionally, nationally, and internationally, students are also active in a wide variety of clubs and programs that cater to their interests. Nationally, Edison State is ranked 45th among associate degree producers and 26th for its prestigious associate producing Nursing program.
Last Updated: May 26, 2020
Back to News Archives