Professional Portfolio Review

MMC’s Art Department presents the graduating class of the Graphic Design, Illustration, and Animation programs. The talents of these emerging professionals traverse a wide range of communication mediums—illustration, editorial design, advertising, corporate branding and 3D animation. These artists address cultural issues, fashion, and storytelling, as well as pure artistic creativity. Everyone is invited to review the commendable achievements of our students during this most challenging semester. Congratulations to the class of 2020. May your careers begin!

Jim Holl
Associate Professor of Art
Director of the Concentrations in Graphic Design and Illustration & Animation


  • Abby Tatro

    I am a multidisciplinary artist focused in visual arts, graphic design and dance. I graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Graphic design. I am interested in creating, exploring, and making art that uses an introspective approach and engages the entire self in creation and performance. I value transparency and honesty in movement that elicits a true emotional response. I believe that art is the key to connecting humanity and celebrating our individuality. I hope to work with you soon!

  • Alexie Thompson

    I strive to use my graphic design skills in order to expand my expertise in marketing and entrepreneurship. I would like to use my business and graphic design knowledge in order to create and build a great brands. I have interest in branding and identity design, marketing, social media, and advertising. My goal is to combine my graphic design skills and marketing knowledge in all aspects of my career.

  • Charles Holt

    I’m a senior Illustration and Animation Major with a Minor in Communications at Marymount Manhattan College. I’ve been drawn to animation since I was young and my interest stayed with me through college. I started with 2D, but I’ve been moving towards 3D, as I find it much more enjoyable. I spent a decent amount of time sculpting and rigging models in Blender. In addition to animation, I’ve also spent time working with digital film, shooting and editing short documentary and interview style films.

  • Hope Cusano

    For me, design has been an umbrella term to incorporate all of the things I love. Growing up, I never planned to go to art school until I found myself in it. Since there are so many things I’m passionate about, it made connecting everything together that much harder. Through my four years of college in New York City I focused on how I could continue to discover new passions without forgetting about the old. In my editorial design work, I like to play with something I call bold minimalism- not to mention I love a good oxymoron. I like strong contrast compositionally while keeping the other elements relatively simple. The content is mainly focused on my first true passion: music.

  • Jillian Banks

    I firmly believe that innovative and unconventional design is essential to successful contemporary business endeavors. As the market continues to become globalized and is therefore constantly being flooded with new products and services, it is essential that unique, but bold design is utilized as a primary way for individuals and businesses to stand out among the others. I strive to adhere to this objective by creating inventive designs that are simplistically elegant, but simultaneously absorbing, and complex. In general, the notion of the paradox continues to inspire me, such as the combination of the decorative and embellished with that of the basic and straightforward. Further, I work to display primary aesthetic principles while experimenting with both the spaces of compositions and the shapes of type and form. As I move forward, I wish to uncover ways to conceptualize and rationalize patterns of the intangible world through concrete design.

  • Lavie Rakoover

    My creative works include a variety of graphic design works and web page layouts. Ever since a young age, I have had a deep love for visually striking design and structured arrangement. As an artist, I enjoy playing around with the practical aspects of our world and incorporating a humorous and satirical touch that shows how the impractical could be seen as practical. Parts of my process before I begin drawing and composing my graphic works is to delve as much into what field I am attempting to flip on its head and understand the structure and purpose of the initial design. I want to capture the spirit of our world with colorful layouts and strong graphical structure but also to transform these parts of our society typically expect: always subvert the expected, with humor.

  • Mackenzie Gibson

    I am a graduating senior at Marymount Manhattan College majoring in Art with a concentration of Graphic Design. My first experience with design came from an art teacher I had in high school who inspired me to find a deeper connection to art by challenging me to express my emotions in a different way. I found a way to convey myself through design and fell in love with it. From there, I decided to further my education in design at MMC in the place I love the most, New York City. Over my college career, I have displayed my art in two art shows in the Hewitt Gallery of Art. My goal is to continue developing my design skills in a professional environment to start my career and to continue my love of art.

  • Madeline Benitez

    Everyday I’m working to expand and enhance my artistic ability. I’ve learned to open myself up to try new ideas and learn to use new tools. There are so many creatives that inspire me to create. I’ve always been passionate about graphic novels and comics. The way the illustrations and stories visually flowed inspire me to construct my own stories and narratives. I find myself most drawn to fantastical worlds that don’t always follow the rules of our own.

  • Natalie Lazor

    After graduating from Marymount Manhattan College, I would like to begin my career in business. Fields I am interested in are advertising, marketing, social media, or event planning. I hope to work at a company where I am able to learn, grow, and move up a ladder. I will use graphic design and digital journalism as strong cross-functional skillsets to add to the commodity for multiple industries. These skills have allowed me to broaden my understanding of various aspects of the business industry, specifically advertising. I plan to continue to strengthen these skills and utilize them for the entirety of my career.

  • Serena Quinones

    Art & Theatre always played a key role in my life. My mother always found a way to keep me involved by enrolling me in many art classes throughout the years. When it was time to enter high school, I made the decision to pursue a career is design and I fell in love with it. When designing I am able to show my personality through creation by thinking outside of the box, experimenting with color and texture, all while using technique to develop a pleasing aesthetic.  My goals upon my graduation from Marymount Manhattan College will be to find a career where I am able to combine my passion of design and theatre together. I want to be a part of a team, that will make strides in my community. With the skills I developed over the years, I can spread awareness through my designs.

  • Tian Chen

    For the last few years, I’ve been learning and create Visual arts such as Graphic Design and Photography. During this period, I helped some companies to produce their advertising, optimize and improve their corporate image. I am passionate about design and willing to challenge myself.

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