Let It Be the Last Day

2021 BFA THESIS EXHIBITION
May 11 - June 30, 2021


The Department of Art & Design is proud to announce the opening of Let It Be the Last Day, the 2021 BFA Thesis Exhibition. This exhibit is organized by the St. John’s University Department of Art & Design and the Yeh Art Gallery. The in-person exhibition is currently on view following our COVID-19 safety measures.

This year, the three featured artists present diverse projects addressing topics ranging from longing, to the impact of social media and the art of storytelling. Qing Qing Li's BFA Thesis project 念 (v.) intertwines a personal narrative about longing with haunting photographs captured in South Brooklyn. Li's work creates a maze-like environment for viewers, recreating the experience of wandering through her neighborhood's empty streets at night. Madeline Mancini's project is an ongoing analysis of social media and the “internetification” of today’s culture. Mancini manipulates found images to create an environment  that emphasizes internet culture’s sense of disorientation and self-relfection. DeVonni Pollard’s thesis project, The Story of the Unexpected Hero,  a 15-panel illustrated narrative inspired by comics like The Boondocks,  follows the thrilling tale of redemption, as a boy who is falsely accused of a crime attempts to clear his name. 

Participating artists: Qing Qing Li, Madeline Mancini, and DeVonni Pollard.

Image above: Madeline Mancini, Great American Landscapes, 2020. Image courtesy the artist.



Qing Qing Li  //  念(v.)
Just like any other day, I was walking home from the bus stop. Today, the night was exceptionally long. The streets were vacant, the lights dimmed, and all I could think of was you. You, whose name filled the pages of my diaries. You, whose steps I wanted to follow, only to realize that it was what drew us apart. You, who left this place and left me stuck here alone. This is for you, what I have always wanted to tell you. 念, to long for. Just for today, let me long for you. Let it be the last day.





Madeline Mancini // Death and Memes
Social media and online-scapes continue to rise as predominant spaces in our culture, imploring us to recognize: your online self is no longer separate from your “real” one.

Death and Memes is an ongoing analysis of the “internetification” of life that examines the impact social media has on politics and conspiracy, the culture and desire of influencers, and the privacy (or lack thereof) we have when using our devices and scrolling through platforms. 




DeVonni Pollard // The Story of the Unexpected Hero
This 15-panel illustrated work tells the story of how a group of teen heroes join forces with a boy with supernatural abilities to clear the boy’s name after being framed for a crime he did not commit. The process of my work began with thumbnails that explained the story visually, and I then chose which panels to fully draw to help tell that story. Then I spent the semester drawing each panel. I wanted to crweate a project that demonstrates my interests in art, specifically, as well as a sense of excitement within my style.