Monique Rollins - Class of 1998

At Archmere, Monique Rollins ran track, participated in dramatics, and spent a lot of time in the art studio. An AP art student, she composed both an AP and a regionals portfolio and was as driven as she was talented. “(Archmere) was my first introduction to being involved in an art community and the pleasure of collaborating and spending time with other artists,” says Monique. “It was an incredible experience.”

One faculty member sticks out in Monique’s mind in particular is Mr. Terry Newitt, with whom she associates many fond memories in the classroom, working on projects, and on field trips to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and New York City.

“Terry Newitt was a very big influence in my life as an artist,” says Monique. “His passion for art and love of being an artist reminded us of the magic that happens in the art making process.”

After graduating from Archmere, Monique attended Syracuse University, where she earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts. She then earned her Master’s of Fine Arts in Painting, Master’s of Science in the History of Art and Design, and her museum certification from the Pratt Institute in New York City. It was at Pratt that Monique began to find her distinct artistic voice and develop an impressive body of work. “I found my creative path (at Pratt), which to this day keeps leading me to new and exciting investigations and wonderful discoveries in my painting,” says Monique.

The artist would describe her work as abstract and colorful. “I depict mood and the influence of mood on the imagination. The images that reside in my imagination become realized into a concrete, very personal reality,” she says. “The viewers find themselves in a living breathing environment, filled with visual images and ideas. The forms, colors, and objects within each painting and drawing are in constant conversation with each other and the surrounding space. All of these elements together create the symbolic language of my experiences and memories.”

In 2010, Monique left Brooklyn, NY to live in Florence, Italy, a move that has influenced her artwork tremendously.

Monique’s work has been shown at a number of solo and group exhibitions at venues in Delaware, New York City, Jamaica, and France.

She has an exhibition coming up in Delaware next October at the Pierre S. duPont Art Center at Tower Hill, which will feature a new series of paintings and drawings she has created in her studio in Tuscany. She will also be showing an exhibition of her charcoal drawings in Venice, Italy later this year and is currently working on a few pieces to be shown in New York this upcoming year.

Monique will be back at Archmere for the Fine Arts Festival on March 24, 2012 as a featured alumna artist. She is excited to return to the place that she “has so many wonderful memories of.”

Her advice for budding young artist? “Do the work. Do your assignments and projects with care and concentration. Take a normal homework assignment and make is special, says Monique. “To attend Archmere and have such a fine art department is a real gift, take advantage of it,” she adds. “Keep going with your art. Don't ever quit. There will be ups and downs, sometimes very disappointing downs but the joy of creating art must sustain you through it all. Never give up and be willing to do the work.”