Alicia Vidal

Thesis Portfolio (pdf)

Project Statement

Catholicism is a dominant force in Latin America, and when my parents immigrated to the United States, the Catholic community helped them transition from their small-town, South American lives, to their new “American dream” world. Because God was the center of my family life, it was especially painful when I began to feel ostracized for questioning the rules we were expected to follow, and the things we were forced to believe in order to be accepted. Apostasía, Spanish for Apostacy, is an act of refusing to continue to follow, obey, or recognize a religious faith, according to the Mirriam-Webster dictionary–is an installation that plays on the visual and personal appeal of Catholic churches and communities, using vivid colors and engaging materials. The captivating set-up draws the audience up close, where they find that characteristics that would be charming on their own, have been maximialized to the point where they evoke a sense of discomfort and feelings of deceit, just as the church once did to me. Religious symbols and iconography are heavily manipulated under layers of textures and colors, in an alluring set up that tells my personal story of abandonment and betrayal by the Catholic community.

Artist Statement

I am a Maryland-raised graphic designer, currently living in Portland, Oregon. I have always been known for my deep sense of empathy for others, and have learned to use my thoughtfulness to my advantage when designing. My creativity flourishes when I am able to put lots of consideration into the concepts of my projects––which is why I thoroughly enjoy the problem solving aspect of being a designer. I can connect with people in a way that benefits me and the client, and allows me to translate their ideas into a logo, language or color palette. I enjoy layering digital with analog pieces in my designs––there’s always something hand drawn or written in my projects. I typically enjoy marketing and branding projects, but after my senior year at PNCA, I have developed a new found love for designing things with more ambiguous purposes; designing for fun if you will, and designing for myself.