Canvassing For Success

By Emma Kersting '24, May 11, 2023
Finalist standing in national art competition marks a first.
Marvin Brown

Marvin Brown credits several professors with being supportive mentors during his time at IC.

(Photo submitted)

Marvin Brown credits several professors with being supportive mentors during his time at IC.

(Photo submitted)

Marvin Brown ’21 was named a finalist in Miami University’s Young Painters Competition in 2021. His finalist status in the competition, which was open to painters ages 25 to 35, gave Brown the chance to showcase two of his paintings in a gallery at the university.

Brown had high hopes of success in the competition, and he was grateful for the opportunity to share his work. He submitted five of his geometric art paintings, which had similarities in tone and hue, for the contest. He said that he does not typically go into a painting with a plan: “I work a lot from intuition. I always start from scratch.”

A transfer student from Tompkins Cortland Community College, where he earned an associate’s degree in liberal arts and sciences, Brown didn’t always know that art was going to be his path. That changed when he arrived at IC in the fall semester of 2019 and chose to major in art with a minor in graphic design.

Brown credits Patti Capaldi, assistant professor of art, art history, and architecture, with being a mentor and influence on him during his time on South Hill, beginning around summer 2020. Capaldi helped Brown to improve his paintings and graphic design. She also pushed him to apply to graduate school and encouraged him to enter the Miami University competition.

“A lot of faculty members were helpful to me. Feedback from professors gave me the push that I needed.”

Marvin Brown ’21

“Marvin is a responsive and dedicated student who, at the time when I met him, did not completely understand his own voice with his art practice and where he wanted to go,” Capaldi said. “But he followed his intuition with much prompting and became more and more enthusiastic during our meetings and discussions.”

Another positive influence was instructor of art Neil Infalvi, who, according to Brown, advanced his work by pushing him to experiment. “A lot of faculty members were helpful to me. Feedback from professors gave me the push that I needed,” Brown said. “I had the time and space to work and the freedom and flexibility to experiment and find my own voice in my art.”

Dara Engler, associate professor and chair of the art department at Ithaca College, said that Brown’s success is a testament to his talent and a prime example the college’s philosophy of theory, practice, and performance.

“Marvin is a talented young artist with an impressive  drive and commitment to making. He worked independently on breaks, seeking out feedback and applying to artist opportunities,” Engler said. “His work is researched, thoughtful, and engages with the historical and contemporary art worlds. He’s created his own visual language—and it’s beautiful. In the rapidly changing job market, the most valuable skills a graduate can learn are creative problem solving, critical thinking, and visual literacy. That is what our courses and faculty instill in our students. Students leave the Ithaca College art department with a lifelong network for faculty and peers committed to their success.”

After being named a finalist, Brown received congratulations from many Ithaca College professors and his peers. “The support means a lot. I felt like I was on this journey with [my peers] for two years,” he said. “It was also nice to get that response from outside critics.”

Brown is still active, applying to other competitions as well as graduate school, where he wants to pursue a master’s degree in fine arts. “I want to keep growing, painting, and studying art,” he said.