Megan Rosta
First Place Mellon Award
BA, Visual Communication
Minor, English
Statement
I created an infographic that takes a generational look at how women’s lives have changed since 1946. It focuses on progress made by women in moving away from traditional gender roles and expectations to stay in the home. It uses the medium of textiles, specifically embroidery, ironically to demonstrate this shift. I based my timeline around the birth years of me (1997), my mother (1966), and my grandmother (1946). Each of us made a hoop reflecting our birth years and our relations to one another. They are the largest hoops in the timeline and act as spacers among the progress shown. Because the history of women is such a complex issue, I have included an “empty hoop” element in my timeline to represent untold stories. These are scattered throughout my complete timeline. I see this project as a living document, one that I will continue to add to for years to come. Many women helped me put together this timeline. Each of the hoops is labeled with a set of initials, marked by the maker.
Created by Megan Rosta in collaboration with Amy Rosta, Lynda Tomecko, Sofia Argeres, Nicole Cullen, Kelli Evans, Hannah Fogel, Kirsten Hammons, Seraphina Meacham, and Sarah Nishiura.
Bio
Megan Rosta is a graphic designer from Indianapolis. She has a diverse range of interests, which she likes to explore in her artwork. Her passion for art has led her to take classes in everything from jewelry and fashion to ceramics and sculpture. Graphic design is a recent interest of hers, something she only really started to explore during her time at Loyola. Because of that, she uses her background in other art practices to inform and even pervade her work, blending something like textiles with graphic design. During her time at Loyola, she has made many posters for Department of Fine and Performing Arts events and helped design the layout of the Student Literary and Arts Magazine Diminuendo. This year, she has served as the secretary for Loyola’s Student Chapter of The American Institute of Graphic Arts, which works to connect students to the design community not only in Chicago, but also in the nation as a whole. Megan also enjoys to express herself creatively through dance, and has been a dancer since she was just four years old. She does design work for the Chicago Ballet Center in Irving Park, which she sees as a perfect way to blend her passions.