Joseph M. Madda
I graduated in 1972 from Georgetown University with a BA in Fine Arts, Studio. Amidst a sea of pre-law, pre-business, and pre-medicine undergraduates, I chose a distinctly different path. There were only five of us that achieved a BA in Fine Arts that year; each of us was required to have a one-person, “Senior Thesis” show of our work to finish our studies.
Here is the poster placed around campus that I made for my exhibition. There were no electronic graphics in those days. I took a black and white picture of myself posing confidently with one of my favorite wood sculptures and used press-on lettering to create the announcement. The look was classic Seventies--long hair and moustache (which I first grew in 1970 and still have today), jeans, work shirt, and sweater casually tied on my shoulders. It looks like I was proud of my creations!
I was very fortunate to have some surprisingly great art teachers at GU. In particular, I was taught sculpture in wood and stone by Professor Lenny Cave, who had studied with renowned English artist Henry Moore. Professor Cave was a dedicated teacher. He had a wonderful feeling for the forms and surfaces of natural materials, particularly the use of carefully conceived abstraction and simplicity, He shared that sensibility with me. That came in handy years later in the design world. Lenny would go on to a long artistic career after GU.
As required, I filled the small art department gallery space in the basement of Healey Hall, the iconic main building on campus, with over a dozen pieces of sculpture, paintings, and drawings. I remember placing little signs on each sculpture that stated, “Please touch.” There was a grand opening and five days of display for the public. It was memorable. In turn, my fellow art students each had their own individual show which I also attended; of course we scattered after graduation. I do know several classmates did well in the arts afterwards. I enjoyed those years and recall that brief time in the spotlight fondly.
One more thing: I immediately went on to study architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. I became a multi-state, licensed architect for over forty years and worked on hundreds of projects. One day in studio at HGSD, I asked one of my professors why they chose me from a very competitive field. He had a straight forward answer. “We wanted a sculptor in the class!”