Textile Artist Maria Varela '16 Speaks to Art Club Students

Young alumna Maria J. Varela ’16 made a visit to Loyola Academy’s Art Club meeting on Monday, January 9, and spoke about her experience as a fashion design student at Columbia College, where she earned her BFA in 2020, and as a textile design student at Bath Spa University in England, where she earned her MA in 2022. Maria brought examples of her master’s thesis, a collection entitled “Dear Diary,” for students to see and explained that the inspiration for the collection were the sights, sounds and experiences she encountered abroad during her time at Bath Spa. “This collection is a maximalist’s approach to exploring the joys and freedom of European travels in a post-pandemic world,” she says.