On Thursday, November 14, FIT hosted its inaugural Live Art Duel, a live painting competition and fundraising event with proceeds benefiting the School of Art and Design. Brooke Ledda, Illustration AAS, was the winner of the competition, earning a grand prize of $10,000. Eyoab Desalegn, Fashion Design MFA, was awarded $2,500 as runner-up, and Hailey Lee, Fashion Design AAS, received third place, resulting in a $1,500 award.
Hosted by Sydney Sadick, editor-in-chief and founder of Spotlight magazine, the competition began with eight students, including Jacob Frazier, Illustration BFA; Wiktoria Klimczuk, Fine Arts BFA; Elijah Ogbomo, Fine Arts AAS; Jialun Tong, Fine Arts BFA; and Amelia Weitknecht, Illustration AAS.
The participating artists competed in three timed and action-packed rounds, each 20 minutes. A theme for each round was intended to inspire the artists’ work.
All participating students competed in round one, sponsored by Blick Art Materials. The theme was “the house you carry with me,” and all the artworks had to be painted on canvas.
Round two, sponsored by Marc Jacobs, featured the four winners from round one: Eyoab Desalegn, Brooke Ledda, Hailey Lee, and Jialun Tong. The theme was “hidden truth,” and students were tasked with painting on clothes directly on models.
The winners of the second round, Eyoab Desalegn and Brooke Ledda, competed in the third round, themed “inspired by my favorite artist.” They painted on Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent vintage handbags donated by the RealReal, the round’s sponsor.
“My inspiration came from everything that I’ve been through, everything that I’ve lived through,” said Ledda, who plans to use her winnings to support her education and to study abroad in Florence, Italy. “I poured my whole life into this.”
“I was tuning into my rage and deeper emotions,” Ledda said of her three creations. “That’s where my art comes from, everything that I can throw onto the canvas.”
“This is a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity where you’re not only creating and showing your work, but there is this ‘in-the-moment’ organic quality that we don’t get much opportunity to do in the studios,” said Frazier. “Then to have people in industries I couldn’t imagine being in front of is really cool, as well as getting to meet these seven other artists from different fields.”
Troy Richards, dean of the School of Art and Design said, “Watching these artists create live was both exciting and nerve-wracking, but they rose to the challenge brilliantly.”
Following the competition, all of the artworks were listed for auction on the website CharityBuzz. One of the designer bags sold during the event for $5,000.
The judges for the competition were Ariel Adkins*, founder, Artfully Awear; Tze Chun, founder, Uprise Art; Ron English, an artist and designer; Nicole Fischelis, international fashion and art consultant; Keli Goff, Emmy-nominated producer; Wendy Goodman, design editor, New York Magazine; Rebecca Moses*, designer, artist, and author; Ruben Toledo, artist and co-founder, Toledo Studio.
“[The winners] approached the projects so differently,” Toledo said. “FIT can cross-pollinate between artists, fashion designers, graphic designers, and marketing people. When you’re in your own bubble, you’re never that free, but when you cross-pollinate, you give birth to new ideas.”
Sadick said the event made her hopeful for the future of art. “I think we’re continuously seeing a cross between art and fashion and media,” she said. “Collaboration is really the key to success in all industries today, and that’s why we’re seeing such a high level of energy in this room.”
The host committee was Shauna Brooke, founder, Shauna Brooke Marketing and Communications; Laura Day Webb, director, Angus Montgomery Arts; Shay Gipson, founder, ASG Group; Kristy Hurt, founder, The co-lab; Shawn Lanier, student advisor, FIT; Adrien Lesser, vice president of media relations, New York Economic Development Corporation; Chloé Marsanne*, founder, Marsanne Brands; Robert Rizzolo, chief merchandising officer, Marc Jacobs; Mark Rosen, vice president of marketing, partnerships, communications, Design Miami; and Lizzie da Trindade-Asher, co-founder, Cura Collective.
*denotes FIT alumni