an illustrious career by melissa jeswald
By mayoral proclamation, Saturday, May 22, 2011, was Elissa Della-Piana day in Beverly. That date marked the retirement, after 35 years, of the beloved and influential illustration instructor.
"I get a kick out of people who ask me what I’m going to do now that I’m retired!" joked Della-Piana recently, dropping momentarily into a chair at her Gallery Della-Piana in Wenham. She is between shows and artwork is everywhere; if she is tired, it doesn’t show.
Her drive led her to attend the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and in the 1960s, to work in New York City. She was hired by Hallmark as a designer for Hallmark Gallery on 5th Avenue. "It was a dream job," she recalled. "There were six of us with a huge budget and free rein to put on any exhibit we chose."
The gallery closed after a few years, but Della-Piana quickly understood that freelancing was the best way to make money and said she was fortunate that her education and experience left her well prepared. "There wasn’t a theme I wouldn’t touch, nor a medium that I wasn’t experienced in," she said.
She left the hustle of New York for Boston when her daughter was school- aged, and Elissa then became known as "that illustrator from New York" finding a lot of work, but as a result, feeling isolated in her studio. "I realized that I had to get out in the community, so I started teaching, and discovered, Wow! I love this!"
photo by jenn frankavitz '07
In the mid-70s when the recession took its toll on Boston communication arts, there were fewer opportunities and she began pursuing full-time teaching, hoping to find a school that shared her vision of the importance of the basics. Della-Piana had heard good things about Montserrat, so
"I took a drive up to see it for myself and was instantly impressed by the faculty interaction with students and the vibe." She contacted the school and asked to teach illustration. After a "tryout" she was hired as Montserrat’s first Illustration instructor in 1976.
She created and taught a course called Survey of Illustration that included the history of the medium, which she will miss the most, because "artists need an understanding of what has come before so they know where they are going."
Through her Gallery Della-Piana, 152 Main St., Wenham, she is hoping to continue her mission to create an “inviting, educational environment for people to discover and buy original art.”
Della-Piana has left Montserrat, but her impact on the illustration world, through her students’ work and her own, cannot be measured, and will inevitably join the history of the art that she so loves to teach. l
From the left: Alumna Delaney Quintal ‘94, Elissa Della-Piana, and alumna Melissa Poussard '97 during the celebration.
montserrat portfolio 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34