Montserrat College of Art Alumni Portraits On Display At State House

BEVERLY, MA — Portraits from four Montserrat College of Art alumni will be on display at the State House on Beacon Hill through February as part of an exhibition sponsored by State Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem).

The exhibition features the work of four Montserrat College of Art alumni who explore portraiture through a variety of techniques and traditions.

"This exhibition showcases the exceptional creativity and talent of these artists and brings to the State House a taste of the rich culture and artistic tradition in the Second Essex District," Lovely said.

Photographers Cayla Montes and Joseph Saunders draw on the histories of photographic portraiture to create innovative images of friends and loved ones that feel both intimate and strange.

Montes received her BFA in Photo/Video/Film from Montserrat College of Art in 2020, and her work ranges from studio portraiture to documenting landscapes in various locations, and she often works in an experimental fashion using both digital and film formats.

She now works as a production associate for Irvin Simon Photographers, NY, while continuing to experiment with various film cameras and self-portraiture in her personal work.

Saunders received a BFA in Photography from Montserrat College of Art in 2015 and is a photographer whose work has been exhibited across the country, from New York to Los Angeles and throughout New England. He specializes in street and documentary photography, working with traditional black-and-white film in the darkroom to celebrate the tactile and timeless qualities of analog processes while embracing innovative techniques like risograph printing and hybrid workflows.

"We are grateful to Sen. Joan Lovely for the opportunity to showcase Montserrat College of Art alumni work outside the Senate Chamber at the Massachusetts State House," said Brian Pellinen, President of Montserrat College of Art. "We hope the public sees the display and appreciates both the talent and the work that goes into this portraiture art. We are so proud of what our alums bring to the creative economy of Massachusetts and beyond."

In their works, painter Jameel Radcliffe and mixed-media artist J. Adam Bee enliven their subjects with a range of painterly processes, producing captivating portraits that engage with themes of fantasy and realism.

Bee, who received their BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in painting from Montserrat College of Art in 2024, has a studio practice primarily informed by the traditions of painting and the history of images. Their work is concerned with privacy, exploitation, and the impact of social stigma.

Radcliffe received his BFA in Studio Art from Montserrat College of Art in 2017 and focuses on abstract painting, but his work can range from portraiture to purely abstract works. Being of Puerto Rican and Black descent offers a deep well of cultural influences that impact his creative process and the result of each piece, as the music, food, and daily experiences within his community show themselves through each mark on his paintings.

The exhibition will be on display through Feb. 21.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)