by School of Art + Design
February 21st 2022
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Macy Eiesland and Nia Musiba, both seniors majoring in Graphic Design, were named by Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) Magazine as promising "Students to Watch" for 2022. Nominated by School of Art + Design faculty Kate Bingaman Burt, they were selected from a nationwide pool of undergraduate and graduate students, many from prestigious design programs. Through the watch list, the magazine seeks to "identify top students ready to burst on the design scene."
Macy Eiesland
Macy Eiesland is a Senior Graphic Design student at Portland State University. Her work weaves color, texture, and typography to create playful, engaging narratives. She is interested in how we see the world around us and is extremely interested in the spaces we move about. Macy dives into her work wholeheartedly and digs deep, seeing to create concept-driven work that continues to grow beyond her touch.
Nia Musiba
Nia Musiba lives and eats and sleeps and goes to school and creates work and makes new friends in Portland. Her identity as an African-American woman and the daughter of a Tanzanian immigrant influences her work, and she uses art and design as a tool for her exploration of Blackness throughout history. Her creations are about being human, about hands and feet and bodies and love and sadness and flowers and sunshine. She views her depictions of Black and brown bodies as a direct response to the hyper-sexualization, brutalization, and overall negative depictions of BiPoC individuals within art and media. She believes in people, representation and love, among other things — and has a soft spot for the primary colors.