jOY

Meagen Hurtado

Bio:

Maegen Hurtado is a passionate, digital marketer and graphic artist living in Elyria, Ohio. She was born and raised in Lorain, Ohio and is an only child. Maegen earned her B.S. in Communication Technology with a minor in Graphic Design from Eastern Michigan University. She started her graphic arts career at a local advertising agency in Elyria, Ohio and eventually started her corporate journey working at various corporations that range from B2B magazine publishing, web development, medical device and now focusing on digital marketing and customer experience for a company based out of Dublin, Ohio. Along with her corporate endeavors, she has also maintained a side web development and graphic design company for over 20 years. Maegen also enjoys trying out new experiences and is not afraid to step out of her comfort zone to jump into something different. She is currently President of the Board for FAVA (Firelands Association for the Visual Arts) and is transitioning into her second term.

Artist Statement:

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”

 - Emerson

Life is full of lessons. Lessons that can help shape your next move or deter you from reaching true and pure happiness and joy. I never thought I would be asked to do an exhibition. I reserved this notion to those people who are ‘true’ artists and creatives who know their artistic purpose. Now that the opportunity has presented itself to me I’m grabbing it, savoring it and crushing it. This experience deserved a theme to ground the purpose in our art selections. 

The focus is on jOY. I find jOY in the little things. I find jOY in new experiences. I find jOY in people. As you walk through this room you will see expressions of jOY in the pieces displayed. For me, the photography symbolizes moments where I felt pure jOY capturing moments that moved me or truly captured the essence of that event. 

I also decided to take on a new experiment, pour painting. I always wanted to start a project with a blank canvas and create something. I wasn’t sure the exact method, but this technique was very appealing and allowed me to experiment with color and literally get my hands dirty. What’s interesting about these pieces of art is that I curated a special Apple Music Playlist titled ‘jOY’. I listened to this playlist while creating each piece. If you see a QR code around the exhibit hall, scan it to gain access to my music for inspiration!

The additional pieces are a collection of experiences and passions that make my heart expand and trigger memories of happiness that truly tell my story of building a life of jOYful moments, relationships and ultimately a world that is surrounded by jOY.