The Peregrination Explorers Club
As Presented at the MCAD MFA Thesis Show
My thesis project centers around a written and illustrated young adult novel under the working title, The Peregrination Explorers Club. It tells the story of an eleven year old girl named Chuck, who goes on an unexpected adventure, meeting real life explorers throughout history, while touching on themes of science, nature, discovery, and curiosity. Inspired by the incredible lives of actual explorers and drawing influence stylistically from the illustrated novels of the turn of the century, my book is targeted at a young adult audience, as well as the young at heart, encouraging them seek discovery and engage with the natural world. In the gallery, the work is presented in a full working draft, three illustrated sample chapters, and 2D and 3D illustrative elements in and around a theatrical room design. In considering how to present a project that is largely textual in a gallery setting I created a multitude of visual and immersive elements that showcase my skills in drawing, provide context for the narrative, and inspire a sense of wonder and imagination in the viewer. As a maker I am interested in the intersection of narrative, illustration, and museum display and illustrative installation. The gallery space is divided into three sections, one showcasing process, illustrations, and story context, one which allows viewers to enter the story, stepping into a central location from the narrative and surrounding them with collected curiosities from the book, and one that asks them to imagine their own future story. In much the same way that the book transports the reader and encourages curiosity, I wanted to create a transformative space which rewards close exploration and propels the gallery viewer to continue to engage with the world with curiosity and wonder as they move beyond the gallery.
