Short film by Venture Productions | Summer 2020
Art, for the artist, can be a lonely experience. Painters, illustrators, novelists: The perfection of their craft is often an exercise in isolation, with countless hours spent behind a drafting table, desk, or easel.
But for Cristina Vanko (B.F.A./B.A. ’11, Fine Arts, Spanish), art is an exercise in connection. As a celebrated illustrator, art director, and hand-letterer, she’s published books with Penguin Random House and worked on international marketing campaigns for McDonald’s, Instagram, Nike, Google, and many others, her artwork engaging the eyes and emotions of millions all around the world.
And yet, the connections that she makes through her artwork aren’t limited to the big and bold. She relishes the chance to leave anonymous affirmations written in chalk on the sidewalk of her neighborhood or in the fog of a window pane, hopefulness and earnest optimism trailing in her wake. However solitary the creation of art may be, Vanko’s work is all about relatedness.