Mariana
“No doubt, EWI changed my life. The wisdom, confidence, and heart Marga has shown while leading our training team has been a great inspiration. Her influence on my life is immeasurable. The breadth of the skills and lessons she has taught will be amplified over my lifetime.”
Elegant archways border the scene, illuminated from behind with the shady blue glow of twilight. The iron wrought balcony and gates set against brushed sienna walls exude the warm nostalgic air of Mexico. The passionate songs of the tango and ballads weave together a surrealist montage of the life of a famed Mexican poet in the musical “Agustín Lara: Boleros & Blues.” For a short time, the viewer’s world becomes beautifully entangled with the poet’s exploits and music which united a country.
In another scene from the production “Momia en el closet: El retorno de Eva Peron” (“Mummy in the Closet: The Return of Eva Peron”), Eva Peron’s mummy dances across the stage bathed in colorful bursts of lights set in front of a vibrant urban scene mural. The audience is transported to the turbulent times following Peron’s death and the political battle to control her legacy in Argentina. The show has already received five Helen Hayes Award nominations in four different categories.
These and many other beautiful theatrical experiences come from the rich imagination and striking creative talent of Mariana Fernandez, a scenic designer and artist living in the heart of Washington, D.C. The tall blond 36 year old with a lyrical accent admits that no one, especially not her high school English teacher, could have foreseen her future in the United States. A native of Cordoba, a sunny region of Argentina with a warm and vibrant population to match, Mariana first developed her passion for art and performance began as a child of five years old. The young Mariana was entranced at a friend’s birthday party by a puppet show. This first taste of performance and theater stayed with Mariana as she continued to develop her love and practice of the arts as a painter and designer. “Scenic design as a part of the performing arts is my passion because it combines two aspects for me: The love I have for designing/painting and the joy I have for creating a space to tell a story.”
When she was six, her family moved to the bustling city of Buenos Aires, where she was always more interested in art and music than sports or other activities. Following this passion led Mariana to pursue her bachelor’s degree in scenic design from Del Salvador University in Buenos Aires. Upon her graduation she put her skills in wardrobe design to use for two television stations, America Dos and Imagen Satelital. Mariana continued to pursue her education while working at the stations and freelancing by completing courses in theatrical make-up and set design at the Instituto Superior del Teatro Colon and the Teatro Colon Scenic Shop.
Just as things were seemingly coming together for Mariana’s professional and personal lives in 1999, things took a surprising turn. A newfound freedom from a relationship and from her job in television led Mariana to take the chance and come to Washington D.C. to live for six months with her parents and to study English. Mariana quickly took to the city and developed her social niche within the local Latin American community.
While living in D.C., Mariana was accepted with a full scholarship to the MFA program in set design at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. During the time in Massachusetts, she honed her skills as an artist and a leader of set design projects. In addition to working on several shows as a scenic artist and prop master, she also taught several introductory level courses at the university.
After she completed her degree in 2006, Mariana took the opportunity to return to the D.C. area. Upon her school visa’s expiration, she obtained a tourist visa and took the opportunity to explore the United States. During this period of time, Mariana came across EWI’s website. She emailed Marga Fripp, EWI’s founder, expressing her interest in the business training program. Almost immediately, Mariana received a reply from Marga, welcoming her to train in the March 2007 class.
From the very first session, Mariana looked forward to each class. There were women from all over the world ranging from ages 20 to 80 years old. Each one had a touching story–a life they couldn’t go back to in another country or a struggle to fulfill their passion for art. When there were times that she felt like giving up, the other women in the training group were there to help her through. Like her friends at EWI, Mariana felt pulled between her Argentine roots and her future in the U.S. The relationships and the community she found at EWI helped her to negotiate this tension within her life, career and identity.
Mariana credits the class not only with providing her a welcoming support circle, but also with giving her the tools to market herself as an artist and to create a professional image. “No doubt, EWI changed my life,” she says, “The wisdom, confidence, and heart Marga has shown while leading our training team has been a great inspiration. Her influence on my life is immeasurable. The breadth of the skills and lessons she has taught will be amplified over my lifetime.”
After completing her training at EWI, new doors opened up for Mariana. With EWI’s assistance, she redesigned her CV and portfolio. In combination with a recommendation from Marga, these helped her land jobs at local theater companies and at the University of Maryland in College Park. She was inspired to create a professional website showcasing her work (with the enormous help of a generous Mexican friend). Mariana continued to build her portfolio as a set designer for several productions at the Gala Theater and other local theaters. She also expanded her work into international theater festivals in Europe and Latin America.
In 2009, EWI also encouraged Mariana apply for the Mark K. Joseph Professional Development Award. After putting in long hours on the application with Marga’s assistance, Mariana went onto win the award in recognition of the energy, expertise and high standard she has brought to the stage production program. This recognition in turn opened even more doors for Mariana, whose current projects include working as the scenic artist for “The Nutcracker” at the Baltimore School for the Arts, the set designer for a children’s premier play at Galita (GALA’s Children’s Theater), set designer for a musical at the Inter-American Development Bank’s Barbara Simon Theater, and a set design advisor for one of her students for the Baltimore School for the Arts.
In her current projects, as in her past work, Mariana expresses herself eloquently through surrealist interpretations of scenic design. Building on the conceptual elements each script, Mariana strives for designs that eschew realism and enhance the viewer’s connection to the story’s tone and core themes through the use of symbolism. Her genre of choice is the epic play—like “The Trojan Women” by Euripides. Inspired by the rhythm, movement, and the uniqueness of each performance, Mariana strives to enhance the room for expression in each theatrical space. Beginning with AutoCAD tools and models and moving onto full scale constructions and large set paintings, Mariana collaborates with directors to achieve the correct balance of flow and abstraction in her designs.
Looking back, Mariana says, “EWI has had a big impact in my life. Marga Fripp, CEO, always gave me the enthusiasm and motivation which has resulted in a significant increase in productivity in my career as an artist… Her presence and guidance in my life eternally holds a place in my heart as an artist and a person.” Mariana hopes to “pay it forward” by continuing to promote and support EWI in any way she can. Reflecting back on her training at EWI she said, “I think all other artists should have this kind of support…Here [in the U.S.] I could do what I love and now I have all the tools to do it.”
Written by Emily Cintora
Emily Cintora is a young professional living and working in Washington, D.C. She is a recent graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she obtained her Masters in Public Policy and specialized in International Security and Political Economy. Her passion is protecting refugees in the U.S. and abroad and promoting durable solutions and empowerment for refugee populations. She previously worked in Kenya and France in refugee a resettlement program and language education. She was inspired by the work of EWI and started volunteering with the organization to fulfill her own love of art and to support refugee and immigrant communities in the D.C. area.