Moraine Valley student Jake Carbonara is congratulated by Dr. Walter Fronzcek, dean of Liberal Arts, for his winning logo design in the Mosaics: Muslim Voices in America project contest at the college.
The project, hosted by the Fine and Performing Arts Center (FPAC), is made possible through a grant from the Association of Performing Professionals for the Building Bridges: Arts Culture and Identity program, a component of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
“I wanted to incorporate a symbol that shows our voices being carried, so I came up with three sound wave lines that move together in perfect harmony,” Carbonara said. “It’s a simple, yet sophisticated, logo design that not only looks professional but speaks volumes.”
The selection committee deemed Carbonara’s design to be strong and in line with the message being conveyed in the project. “It is on point conceptually and has a clean design that supports the concept,” said Christina Matusek, art instructor and selection committee member. “It’s this combination that gives it strength, and it is their unity that allows the collective voice to be heard and the true strength to be seen; similar to the way each tile of a mosaic comes together to create an entire image.”
Tommy Hensel, managing director at the FPAC, said Moraine Valley was one of only four colleges selected to receive this grant to participate in the program. “We got involved because this meets a societal need and would impact positively on our students,” Hensel said. “We held the contest because we wanted to get students engaged at every level possible. The entries were quite good, so it was a hard decision, but it was unanimous.”
Carbonara, who won $250 for his winning entry, is studying business and plans to transfer to Lewis University, where he will major in marketing.
