UCSB MFA Graduation

Desiree D'Alessandro
Master of Fine Art
Summa Cum Laude / 3.99 GPA

Alas, it is over. I have earned my MFA in the course of the 2-year program at UC Santa Barbara. I am thankful to be in a much happier and healthier place in my life than when I arrived in September of 2009. I have lost 40 pounds, discovered boxing, and proved myself via my success in grants, awards, national and international exhibitions, teaching capabilities, and more.

Overall, I have had a fabulous time and I am thankful for the many opportunities I've had to work distinguished faculty, particularly those who served on my thesis committee: Colin Gardner, Richard Ross, Kip Fulbeck, and Dick Hebdige. I am appreciative of my MFA peers for their highly valuable input, advice, encouragement, and support. I am sad to see it ending, but I am simultaneously excited for what future lies before me post-graduate school.

While I am most uncertain regarding the long run up upcoming events, I know in my immediate future will participating in the SB Contemporary Art Forum's CALL FOR ENTRIES exhibit curated by Kim Beil, working with an immersive audio-only installation in relation to my boxing investigations. Also, soon I will release the digital and print copy of the boxing catalog, which will contain writings from the following contributors:

Henry Calles - The Humbling and Empowering Metamorphosis of Boxing
Maureen Cox - We Can Be Sheroes
Victor D'Alessandro - The Brawler and Boxer: A Father and Daughter Conversation
Kip Fulbeck - Art in Athleticism
Colin Gardner - 'Enery's 'Ammer as Collective Leaven: The Noble Art and the Forging of a Community Yet to Come
Dick Hebdige - Art As a Matter Out of Place
Maggie Knapp - Art Review of Work by Desiree D'Alessandro
Diran Lyons - The World is Worth Fighting For Whom The Bell Tolls
David Martinez - A Glimpse into UCSB Boxing History
Richard Ross - From Madison Square Garden to Old Gym Gallery and Back Again
Michael Schmitt - Fight History: A Conversation with Michael Schmitt

Documented in the catalog will be exhibition photographs and video stills, local community boxer photographs from collaborator Raymond Douglas, historical UCSB boxing artifacts, and as you can see from the selection above, a broad scope of interdisciplinary input and writing contributions from academics, distinguished boxing figures, friends, family, and more. It will make a nice corresponding document to my thesis on file in the Department and Arts Library.

Below is a transcription of what was said about me at the graduation ceremony:

UCSB Department of Art
Graduation and Awards Ceremony
June 11, 2011

Colin Gardner: It gives me great pleasure to speak for Desiree D'Alessandro. I teach theory in the department so most of the names I bandy about with my students--names which fill them with dread because the readings are so difficult--are people like Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari, Michel Foucault--[student from the background interrupts, shouting "No more!"] See? Enough already [crowd laughter]!

But with Desiree, it was a completely different roster of names. It was names like Floyd Patterson, Ingemar Johansson, Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, Henry Cooper [crowd laughter]. Those are just the heavyweights! We never even got into the middle and light weights! I grew up watching Terry Spinks fight who was one of my heroes. But what was remarkable about this is that the combination of boxing, particularly the world of women's boxing, and art is not an incompatible thing at all. In fact one of the great contributions that Desiree made to our department was that she fused not only the activities so that boxing became a kind of artistic performance and vice versa, but she mixed the two worlds, the two audiences. When she staged her famous bout against the reigning champion of the College of Creative Studies, and I think actually won on a fairly large margin of points, it was great to see everyone rooting for their heroine in the gallery and also in the ring... those with ringside seats braying for blood... just amazing [crowd laughter]! We've never seen its like before and probably will never see it again. So for that alone, and for a wonderful two years, I want to thank Desiree from the bottom of my heart.

Desiree D'Alessandro: Wow, thank you Colin. It was an honor to be here and this experience has been the best two years of my life... [starts to choke up]. Gah! I'm such a sucker! [crowd laughter]! I'd like to thank my many families including my father, Victor D'Alessandro, and my boyfriend, Daniel Zimmie. I'd also like to thank my MFA peers, my boxing community, particularly David Martinez and Henry Calles who were always in my corner, and the faculty and staff here at UCSB. Thank you all very much.