ECC recently hosted a

n student art show. One participant is Marianna Lozada. Lozada came to Elgin Community College to study nursing but has since switched her focus to being an artist.

“I have been an ECC student since 2017,” Lozada said. “I didn’t go into the art classes right away. I did more of my general electives and then I took art as an elective and found out I really like it. I kind of pushed my general electives aside and focused more on art.”

Art may not be what someone thinks when they see a nurse, but she has been thinking about going into photography. 

“But I did take a break because I thought where is this taking me,” Lozada said. “I didn’t know because medical school has a very stable place to be. After a while I thought nursing isn’t what I want. But I also have to realize that I am going to be going back and forth from nursing to photography.”

The new art gallery, featuring art of ECC students, premiered on May 10. 

“It is my first year in an art show,” Lozada said. “I have been meaning to put my work into a show. I guess I never thought my work was ever good enough but I am glad I did.”

For Lozada, the time it takes to create a new artistic piece can vary. 

“It depends on when I turn any piece in,” Lozada said. “Sometimes it takes me a week. Normally I am not in front of a screen, I usually go back and forth on a single piece, until I get it right.

“My favorite is not photography but a piece that I did digital manipulation on,” Lozada said. “I scanned a bunch of images and put those together. It was the first that put symbolism into. I crafted it in a way that every piece had a meaning.”