KINGSTON, R.I., Jan. 3, 2018鈥擶hen Newsweek鈥檚 anniversary edition of the Women鈥檚 March comes out this month, look for Narya Marcille鈥檚 pink sky and strong-willed women on the cover.
Marcille鈥檚 iconic images first appeared in a poster she designed for the demonstration in Washington last year and now they鈥檙e back鈥攐n an even bigger stage.
The 溏心vlog免费B站 alumna created the cover art for the magazine鈥檚 special edition, which is scheduled to hit newsstands Jan. 23.
鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled, but still in shock,鈥� says Marcille. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of surreal. Who knows what this will lead to?鈥�
Worldwide recognition, for one. 溏心vlog免费B站 500,000 copies will be printed in the United States and Canada, and some of those copies will probably end up on coffee tables in Europe and elsewhere overseas.
Marcille welcomes the attention and any opportunities the exposure could bring: 鈥淭his is the first time I鈥檝e felt like I can just be an artist. I鈥檓 excited.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 always easy. After graduating from 溏心vlog免费B站 with a bachelor of fine arts in 2005, she worked as a bartender, advertising coordinator and jewelry store clerk to pay bills. Art was something she did in her spare time.
After marrying Tom Gruczka, a 2004 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate, she decided to stay home in North Smithfield with her children, Micah, now 4, and Jack, now 1, while Gruczka worked as a physical education teacher in nearby Smithfield. When she could, she freelanced as a graphic designer.
Last January, she reluctantly passed on an opportunity to join the women鈥檚 demonstration Jan. 20 in the nation鈥檚 capital, where thousands of women turned out to advocate for women鈥檚 rights, immigration reform, racial equality and LGBTQ rights.
Deciding that the trip would be too difficult with a newborn and toddler, Marcille channeled her political energy into a poster, which, on a whim, she posted on the Hillary Clinton-inspired Pantsuit Nation Facebook page. The response was overwhelming. The poster received 90,000 hits and more than 3,000 comments.
鈥淚 was blown away,鈥� says Marcille. 鈥淗appily blown away.鈥�
Marcille set up an Etsy page ) with digital downloads of the poster, and also put the design on her Facebook page (https://m.facebook.com/narya.marcille.art). Art editors and curators took notice, as well as a Supreme Court Justice.
First, there was the call last April from Katherine Blood, curator of fine prints at the Library of Congress, who asked Marcille to donate a print to the library鈥檚 poster and fine art print collection. You bet, said Marcille, who made a trip to Washington to view the collection and relish her place in history.
Then, Marcille sent her poster to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who is depicted in the poster, along with Clinton, an African-American woman wearing a gay pride pin, an Asian woman, and a Muslim woman wearing a hijab.
Justice Ginsberg鈥檚 April 14, 2017 thank-you note on Supreme Court of the United States stationery was hand-written: 鈥淒ear Narya, A thousand thanks for the poster you created. It will be framed and displayed in chambers for all who visit me to see. With appreciation for your artistry, and every good wish, J. R. Bader Ginsberg.鈥�
As if that weren鈥檛 thrilling enough, a few days before Christmas Marcille received a comment on her Facebook page from a man praising her work, with an unexpected offer: 鈥淲e鈥檇 love to commission some cover art.鈥� His name was Steven Charny, art director for Topix Media, which publishes Newsweek鈥檚 special editions.
Marcille thought it was a hoax, what with all the fake social media postings out there. She did some research, and discovered that, yes, an internationally-renowned magazine was wooing her after all. Editor and artist soon settled on an idea, and Marcille got to work, sketching, designing and re-designing for a walloping 90 hours, including an 18-hour all-nighter that started at 1 p.m. Christmas day and ended the next morning at 7. 鈥淚t was intense,鈥� she says, 鈥渢hen I took a nice nap.鈥�
Marcille is mum on the Adobe Illustrator design for Newsweek, except to say that it consists of her tempestuous pink sky (鈥渁 feminist color鈥�) and illustrations of five women, 鈥渨ho I am not at liberty to reveal.鈥� Her fans will have to wait a few more weeks to find out.
鈥淚鈥檝e wanted to be an artist since I was a little girl,鈥� says Marcille. 鈥淵ou grow up with people telling you to be practical, get a real job, something not in art. So it鈥檚 wonderful to be doing what I鈥檝e always wanted to do, and make a living. Pinch me.鈥�