Michaela Dutra-Lowell and NECC President Lane Glenn

Artist Michaela Dutra-Lowell of Amesbury usually works on projects the size of a notebook and she claims she doesn’t much like to paint.  But this summer she broke out of her comfort zone, creating a 6×10-foot painted mural in honor of Northern Essex Community College’s 50th anniversary that will hang permanently in the Spurk Building Lobby on the college’s Haverhill Campus.

The mural was unveiled on Wednesday, October 5 by Dutra-Lowell and NECC President Lane Glenn, also of Amesbury, during a brief ceremony attended by over 100 cheering onlookers including college faculty, staff, and students.  Dutra-Lowell recently graduated from Northern Essex with a degree in illustration and is planning to continue her education at a four-year art school.

Dutra-Lowell was selected to create the mural by Rachel Hellmann, her art professor, who calls her “one of the most talented students I have ever taught.”  Once she decided to take on the job, she met with a committee to discuss what they were hoping to accomplish with the mural.  A companion mural was created in 1978 and the goal was to build on what had been started by creating a graphic representation of changes at the college over the past 30-plus years such as the development of the Lawrence campus, the building of the Hartleb Technology Center, the growth in student diversity, and the focus on community service.

Dutra-Lowell was tasked with meeting with a committee of faculty and administrators to develop a concept for the project and then to create the design.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to do this,” Dutra-Lowell told the crowd.  “I wanted to really put my feeling into this; I love the school, the campus, and the people.”

A longtime resident of Amesbury and one of nine siblings, Dutra-Lowell has “loved drawing and making things” for as long as she can remember.  She graduated from Northern Essex with her twin brother Michael and they took many courses together.  Dutra-Lowell plans to transfer to Mass College of Art or Montserrat and, while she will study art, she has not decided what specific area she will pursue.

Northern Essex is celebrating its 50th anniversary with events that will be held throughout the year.  For additional information, visit https://www.necc.mass.edu/celebrating-50-years-of-making-a-difference/

Lancy Hidy's poster design

In addition to designing three U.S. postage stamps, award winning graphic designer Lance Hidy, a resident of Merrimac, has designed commemorative posters for colleges and universities across the country.

He recently shared his talents with Northern Essex Community College, where he currently teaches photography and illustration, when he designed a poster in celebration of the college’s 50th anniversary.

On Wednesday, October 12 at 3:15, Hidy will share his poster design process in a presentation designed for those interested in graphic design, photography, illustration, and marketing.  Free and open to the public, the presentation will be held in the Hartleb Technology Center, 100 Elliott St., Haverhill, MA. A reception and exhibit of Hidy’s artwork will take place after the presentation in the Bentley Library.

Lance Hidy became active as an artist while growing up in Portland, Oregon. He sharpened his skills in art and design at Yale University from 1964 to 1968 and later studied privately with Leonard Baskin. Hidy was co-founder of David R. Godine, Publisher in 1969, before starting his own design firm in 1973. His commercial and fine art work covers a broad range from book design, posters, photography, type design, and illustration.

He was the art director of Harvard Business Review, and is the designer for books and apps for the Ansel Adams Trust. In addition to teaching and running his design and illustration studio, Hidy has lectured and written on design history.  His poster clients have included The George Washington University, Yale University, Wellesley College, Columbia University, the Library of Congress, and the universities of Maryland and Delaware. His fine art work is represented locally by Chameleon in Newburyport. In addition, he is working on a book about the illustrious fly-fishing career of his father, Vernon S. ‘Pete’ Hidy.

For more information on this presentation, contact the NECC Public Relations Office, 978 556-3862 or egreenslade@necc.mass.edu or visit the newsroom on the college’s website www.necc.mass.edu.

Northern Essex is celebrating its 50th anniversary with events that will be held throughout the year.  For additional information, visit the https://www.necc.mass.edu/celebrating-50-years-of-making-a-difference/

William D. Cox, Jr., Esq., of Haverhill, has been appointed to the Northern Essex Community College Board of Trustees by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. Cox, who has his own law practice, also has held the position of City Solicitor for Haverhill for more than seven years.

He has worked in the legal arena for better than two decades in both the public and private sectors. A graduate of Bradford College, he also attended the University of London and American University. Cox earned his Juris Doctris Degree from New England School of Law.

Prior to opening his private practice, Cox briefly served as assistant district attorney for Essex County.
He is currently board president of Career Resources Corporation in Haverhill, a member of the Northern Essex Community College legal studies advisory board, and a member of the Haverhill, American, and Massachusetts Bar Associations.

The college’s Board of Trustees includes nine members who are appointed by the governor of the state to a maximum of two five-year terms as well as an alumni-elected member, who also serves a maximum of 10 years, and a student trustee who serves for two semesters.

“We are honored to have a distinguished member of the law profession lend his voice to our board of trustees,” says NECC president Lane Glenn.