Haverhill, MA (October 20, 2026) — The latest exhibition to open in the Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace on the Haverhill Campus of Northern Essex Community College is showing what it’s like to work as an artist. Professional Practice: Inside Art & Design Careers takes viewers behind the scenes of four different art and design careers. Curated by NECC Professor Michelle Carter, the exhibit showcases animation by Ng’endo Mukii, illustrations by Corey Corcoran, public art by Jenn Houle, and architecture from the firm NDNY. Sketches, process photos, and interviews illuminate the process of creating and the work of attaining commissions.
Public Art by Jenn Houle:
Public artist and NECC professor Jenn Houle recently won a design competition for Merrimack Valley Transit (MeVa) with “Birds + Bugs by Bus.” For many years, her vibrant paintings and digital art have encouraged environmental action, highlighting issues like the importance of planting native seeds and limiting light pollution. Houle’s MeVa project brings various species to twenty-two different bus shelters in Lawrence, Amesbury, and Haverhill — including a blue “summer azure” butterfly for NECC!
Animation by Ng’endo Mukii:
Ng’endo Mukii is a Boston-based artist and Professor of the Practice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. As the writer and director of Enkai, she represented Kenya in the Afrofuturist Disney anthology Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire. She collaborated with Blink Industries and Triggerfish animation studio, taking an innovative “mixed media” approach of combining techniques such as CGI, 2D animation, and stop motion animation. In 2024, Enkai won the Best Limited Series award at the prestigious 51st Annie Awards in LA.
Architecture by Mary Kohilam Chandrahasan and Ananth Robert Sampathkumar:
Is it possible to make New York City waste yards both functional and aesthetically appealing? How would you plan an urban outdoor classroom where public school students learn to farm, harvest, and cook? And how would you design a Brooklyn restaurant that reflects the industrial history of Williamsburg while also conjuring a home-cooked Mexican meal? Manhattan-based architecture firm NDNY (“New Delhi New York”), founded by husband-and-wife team Mary Kohilam Chandrahasan and Ananth Robert Sampathkumar, has provided award-winning solutions to these challenges and many others.
Illustration by Corey Corcoran:
In late August 2024, Boston-based illustrator Corey Corcoran received a job request from The New York Times: an image for an editorial about the character of the witch in the movie Wicked. As with most newpaper timelines, Corcoran had just a couple of days to submit three visual ideas, or “roughs.” Corcoran’s final illustration was published on September 15th and was later recognized by several national illustration showcases.
The exhibit is open now on the Haverhill Campus. Special screenings of the animated short “Enkai,” will take place on October 27 at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. and October 28 at 1 p.m.
The Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace is located on the first floor of the Bentley Library. Gallery events are free and open to the public. For more information on this exhibition, contact Michelle Carter.
Gallery Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 8 AM – 8 PM
Friday: 8 AM – 4 PM
Saturday and Sunday: closed
