Artist Biography
Jillian Hersey is graduating in Spring 2023 from Endicott with a B.F.A in Interior Architecture. She has consistently been recognized for her academic achievements, earning a spot on the Dean’s list all four years, and as a member of the Mortar Board Honors Society as of Spring 2022. During the Fall of her Junior year, Jillian embarked on an unforgettable semester abroad in Florence, Italy at Florence University of the Arts. Over the last four years, she has shown her passion and dedication to her design work through her studies and three internship experiences. Outside the classroom, Jillian enjoys traveling, quality time with friends/family, and warm afternoons on the beach. During her time at Endicott, Jillian remained a dedicated student leader with positions as a Resident Assistant, Orientation Leader, Peer Tutor, and E-Board Lead of the IIDA Fashion Show Entry for the Endicott College Architecture and Design Club. Her extracurriculars throughout her Endicott experience include joining the Women’s Rugby Team, ECHO Acapella, Relay for Life, and more. Jillian will be continuing her education at the Boston Architectural College for her Master of Architecture. She is currently working towards her NCIDQ license and will be continuing her career with SmithGroup in Boston; an international multidisciplinary firm, where she will have a focus on healthcare and life science design. Jillian would like to thank all of her mentors, professors, family, and friends for their endless support and encouragement throughout her academic and personal endeavors.
Thesis Abstract
Jillian’s thesis project Polaris Community was inspired by a service trip to New Orleans during her Junior year of high school. Jillian spent a week with her peers renovating homes that had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The architecture, people, culture, and spirit of New Orleans had such a positive influence on her life that she decided to research how design can influence the most positive and proactive response to the negative communal and individual situations that a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, can cause. She discovered that over-packed shelters, apartment leases, and hotels far away (none of which are sustainable) are the only options for people who lose their homes and have no family or friends to accommodate them. Her evidence-based approach to an improved immediate housing solution for displaced people when a natural disaster strikes are heavily influenced by the need to battle climate change, create comfort during such uncertain times, and offer safety, and continued health & stability for all users of the space. Polaris Community is designed as a rehabilitation prototype that offers services and solutions to the immediate needs of individuals and families of all kinds who have been displaced due to an unexpected natural disaster. It is a temporary gathering point for determined people who are driven with passion to rebuild their community. Complete with job opportunities, temporary housing, an advising department, communal learning spaces, and interactive and sustainable gathering points, with nods to the spirit of its location; New Orleans.
The increasing threat of climate change has brought attention to an urgent need for a solution to the destruction of communities that natural disasters like hurricanes cause. Interior designers and architects who design for safety, community building, health and stability, a sense of place, and Earth conservation are laying the foundation of a strong, effective, recovery track for displaced people after a natural disaster has occurred.
Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-hersey
Portfolio: https://jillianhersey.wixsite.com/jlhdesigns