HFC art student wins third place at statewide LAND Conference

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"Good Boy," sculpted by HFC student Shanzae Malik, won third place in the 3-D category at this year's LAND Conference. It was inspired by her Shar-Pei dog, Tuka.

HFC student Shanzae Malik will receive an award and recognition at the 35th Annual Liberal Arts Network for Development (LAND) Conference, a statewide community college competition. This year’s LAND Conference will be held in Ann Arbor Feb. 5-7.

"Good Boy"

Malik’s sculpture called “Good Boy” – a bust of a Shar-Pei dog (inspired by her dog Tuka) with the shoulders of a human – won third place in the 3-D category. Malik will receive $50 for placing third.

“I was coming back on the train from Chicago, where I was visiting my mom. I checked my email to find out I won. I was surprised and in awe. I was like, ‘What? Me? I won?’” said Malik.

Art is a family tradition

A native of Pakistan who currently lives in Detroit’s Indian Village neighborhood, Malik said art runs in her family. Her father was an artist whose medium was sculpture, which had a great impact on her. She is currently studying studio art at HFC.

“My main reason for coming to HFC was to work with metals on a bigger scale – something Detroit is known for. Detroit has a very industrial style of art, which I like,” said Malik.

LAND’s mission

The mission of LAND is to develop and promote a network for strengthening liberal arts education across Michigan’s 28 community colleges. LAND sponsors five student competitions to recognize outstanding student work in the liberal arts: student scholars, creative writing, illustration, fine arts and digital literacy. This year, the categories have expanded to include short film.

According to Steve Glazer, HFC ceramics/fine arts professor and LAND steering committee representative, 72 community college students across the state of Michigan entered 86 pieces of art in various media in the LAND Conference. Malik was the only student from HFC who won an award this year.

“It’s such a pleasure to bring students from across Michigan and to see their artistry on display,” said Glazer. “There are some really talented students, whose creativity is awe-inspiring.”