BU’s Pop Painter
Molly Rosner (CFA’13) creates graphic design firm staffed with BU students
While Molly Rosner wasn’t around for pop art’s heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, that hasn’t kept the 21-year-old artist and entrepreneur from letting the movement influence every iPhone case, glittery lighter, and canvas she creates.
The soon-to-be graduate launched American Dream House to create and market original pop art. Featuring paintings, clothes, and home accessories, Rosner (CFA’13) hopes to turn the company’s distinct designs into a lifestyle brand akin to Jack Wills or Tommy Hilfiger.
She built American Dream House from the ground up with friend Julie Jackson (SHA’13). “I had the vague idea that I wanted to do something my senior year that would launch me into a full-time job,” says Rosner, the company’s creative director. “I didn’t want to work for someone else, so I tried to venture out on my own, and art is something I’ve always enjoyed because it’s fun.” Launching the enterprise is a fulfillment of her own version of the American dream, hence the name.
Many of the designs draw on classic Americana imagery, with stylized lines and vibrant colors. One painting, Dew Me, is a close-up of a model, similar to a Vargas pinup, staring at the viewer with large green eyes.
“My art is influenced by the fact that I’ve always been drawn to graphic patterns, and retro and sparkly things,” Rosner says. “I’m influenced by iconic artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.”
While Rosner is creative director, she relies on her “dream team” of 29 marketers, graphic designers, and artists—all BU students—to produce the company’s merchandise. She won’t reveal specifics on the company’s financials, but a painting can run up to $300 and T-shirts sell for $25. The merchandise is available for sale at craft fairs, open markets, and on the American Dream House website.
Much of Rosner’s design work was on display at last week’s BFA Thesis Exhibitions 2013 show at the 808 Gallery, and the feedback was so encouraging that Rosner says she plans to devote herself full-time to the company after graduation. “I’m really influenced by pop and rap music, where they’re always talking about fame and fortune, and living the lifestyle,” she says. “That success has always been in the back of my mind.”
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