The Maryland Institute College of Art’s campus is bustling with individuality and a hodgepodge of students fully immersed in myriad forms of artistic expression. Within minutes, it’s apparent that cliques and social pecking orders have little room at the Bolton Hill neighborhood school, where students with rainbow-colored locks or a face pocked with piercings fail to raise an eyebrow.
On an uncharacteristically mild February afternoon, celebrity makeup artist Reggie Wells and famed “alter ego” photographer Derek Blanks returned to their alma mater, which at 185 years old is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious art schools.
Walking through the maze-like hallways of the Eddie and Sylvia Brown Center, Wells absorbed the mash-up of student artwork that lines nearly every surface of the window-laden building. Today, multi-hued patchwork, pastoral images from El Salvador and an ornate bust of the late rapper Tupac are only a fraction of the artwork on display.
It’s a legacy of craftsmanship and creativity that Wells, a 1971 graduate, is fiercely proud of.
“The biggest honor I can ever give is to come back to this school and give a speech…I was so blessed to get a four-year scholarship,” said Wells as he reflected on his time at MICA. “Because we were artists, you could be a fool, you could be outspoken, you could do anything and they’d say, ‘Oh, that’s a student that’s really into art.’ We spread love; thank God it was the ‘60s, a time when you could spread love. So they were smoking and spreading love at the same time.”
He lets loose a hearty laugh that echoes down the empty hallway before adding, “I felt really comfortable here and not overwhelmed.”
The school’s Black Student Union is gearing up for its annual benefit fashion show in April and the two notable alumni are back to direct a promotional photo shoot. The Emmy Award-winning makeup artist has returned to MICA for the second time in three months, which he admits is “not easy” to do, “but it’s for my school.”
Perhaps best known as the tour de force behind media mogul Oprah’s glam squad, Wells is the author of makeup how-to guide Face Painting and his work has appeared on the covers of Essence magazine 108 times. Most recently, he debuted the cosmetics line Hissyfit, which aims to take the mystery out of flawless makeup application.
Not bad for a “little colored boy from Pulaski Street.”
“I’ve got 36 years in the business right now. After 36 years you really have a story,” said Wells, who is working on an autobiography detailing his rise from humble beginnings. “I didn’t start off as a makeup artist; I started off as an art teacher in Baltimore City. I didn’t get trained to be a makeup artist, but thank God I had this talent and this skill…”
Wells is as humorous as he is charismatic, but jokes come to an abrupt halt when makeup is the topic of discussion. A kaleidoscope of eye shadow pots, lipsticks and brushes ranging from tiny to gargantuan transform MICA’s mundane classroom into a makeup lover’s daydream. He commands the attention of several freelance makeup artists tapped to assist with the two-day photo shoot and demands perfection at all costs.
“Never let anyone see you with dirty makeup…We don’t always get everything we want” – some of the gems he shares with the young women.
At times his tone is just short of a quip, but the experience was an inspiration for Baltimore-based makeup artist Chimére Smith.
“I’m in awe of ability to want to give aspiring artists… a chance to learn and grow. He is serious about his commitment to MICA and seems to truly enjoy teaching makeup students how to hone their craft,” said Smith. “He even advised me on the next steps I should take in my artistry. This man has influenced celebrity makeup artists Sam Fine and AJ Crimson. I’m just honored to add my name to the list.”
As Wells and his team of makeup artists glamorize a bevy of slender models, Blanks tinkers with a camera and adjusts the studio’s lighting as a small assemblage of MICA students looks on. The 2000 graduate experienced a meteoric rise to fame in 2009 when his alter-ego photo shoots, which feature digitally blended images of one person engaging in different scenarios, garnered international acclaim. Even the outspoken “Real Housewives of Atlanta” fawned over their photos during a two-episode blitz featuring Blanks’ work.
“I didn’t realize how much caught on until I started seeing different Internet blogs and everybody had an alter ego. I was at home in Atlanta, Ga., and went into the mall, and the store’s name was Alter Ego,” said Blanks. “When I thought about doing it, I wanted to do something different and I wanted to do it on celebrities because….I thought it would be that much more intriguing. It seems to be my claim to fame, as they say.”
The Mississippi-born photographer’s portfolio is a who’s who of Hollywood stars. He captured stunning images of actress Angela Bassett for the cover of Essence’s March 2011 cover, but is also an illustrator featured in national galleries and publications.
Despite his dynamic photography and bourgeoning success, Blanks is still the consummate southern gentleman and, perhaps, a bit shy. His return to MICA is likely an inspiration for current students, but Blanks said he is equally rewarded.
“Coming back to campus made me realize – over 10 years ago when I was here – that the school has changed completely but the students still look like my old classmates. I think I take the youthfulness from the students and I try to either keep my work fresh where it doesn’t become dated where it could easily compete with somebody that’s graduating in 2010 versus 2000.”
MICA’s Black Student Union hosts their annual benefit show, “Genuine Articles: Designs That Give a Damn” at 8 p.m., April 16 at the Brown Center’s Falvey Hall, 1301 W. Mount Royal Ave. Tickets: $15, students; $20, general public. Visit dblanks.com and thereggiewells.com to learn more about Blanks and Wells.
