Gabrielle Romano

2022 Senior Exhibition Artists

Gabrielle Romano

Art + Design: Graphic Design

About Gabrielle Romano

Gabrielle is a graphic designer currently residing in Seekonk, Massachusetts. She will be graduating with a BFA in Graphic Design from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. She has experience with various elements of print and digital design, with the most interest in poster design, book design, logo design, and typography. She is always willing to expand her knowledge of art and design. Apart from graphic design, Gabrielle has experience in the fields of illustration and photography. As a self-taught photographer, she draws inspiration from seeing and capturing the world through her lens. Her favorite things to photograph are abandoned places and nature. In her free time, she enjoys urban exploring, video games, and traveling. She hopes to continue her design journey through continuous learning and reflect elements of her personality within her future works.

Statement

My 132-page book Unlawful Entry features authentic information on patient lives inside psychiatric hospitals while they were active, as well as my perspective while exploring the hospitals in their abandoned condition. Inside those old walls lie happenings hidden far away from the public. Without much education or community involvement, many are unaware of the history these locations hold within. These buildings are carelessly left to the elements of nature and human impact. Urban explorers like me aspire to learn more about crumbling hospitals - their past, present, and future. The optimum method of doing so is to trespass. Sneaking inside allows me to discover the true reality and witness ugliness and beauty. The ugliness of what occurred, as compared to the beauty of the decay. I find peeling paint, layers of dust, piles of asbestos, and shards of glass to be some of the many reasons I see alluring elegance in abandoned hospitals. Matched with my love for photography, urban exploration provides me with an abundance of opportunities to capture sights, scenes, and angles that most may not see in their everyday lives. It weighs heavy on the mind when I think about all the staff and patients who walked these same areas so many years ago. With my carefully researched information, my personal thoughts and experiences, and my photos, I hope to take you on a journey of uncovering the factuality of psychiatric hospitals – a dark and delicate harmony of the unlawful entry of patients and my unlawful entry inside.