Brandeis Alumni, Family and Friends

Artist Alex Sweder ’12 Tells the Story of Brandeis in Woodcut Portraits

November 26, 2024

The laser-engraved tapestry of 75 portraits depicts Brandeis alumni, their families, faculty, and students.

Alex Sweder ’12, GSAS MAT’14, was watching her children play with their cousins when she suddenly found herself thinking about her alma mater. She and her sister, Jessica Corsaro ’08, both met their husbands at Brandeis. 

“I was looking at these five kids running around and thinking about how they wouldn’t exist if not for Brandeis,” she says. “That feeling made me want to reconnect, and do something to invoke a sense of pride in the university.”

Shortly thereafter, the elementary school teacher-turned-artist got to work on a project she calls “Legacy Portraits.” The finished piece: A woodcut tapestry featuring 75 portraits of alumni, their children, faculty, staff, and students. Her goal, she says, was to highlight the deep connections, experiences, and values shared by Brandeisians across generations. The piece was made for the 2024 Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. 

“It’s my love letter to Brandeis,” adds Sweder.

Finding stories from throughout the years

To tell such a wide-ranging story in portraiture, Sweder leaned on friends, connected with alumni networks, and put out calls for stories, photos, and favorite memories in alumni Facebook groups. It wasn’t long before she collected a small library of stories and imagery, which included photos of alumni from across the decades. 

The photos provided visual guidance, she says, but it was the accompanying stories alumni shared that shaped each design. As a result, the portraits include action shots – such as a basketball player mid-jump shot and Barry Elkin ’71 gesturing from a lectern – as well as more straight-forward portraits. 

"The stories people shared were the best way to capture their essences,” she says. “I became so connected to each individual as I was doing their portrait, thinking about their story and their association with Brandeis.” 

Sharing her own story

Brandeis was already on Sweder’s radar when she began looking at colleges, since her sister had left their home in South Carolina to attend four years prior. But it was a tour of the theater department that made her fall in love with the university.

A theater arts major with a focus in stage management, she was involved in numerous productions during her undergraduate years. After graduating, she returned to Brandeis to earn a master’s degree in education. She taught for five years before stepping away from the classroom when her twins were born.  

It was also around this time that she began making art. And since 2023, with the launch of her own art and design studio, that’s been her full- time job. 

The finishing touches

As for the legacy portraits, Sweder spent three months designing and creating the woodcut tapestry. She used a number of laser-engraving techniques and a variety of woods, including maple, walnut, cherry, mulberry, and ash. Sweder notes the diversity of the materials  represents the unique nature of each individual’s Brandeis experience. 

“Brandeis, to me, is the small moments with other people,” she says. “Being snowed in and making igloos, or sitting on the floor of the library eating snacks. Those kinds of memories stay with you and help shape who you are.”