What is campus life like at MIU? >

Home of Consciousness-Based EducationAccredited

An accredited non-profit university
with on-campus & online degrees >

Founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

A non-profit university with on-campus and online degree programs

Home of Consciousness-Based Education

Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission

Visit Us > Apply > Request Info >
Founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

A non-profit university with on-campus and online degree programs

Home of Consciousness-Based Education

Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission

Request Info > Apply > Visit Us >
Request Info > Apply > Visit Us >

I’m unsure where to begin my interview with MIU 2013 BFA graduate Elee Torres. Do we start with his Tasty Buns Patisserie, his avant-garde runway fashions from EcoJam 2015, or “Caravan,” his final BFA Final Show using cloth, paint, thread, wood, and re-purposed objects?

eleeLet’s start with some background: Elee explains that the breadth of work comes from his “openness to opportunities as they present themselves” and his desire to “explore it all.” Elee entered his BFA at MIU equipped with a broad set of skills he learned at a young artist program at the Indianapolis Art Center. Elee’s artistic vision is to “create an environment that is different, unique, that stops a typical day and shifts it out of the norm.”

Elee’s Tasty Buns Patisserie lifts each Friday out of the norm for his foodie fans at Everybody’s Whole Foods store, where Elee’s tabletop pastry selections deliver savory/sweet sensations with a visual wow factor. “It’s so natural to me,” Elee says, “My parents owned a restaurant, which means they rolled up their sleeves and got things done while teaching me that if you’re going to do something, do it well.” “Baking is my favorite thing,” he continues, “I’ve refined my own palette, adding visual elements that come from my fine art education.”

Tasty Buns is a showcase for that refinement and Elee’s “blending of distinct flavors without losing their brightness” when combined. “I’m a food snob,” Elee admits. “I like to make food special, an event that people look forward to. So, I only do it once a week and I look forward to it.” This approach comes straight from Elee’s childhood in Mexico. “Once a week,” he says, “my uncle made bread, and we bought from him. Once a week, our neighbor made traditional Mexican foods that we all enjoyed together.”

Last April, Elee broke the mold at EcoJam 2015 while exploring the male form with costumes and wearable sculptural elements inspired by Koi fish. “I treated these creations as sculptures mounted on a body or as installations on a body instead of in a room. I addressed the human form, changing and modifying it with elements of costume, installation, sculpture and painting.” I smile, remembering the moment when each model turned to walk back from at the end of the runway, revealing Elee’s artful drape of derrieres.

“Fairfield has a strong ethos of, ‘if you want it just do it,’ ” Elee explains, “If you want to do something, there’s always a way to do it. There’s a great energy for entrepreneurs and artists that has served me very well.”

“I’m a big fan of different ways of thinking,” Elee concludes, “If people like you, they support you. I’m aware of an appreciation of me, not just as the creator of costumes, or of food. It’s more than that. It’s people noticing the person I am. I can’t imagine anymore not being able to live or do what I want to do. That idea is very foreign to me.”

Photo credit belongs to Mel Sauerbeck (EcoJam 2015) and Cody Weber (“Caravan” BFA Art Show)

Mo Ellis is inspired by art, issues, and progressive ideas. Mo Ellis’ online and print contributions as a writer, editor, website & mobile app project manager, PR and online media director 
have appeared at: "O" magazine, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, The Des Moines Register, Surface Design Journal, The Iowa Source, KRUU-FM, Iowa Public Radio, Dr. Mercola and Dr. Oz.