In 20 words or less, what is the best thing about being part of this department?
Supportive faculty and staff, opportunities for exhibition, and productive critique. You’ll change and improve quickly and substantially.

What is your biggest piece of advice to first years and sophomores about getting connected to this department?
Start taking art classes as early as possible, and across various media. You don’t have to commit to being a painter or a ceramicist or a printmaker (and so forth) until later on, so take the time to learn what you like. Spend more time in the studio than you think you need to, and go to exhibitions even if neither you or someone you know has work there.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned at K?
Opportunities are everywhere, constantly, but they’ll almost never approach you first. It never hurts to go after something you’re worried you might not receive or be qualified for, because it can always lead to the next thing. Take advantage of as many resources as you can and ask for help achieving things– faculty and staff want to help and are very often in the position to get you where you want to go.

What has been your favorite class at K?
I’ve loved too many classes to try to pick a favorite, but a class I find myself returning to the content of very often would be Public Art and Its Publics, taught by Dr. Christine Hahn. The class examined the idea of public art and the implications behind that idea– what makes something truly “public”? Who ultimately owns art (regardless of whether it is considered publicly or privately owned)? I questioned my own practice a lot. Why do I make art, and for who? Where do my work and I fit into the world? That class has influenced my thought process in every art-oriented class I’ve taken since.

How have you taken advantage of the open curriculum or experienced breadth in your education?
It’s one thing to have the technical skills to make art, but they’re pointless if you don’t have anything to make art about. Besides Art and Art History I’ve taken classes in English, Religion, Film, German, Critical Ethnic Studies, and WGS. I’ve been a TA and worked multiple campus jobs in different departments. I feel like the more I do outside of art, the more I have with which to return to it. My work can only improve from a broader understanding of the world.

What experiential education opportunities have you participated in?
While I did the New York Arts Study Away program, I was able to intern as a studio assistant for two working artists in the city as well as having my own residency, which was a huge opportunity that moved my creative process forward a lot. On the academic side of things, I was able to travel to New Orleans over the 2023 Winter break, funded by the HILL Grant for the Digital Humanities to research alternative forms of public art, culminating in a study of a community garden in the Treme neighborhood. On campus, I work as a Program Coordinator for the First Year Mentor Program in the Office of Student Activities. I get to look back on my time at K– what have I loved that I want to make sure is passed on? What has been a problem that should be changed going forward? And then I get to implement that into the experiences of new students, which has been so rewarding.

What is your SIP?
I am going to be doing a painting SIP– the great thing about a studio art SIP is we don’t actually put together our final proposal until the fall, and then the SIP is done in the winter. So, I’m not sure what my specific theme will be yet– there is a required fall term Studio Art course for senior majors in the department called Advanced Studio that is heavily focused on specifying your ideas and practice in preparation for the SIP, so I’ll have a better idea then. Ask me again winter term!

What are your career aspirations/next steps after K?
I know that I want to go to graduate school. That’s definitely not the path for everyone and not a necessity to being an artist, but wanting to go is something that the New York Arts program really solidified for me. I’m not always sure beyond that. A lot of the time I think I’d like to go the professor route, or maybe work a job outside of the field so my love for my creative practice doesn’t fade. I guess one of the biggest signs of K’s success is that I don’t feel particularly worried. I think no matter what I’ll find something I love.

What is a random fun fact about you?
I’m such a chronic re-reader, so my new year’s resolution for 2024 was to read 20 books I haven’t read before. Whether or not I make it to 20, I’ve read some great books this year!

---

In 20 words or less, what is the best thing about being part of this department?
Learning about the ways that art influences the past as well as the world around us.

What is your biggest piece of advice to first years and sophomores about getting connected to this department?
Bring your own perspectives and excitement to learning! This is a department that encourages discussion and subjectivity, your ideas are always welcome!

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned at K?
That it’s okay to express yourself however you want to. I’ve come into my identity during college and at K specifically, there are always communities that will accept you exactly how you are.

What has been your favorite class at K?
Sexuality in Premodern Europe with Dr. Rojas. I loved the nuance and completely different way to look at history; this class was the history we were never taught in high school.

How have you taken advantage of the open curriculum or experienced breadth in your education?
I’ve widened my horizons in how I view the world and what is possible. Because there are so many options, I was able to try a lot of different fields until I found the ones I loved.

What experiential education opportunities have you participated in?
I worked in the education department at the Kimbell Museum of Art as an intern. I also gave tours in English and Spanish at a Contemporary Art Museum in Spain. I arrange and teach music in the College Singers and in an a Capella group.

What is your SIP?
I’m doing a SIP in the music department focusing on arrangements and original songs.

What are your career aspirations/next steps after K?
I hope to be an art conservationist in the future. I plan to go to graduate school eventually, although I will be taking a gap year to work beforehand.

What is a random fun fact about you?
I had a pet snake growing up!