- Did you know you wanted to major in studio art when you came to Clark?
Stephen: No, I thought I was going to be a history major. I did art all through high school, but there is always that doubt, "Are you really good enough to be successful in a field that is so unknowing..." And in high school you don't really have a grasp on how things operate outside that small bubble. So I WAS doubtful. But during the second semester of my first year, some of my friends in the theater department were in Little Shop of Horrors and they were looking for someone to do the program. They knew I was artistic and asked me to do it. When there was still so much doubt in my mind about what I wanted to do and be, this was the deal breaker. I was in my element. In my groove. I had a great time putting it together and thought 'this is what I should be doing.'
- What's your focus within studio art?
Stephen: Graphic design and drawing/illustration. I've taken all the graphic design courses. Cynthia Wilson, who teaches introduction to graphic design, really helped me discover my love for graphic design, and to see that it was just something that came naturally to me. Then Sarah Buie took that and refined my graphic aesthetic. And my thesis professor, Ron Rizzi, helped me think differently as an artist and as a person.
- I understand that you were responsible for installing the senior thesis show.
Stephen: Yes, as a class we all worked together to coordinate, develop, design and install every aspect of our show. Several classmates and I have been Schiltkamp Gallery interns in the past, so we know what it takes to install a show. But when it's your own work, it's a whole different task.
- Is that internship a paid position?
Stephen: I did the internship for two years. The first year I took it for credit as a directed study internship course, and this year I got paid for it.
- How did you learn how to mount a show?
Stephen: You're given materials to review regarding the process, but really you have to learn from experience. No show ever works the same. The most difficult shows are those with multiple artists. The Schiltkamp Gallery is a relatively small space that people constantly walk through on a daily basis going to class and such. You have to adapt it to fit the art work, make it easy for people to navigate and still maintain a cohesive show.
- Did you work with the artists themselves when you do an installation?
Stephen: It varies. Some artists like a say in how their work is installed, while others just put their faith in the gallery director and the interns.
- I understand that Professor Elli Crocker was your internship supervisor? What's she like to work with?
Stephen: Working with her during my internship and as a student in her class was really a great experience. We are both pretty headstrong people! I would say the most important things I learned from the internship experience were about compromise, interpretation and perspective. There were agreements and disagreements, disasters and huge successes, countless gallons of paint and late nights. It all could be exhausting, but more than that it was incredibly fun.
- Have you been able to put your design experience to work while you've been at Clark?
I've done a lot of poster design for different departments at Clark--the Higgins School of Humanities, the Difficult Dialogues project, Visual and Performing Arts-I did the posters for all their theater and choir productions, and for the philosophy department. Like I said, you can make the most out of your opportunities at Clark. Some you create and some are given to you, but they've really helped me get to where I am and where I'm going to be.
I've also been on the yearbook staff since my first year. I was a regular staff member the first year, and then I kind of moved up the ranks, so to speak. First I was student life editor, and then the past two years I've become co-editor in chief. This year, it being my second year as co-editor, the book's vision was ultimately my own and I had a lot of overseeing to do as far as making the book cohesive for our theme.
- What would you like a prospective student to know about studying studio art at Clark?
Stephen: That you don't have to go to an art school if you're not ready for that intensive environment. That Clark does offer it here. It's all about working hard and getting the opportunities, making opportunities for yourself, and really making the most out of the program. It's a small program, but it's a great small program.
- Do you feel like you've been able to create the opportunities that you personally have needed?
Stephen: Absolutely.
View the chapter book that Stephen created for his senior thesis project.
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