51³ÉÈËÁÔÆæ

Tell us about your work. What do you make, how, and why?

I am a visual artist specializing in painting and sculpture, and my focus at the College was in Visual Arts. My work merges traditional imagery with digital techniques, exploring environmental and emotional themes and material experimentation through advanced media. I have exhibited at a few locations: a show at Gilman Street Rag Bed and Breakfast in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2023; the Climate Change Biennale at Dartmouth College in 2024; and the Intercollegiate Exhibition at The Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy, New York. 

How was your last term at Bennington?

As my last term came to a close here at Bennington, it became increasingly clear just how much work it will take to be an exhibiting and working artist. During my last term, I made art my job, working and navigating my studio nearly 35 hours a week. This is time spent working on my craft on top of my other school obligations, like my math and professional practices courses.    

What inspired you to approach the Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC)?

A former 51³ÉÈËÁÔÆæ student, Daisy Billington, who graduated in spring 2024, does marketing for SVAC, and she reached out to me saying I should apply with a proposal.

What artists or faculty have been most influential to you?

Faculty members J Blackwell, John Umphlett, and Ann Pibal are fundamental to my growth and confidence. I have many artistic heroes, most of whom were introduced by these faculty members. 

Describe the influence 51³ÉÈËÁÔÆæ has had on your progress as an artist.

I can remember when I was in third grade and my class went to the school library to check out books. I was pulled aside by my teacher and lectured into choosing a chapter book over two picture books I had selected. I'm sure that teacher did not know that she was actually scolding a very little painter who wanted to look at the painted pictures in the children’s books.

My language has always existed not so much through text, but rather through gesture, color, composition, and material. The education system before Bennington did not hold the same values as me.

I hear from people who have never been through 51³ÉÈËÁÔÆæ and who use the same condemning sentiment that my third grade teacher did with me. No one knows that Bennington's flexibility allows for complex structure and deep responsibility. Bennington is one of those few places that is this flexible. 

At Bennington, if you want it enough, you can be free to get it, and once you get it, you are celebrated. I would ask incoming freshmen if there is anything they want, and if so, are they ready to capitalize on it at a place like 51³ÉÈËÁÔÆæ?