Gustavus Adolphus College collaborated with the Studio Arts seniors to create an exhibit where students are able to share the work done in classes one last time. A testament to all of the hard work they have put in during their four years here at Gustavus, this is not an experience to be missed.
Seniors Abby Willis ‘24, a Studio Arts major and Gender, Women, and Sexualties Studies minor and Becky LaCanne ‘24, an Art History and Studio Arts double major, spoke about their experiences at Gustavus.
Willis ‘24 is from San Bernardino, California, which is worlds away from St. Peter, Minnesota in every aspect of the phrase. And yet, she found that it was the place for her, as “I sat in on Betsy Byers’ painting class…that sold me. I walked away and I knew this place was it.”
As to the student experience, Willis ‘24 said that “when I decided to be a Studio Arts major I was originally going to focus on painting. Then I took one ceramics class with Nicolas Darcourt, and although I was awful at it, I thought that it was kind of fun!” Despite any hesitations, Willis continued to take the ceramics classes and found that “it has been really exciting because Darcourt has really fostered skills that have allowed me to grow in a medium that I didn’t even touch before coming to Gustavus, and now what I am presenting in the senior show is strictly ceramics. It really goes to show how much our professors invest in us.”
LaCanne ‘24 followed up on this, adding “sometimes art can be an island but our professors make sure that we do not feel that way. One thing that is our mantra lately is that we are not going to graduate and be broke, starving artists. We are going to be healthy and we are going to be excited.”
Reflecting on her time at Gustavus, Willis ‘24 remembered “the opening night of our show at River Rock Coffee last semester. We had spent all last semester building this show and it was really exciting, as we had been putting an entire semester’s worth of work into this exhibit and we had our hand in every single pot. So to have that opening night where all of our professors and friends came and celebrated with us was so rewarding because we got to celebrate all of our hard work with the people who helped us make it happen.”
LaCanne ‘24 reflected on “the quiet times in the studio. It is a very busy, focused time right now, but we have a lot of quiet time in there too.”
The Studio Arts majors have created a community together, with the Seniors Exhibition being a space for everyone to admire the work that they have done together and the joy that they have found. To join in the celebrations, the opening reception will be held Saturday, May 4, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Schaeffer Art Gallery. The exhibition will be up until commencement on Saturday, May 25.