Older art students can unleash their creativity in new studio spaces | Art & Media Design

The Washburn Art Center (WAB) is home to a mini maze designed exclusively for senior art students. As you enter this newly created studio space, you walk through a dozen or so 90-degree angles that will be home to critique, creativity, and a variety of feelings as the year progresses.

Final year students majoring in Art and Media Design undertake a year-long project in preparation for their professional careers. They research a field they would like to pursue, such as graphic design, film or photography, and develop a proposal to create a body of work related to that field. Each student then spends their final academic year developing and delivering their work, culminating in an end-of-year showcase, professional portfolio and website.

To accomplish this difficult task in the past, students had to carry their art supplies and work between classrooms and their homes because they didn’t have designated spaces to work and store their materials. This summer, Professor Scott Carollo and Assistant Professor Mava Vazquez changed that.

They cleared out a large room that was primarily used for storage on the second floor and built alcoves so that each senior could have a designated place to store materials and work. There’s also a common area, large storage units for 2D work, and a place to take professional photos of your work for your portfolio.

The space also aims to create a sense of community. Seniors can display their finished projects and work in progress – and faculty regularly come to each studio to critique them. The studio space is open until midnight, so students can come and go as they please, whenever inspiration strikes.

One of the nooks is dedicated to senior Troy Bohan, who says, “I was shocked when I saw it! The studio is so nice to have — I can use it for myself and it makes me feel really good,” he adds, adding that students typically can’t afford a dedicated studio space, so having one on campus allows for a unique experience.

“We didn’t realize how excited they would be,” Carollo says. “We’re experimenting this semester and hope these changes will elevate the work of students.”

In addition to the studio spaces, the second floor features a new study area. Several easels have been placed around the WAB as part of another new initiative: After each art project, students vote on the best work, which takes pride of place on the easels for display. Instead of displaying all the work, faculty decided to be more selective in order to provide students with motivation. “That way, they can respond to the criticism, and that motivates students to do better and improve their work for the next class project,” Carollo says.

Previous art students who have walked the halls of WAB will also have their work brought into the spotlight. Carollo took the time to go through their archives, finding student work dating back to the 1970s. He hung the pieces throughout the building to inspire the current generation of students and to point to the long history of brilliant, creative deaf minds.

More changes are in the works at WAB to share space and collaborate with other units and programs on campus. Carollo wants everyone to know that the doors of the Art and Media Design program are open to non-art students and the broader GU community to come check it out!

Save the date for December 9th for the Open Studio, Graduate Application Presentations and Screen Printing Exhibition.