Stories

This summer I was honored to be chosen by SCU's Department of Art and Art History to spend a week at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colorado. The time at Anderson Ranch significantly contributed to my personal development as a young artist. I attended the "Life Casting Across Disciplines" class, taught by professional artist Charles Long. I was able to have a long discussion with Charles about possible paths for me after Santa Clara University and throughout the class I received a lot of support and motivation about my past and future work. Casting was a new process and medium for me as a sculptor, and in my residency at Anderson Ranch I was able to enjoy experimenting with a new medium without the time pressure of a class assignment, and with the freedom to focus fully on my art without the distractions of other life pressures. I met artists at varying stages in their careers and was able to partake in collaborations and discussions with them that helped me see the need for continual art making in my life. We ate meals together, explored the Snowmass area, and stayed up late into the night working on our pieces together. 

Over the course of one week I cast 17 elbows and 2 necks, which I was able to photograph before leaving the Ranch. I loved seeing other artists at work and hearing about their ideas, previous work, and what motivated them to pursue the life of an artist and make art. Through this experience I made connections to others in the art world that I will cherish throughout my artistic career and friends that I will keep despite living in many different states. It was inspiring to work with so many passionate artists and to get a small taste of what it could be like to devote my life to sculpture.