(Pictured above: Part of Bethany’s recent painting assignment)
As an art student, my whole world changed when we made the switch to online classes. I had grown used to having a studio space to work on my large paintings and being able to see what other students create in person. With this shift to online learning, studio classes have had to reconsider the way we create and discuss art in our academic setting. You really start to realize how much art, and painting specifically, relies on the in-person experience. You aren’t able to see the actual size, the textures, or the true colors of the paint. As an artist who utilizes the texture and materiality of the paint in my work, this is even more frustrating. A camera can only capture so much when it comes to visual art.
For the fourth semester students, the change has been even harder on them. They were expecting to have their work up on an actual gallery wall to celebrate all the hard work they have put into their theses. Now they will have their work up in a digital space, which doesn’t allow for artist and audience interactions.
On the bright side, because of quarantine and being online, we have been able to have real art world professionals talk with our class. So far, we have had three discussions with people in the thick of the New York art world. We have talked to Jack Barrett, who runs Jack Barrett gallery in NYC, Doron Langberg, a painter, and Samantha Ozar, who is a curator. While our previous realm of the art world has become secluded and cut off, a new one has opened up to us. We are able to interact with people who would have been too busy or too far away to talk to us.
I am frustrated with the lack of space and time to paint with online classes, but we have been given this wonderful opportunity to meet and learn from new people. As Samantha Ozar said during my class, young and emerging artists can benefit from this strange situation we are in. When quarantine lifts, museums and galleries will likely be more open to showing work from new artists and we will see a shift in the way the art world functions. So, the best thing we can do as art students during this time of online learning is to keep creating. Even if we don’t make a large quantity of work, this is a great time for exploring and playing with our techniques and ideas. And from one student to another, we will make it through this. Just keep trying your best and don’t let the online classes get you down!
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