Towards the end of October, Savitz Hall displayed numerous drawings done by Rowan University students. The artwork highlighted included work from art students as well as an array of other majors.
Hanging the art was in conjunction with the third annual Student Success Summit, and Nancy Ohanian, an Art Department professor, is one of the faces behind getting the student’s work up in Savitz.
“The drawings in Savitz are self-portraits from students in our Figure Drawing classes in the art department. Some students are art majors and some are not. The head portraits were completed in class as students viewed themselves in a mirror attached to their easel. It was a single-day class project,” said Ohanian. “The larger full-figure portraits were also completed in class as students worked from photographs of themselves. Some students brought in a photo from home; others had their picture taken in class and drew the portrait as they viewed the image on their phones. This project took 3+ class sessions to complete.”
According to Ohanian, the artwork will be available for public viewing for two weeks, however, she says they may even rotate student artwork in the future since this was such a success.
Meanwhile, the students are still hard at work in Ohanian’s classes producing more artwork to add to their portfolios. Some want futures in art, while others have different career aspirations, but all expressed an interest in keeping art in their lives in the future.
Chloe Ditzel, a studio art major has artwork hanging in Savtiz.
“I drew it in this class, [Ohanian’s class], and then someone came in and picked it for Savitz,” Ditzel said. “I didn’t know if it was going to be hung up or not. It was a three-day drawing that we did from a picture that we either took here or a picture we had from before, and I think the possibility of it being hung in Savitz made me work a little harder on it and pay more attention to detail.”
Ditzel said that her experience in Ohanian’s class was helpful. This was the sentiment of another student, Rhea Raju, a junior graphic design major.
“I really enjoy it [Ohanian’s class], and I love the professor,” said Raju.
Raju has a self-portrait hanging in Savitz and another piece in the studio waiting to be finished. Like many of the other students, this was not Raju’s first time having artwork displayed or highlighted in showings. She also handed out her artwork at the Philadelphia Flower Show this year.
“The self-portrait took one session, but bigger pieces like that [referencing the unfinished piece in the studio] take more than one session, I think that one took three,” said Raju. “Last semester, I had artwork for the Philly flower show that was handed out on little cards.”
The drawings and self-portraits were done in charcoal, which was not new to the students before taking Professor Ohanian’s class. Senior psychological science major Morgan Murphy shared her thoughts on the medium and why it may be so common in many students’ art backgrounds.
“It’s really affordable, and I feel like the quality doesn’t really change between cheaper charcoals and more expensive charcoals. It’s also really approachable, I like it a lot,” said Murphy.
Murphy is heading straight to grad school after her time at Rowan, and is seeking a career in data science.
“I hope one day art will be in my future, but in the short term probably not. It’s still fun to have as a hobby and I’m really glad to be in this class because I had to get overrides for a bunch of requirements to be in this class because I’m not an art major,” said Murphy.
Murphy is passionate about someday translating statistics for the population, specifically, data presented in major news organizations.
“I want to work for major news companies and fact-check all the data they’re putting into articles and make sure it’s actually legible for the population because so many statistics are miss-appropriated and people do not understand how to read them and I love stats, I like math a lot, so I want my job to be translating hard numbers into actual digestible facts,” said Murphy.
Art education major Sophia Lerro, inspired by her high school art teacher, wants to teach art students someday.
“I really like to paint, I had a really great art teacher in high school, and that’s why I want to do art education, she taught us a lot about painting, color mixing all that stuff it was really fun,” said Lerro. “It’s a great form of expression, you can use it in very interdisciplinary, relate it to history, math, and science.”
Professor Ohanian’s class provides a relaxing environment for students while working to hone their art skills. Kaitlyn Kershaw, a second-year studio art major, has been into art her whole life and enjoys the environment of the class.
“In fourth grade I started, instead of just scribbles– tracing things and started wanting to get good at art,” said Kershaw. “It’s nice, very relaxing, it kind of is [therapeutic], right now we’re doing quick sketches, doesn’t have to be perfect, just getting everything down, it’s calming.”
Kristen Miranda, Academic Support Coordinator and SOAR Navigator also played a pivotal role in displaying the student’s artwork in Savitz.
“We were fortunate to be able to work with Professor Ohanian and her students again this year for our third Annual Student Success Summit, Becoming & Belonging, what’s your story? The annual summit runs in conjunction with Access, Inclusion, and Social Justice Week. The event serves as a way to foster a sense of belonging within our community while also honoring students’ sense of self and identity. The theme of this year’s summit was to highlight the stories that make us who we are,” said Miranda.
According to Miranda, between impeccable timing, talented students, and a partnership with Professor Ohanian, the project worked out well and has been a success.
“The timing of the Success Summit has aligned well with the timing of the self-portrait project in Professor Ohanian’s class. We feel incredibly grateful to display student artwork throughout Savitz Hall. The gallery gives us an opportunity to celebrate the efforts of our students and serves as a reminder that each student is experiencing life in their own unique way. Their artistic expression of this is breathtaking,” said Miranda.
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