We asked six talented undergraduates in our Art Department to share what, how, and why they create. From life-size sculptures and tactile graphic designs to intricate jewelry and vibrant paintings, these students — including both art majors and those pursuing an art certificate alongside other studies — are using diverse techniques to make their unique mark in the world of art.

Amber Mans ’26

BFA, glass and printmaking

“I create sculpture and installation work from a variety of materials, ranging from found media like wood and industrial scrap to clear glass and neon light. Most of my work is crafted in the hot shop, through glassblowing and kiln-formed methods. I use glass as a material to explore relationships between the body, memory, and care, and because of how convoluted these relationships are, I use many different paths to explore this.”

Annabelle Zhang ’25

BS, graphic design

“My pieces blend 2D graphic elements with digital production techniques. I enjoy integrating other senses — like touch and sound — into the design process and experimenting with 3D-printed tactile elements, infographics, and typography to deliver dynamic forms of graphic design. To me, art builds on interactions, and I wish to create interactions beyond the visuals. I enjoy exploring how sensory inputs like touch can make a graphic design product more universally effective and inclusive.”

Ethan Hind ’24

BFA, graphic design and drawing

“I create to represent my intersecting identities as a queer, transmasculine artist of color and how these parts of myself shape the world around me. My multimedia artwork includes graphic design illustrations with punk and folk influences, as well as traditionally drawn artwork centering around trans identities and bodies. While my work typically takes reference from life, I enjoy incorporating more abstract and horror imagery into my forms.”

Kyle Gilbertson ’25

Certificate, sculpture

“My life-size sculptures often utilize the male form, emphasizing inter- and intra-personal relationships with themes of queer desire, perspective, and identity. My current body of work aims to navigate the often unpredictable, unseen aspects of desire. Using a ceramics technique known as the “pinch method,” I gradually build up my hollow figures. This process occurs over several weeks and requires a constant dialogue with the malleable clay to ensure structural stability.”

Madeleine Stoffel ’25

BFA, art metals

“I create cohesive sets of jewelry and small intricate vessels. I always explore ideas in my sketchbook first, drawing several iterations of a form with sprawling notations of design possibilities. Once I’m set on a design, I utilize a range of techniques to bring a piece together — my favorites being enameling and casting. Metalsmithing takes ample amounts of patience and precision, but that is what draws me to it.”

Wylie Knight ’25

BFA, painting and drawing

“My painting practice focuses on characters with unorthodox narratives and unconventional appearances. While I lean toward technical realism, oddities within the subject matter and color palette bring my pieces to fruition. Often I transcribe ideas into sketches, then create a digital collage to inform an acrylic sketch that I paint directly onto the canvas. I use underpainting techniques and acrylic glazing mediums to build up a painting, and create various textures.”