UNDERGRAD STUDENT PROFILES

I chose to study art at UW-Madison because of the supportive yet challenging academic atmosphere paired with great resources to help nourish my artistic interests and ideas. My current work focuses on experimenting with various formal approaches to help mimic my thoughts and opinions on current society. To do so, I mix geometric form with organic gesture to instill a more profound sense of thought.

I knew that I wanted to go to school in a city that had both a great art and music scene, and after touring UW-Madison, I knew that it was my #1 choice. The art department has top-ranked programs and facilities, especially for printmakers like myself. I feel a great sense of support and community from the faculty and my fellow peers, and am encouraged to participate in group shows, and attend different art events around the city.

I plan on getting a BFA in Studio Art and adding Zoology as a second major. I grew up in Muskego, WI, but I also frequently traveled to India and several other countries when I was younger. I decided to study at Madison because this school has such a wide variety of resources available to the students. I’m very interested in trying a variety of mediums, though I have a strong base in drawing and book arts. I eventually hope to go into medical illustration. After spending a year at Madison, I’ve come to find this city as my home. I adore the art, the opportunities, and the people.

I chose to pursue a degree at Madison because of the atmosphere and opportunities offered at the university. I want to experience everything that college has to offer and be able to focus on what I love doing, which is what I think the Art Department provides for me. I decided on Art Education because art has been such a large part of my life and helped me achieve the person I am proud to be today, and I would love nothing more than to help children realize that same passion within themselves. The pieces I submitted are from a wide range of disciplines but I like working in vibrant colors and realism, in mostly colored pencil and oil paint. I am ready to experience every discipline offered!

From Mt. Horeb, WI, I came to UW-Madison with the intention of preparing for a career in graphic design in areas like art direction and illustration. With the dual material specialization of the BFA program, I have had the opportunity to explore two practices simultaneously and equip myself with a larger breadth of disciplines and more ways of thinking. Having a base in graphic design has allowed me to apply design thinking and aesthetics into glassworking, and in turn integrated more craft into the work I design. During my time at UW, I have developed a richer body of work that intersects in areas of signage, semiotics, environment, and language. With a studio practice that spans digital, print, and glass, combining materials has allowed me to develop new meanings, changing the way that I think and make.

I grew up in an environment where parents constantly push their children to achieve in studies like natural science and language arts. Many even make their children give up their passion for arts and over time, they built up this notion that arts are for the “academically inept.” I still remember when my parents stopped paying for my music lessons and I had to learn drawing behind their backs because they thought it was a waste of time. However, what they did not realize was that through art education, I obtained essential skills that have facilitated me in many other disciplines. I was once in a Chemistry lab session and there was this experiment that required a lot of accuracy and attention. I completed it faster than anyone else due to my practices in studio art that also required constant focus and precision. More importantly, just like the article mentions, I have developed strong analytic and problem-solving skills through practices of observing, exploring, reflecting, and analyzing. This week during my internship at the Arts+Literature Laboratory, I was given only two hours to come up with an event flyer for a concert that night, and I only brought my computer with Word installed because I was not informed about the event that day. I had to act quick and arrange the given concert information to make a simplistic but easy-read pamphlet. Thanks to the valuable principles and self-critiquing skills I learned from my design class, I handed in a decent result for my boss on time.

I am a BFA seeking senior at UW Madison also pursuing a BS in Mathematics. Born and raised in northern Wisconsin alongside the frigid temperatures and snowy winters, I have always thought working with my hands is the best way to keep warm. I believe through mastering materials and construction methods, I will be able to discover new possibilities in making rigid and kinetic structures in wood, concrete, and clay.

I come from Xi’an, China, where the winters are equally cold. I like drawing figures, characters, and doing animations, as my way of observing/examining my own personal experiences, emotional and psychological development, temperament, personalities, interpersonal interactions, etc.