UNDERGRAD STUDENT PROFILES

Goldie Bennett

I have a background in graphic design but chose pursue a BS in art at UW-Madison because I wanted to explore the depths of my painting and drawing interests. UW-Madison has opened my mind and creative processes to so many new opportunities, including printmaking and videography. The formal art history knowledge as well as contemporary insights from current artists gained at UW Madison has been invaluable and I’d do it all over again. I am looking forward to the discoveries my remaining requirements will bring in my senior year.

Gabrielle Cordes

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.

Halie Conyers

I chose to study at UW-Madison because of the amazing Metalsmithing and Ceramics programs, which are my main concentrations. I am challenged in all the work I make, but I am also allowed to have artistic freedom. Through the art department at UW, I have been able to try a wide variety of mediums such as printmaking and graphic design. The art program is a great department to be a part of and it has opened so many doors for me.

Audrey Hansa

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.

Jac Dellaria

I took about a year long break from art after I graduated high school, but as my first year at UW went by I felt the drive to create again and the UW Art Department welcomed me with open arms. After enrolling in a few classes I quickly realized what a fantastically unique experience studying art at UW would provide me. I love telling stories through my art and UW is now part of my story.

Jessi Havens

Matt Jacob

Often working in glass, I make artwork about relationships, intimacy, and the the biological forces that define us, among other themes. While blowing glass has become a mainstay in my practice, I also explores other mediums and themes. I enjoy making comics and finds them to be another very interesting way of telling stories and sharing ideas. I view art as an opportunity to make my worldview more accessible and to open up dialogue about these ideas, and am interested in any medium or process that allows me to do just that.

Megan Jain

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.

Catherine Lundgren

I been scribbling, drawing, and crafting since I was very young. After taking a variety of classes in a variety of subjects, I took a drawing class and quickly knew I wanted to pursue art as a career; the decision came as no surprise to my family and friends. In my work, I am concerned with the figural portrayal of women in art, not as an object but rather a subject with a story to tell. I tend to use myself as subject, and I play with the colors of the skin and figure. The human body is not just peach, or brown, or black, but rather a combination of blues, reds, yellows, purples, and any color imaginable. I enjoy rendering a realistic and beautiful body, while also creating the narrative that coexists with the figure. I hope to continue exploring ways to portray the human experience as I further my art education.

Danielle Mohr

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!

Ingrid Olson

My main concentration is painting and printmaking but through UW I have been encouraged to try my hand at various mediums. I chose to study at UW because of the excellent resources and facilities I witnessed on a tour of the art school before officially enrolling. The art program is very collaborative and supportive, I came into my freshman year with the art major declared but could’ve never anticipated how much this program would secure this path for me. I typically post most of my work from school and beyond on my instagram.

Ben Orozco

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.

Lindi Shi

I come from Xi’an, a city in North China. Please come and visit me in China, I am more than happy to show you the best foods in the world. My UW life began with the Math department, but then I decided to join the art community since we are the best school for printmaking in America. I have met many amazing artists and students in the Art Department. The time I had in Madison will be the most cherished memory in my life. I mainly work with printmaking and book arts, though I have never stop experimenting with other media. My art is about my life experience and the stories I have collected. Although all the prints might not be closely related to each other, the essential goal is to share my stories with the viewers and let the viewers find themselves in my pieces. Of course, the most important thing is to have fun together.

Liqi Sheng

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.

Taylor Srebnick

I am a senior pursuing a BFA with focuses in graphic design and printmaking. Over the last four years I have been able to work with unexpected mediums, like coding in art, and using smeared mac and cheese on a scanner for poster design. The UW Art Department has strong relations with the Madison Art Community, making it easy to get involved with art related opportunities outside of the classroom as an undergrad. With support from the UW Art faculty I have been able to challenge myself as an artist and as a designer.

Mark Turner

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’m a senior pursuing a BA in Computer Science and certificates in Studio Art and Digital Studies. I grew up on a dairy farm near New Glarus, Wisconsin. I chose to pursue this combination of degrees because I’m passionate about technology and art, and these skills are currently in high demand in the tech industry. My classes have given me the tools to succeed as a Graphic Design intern at Epic, a Software Development intern at Microsoft, and most recently a Design Engineer intern at Intuit. Having a background in art was crucial for that role because I frequently worked with designers to create high-fidelity prototypes with code and it helped that I could “speak the language” of design.

Xueyan Wang

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.