This summer, artists from the region, ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ, and around the world came together for a transformative two weeks of Kent Blossom Art Intensives (KBAI).
They collaborated with internationally acclaimed visiting guest artists, School of Art faculty, and each other in a residency style workshop, creating artworks and developing their skills. Workshops offered included ceramics, glass, painting and textiles.
During concentrated and intensive experiences like KBAI, artists often transform their skillsets and create artworks at rapid rates. Mariela, a painter from Mexico City, reflected on the advancement of her work over such a short period of time.
βMy work has evolved so much in the past two weeks. More than it has evolved in the past five years,β said Mariela. βItβs been productive and transformative.β
ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ senior Vic Williams, a studio art major with a concentration in ceramics, focused on constructing a large-scale sculpture during the ceramic intensives.
βItβs been an awesome challenge and itβs been nice to have guidance for it,β said Williams.
Also working on a large-scale project during the ceramics intensives was ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ rising senior Rye Geraci. Rye works with clay as their main medium but also specializes in jewelry, metals, and sculpture.
βItβs nice to explore things that Iβve been wanting to create and having the free time to do it,β Geraci emphasized. βYou have access to all the graduate students and professors during the day which is really nice.β