New York City Trip Offers Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity for Art Students
New York City Trip Offers Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity for Art Students
For the first time in four years, the University of South Dakota Department of Art took a trip to New York City to meet with professional artists and tour museums and art galleries.
Eighteen students traveled to New York City along with College of Fine Arts Dean Bruce Kelley, Ph.D., Department of Art Chair Cory Knedler, MFA, and Assistant Professor Erin Wohletz, MFA.
In addition to touring the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the group met the following professional artists who are based in New York:
- Ruba Katrib, chief curator at the Museum of Modern Art PS1
- Pauline Shaw, sculpture and installation artist
- Nathlie Provosty, visual artist
- E.V. Day, installation artist
- Ivy Haldeman, painter and multimedia sculpture artist
- Nicki Cherry, visual artist
- Brad Kahlhamer, multimedia artist
- Timmy Simonds, sculpture and performance artist
- Raque Ford, multimedia artist • DonChristian Jones, multimedia artist, musician and director
- Phong Bui, artist, writer, independent curator, former curatorial advisor at the Museum of Modern Art, and publisher and artistic director of “The Brooklyn Rail”
- Hilary Harkness, painter
- Dena Yago, painter and writer
- Gryphon Rue, artist, composer and musician
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for upper-level art majors and an opportunity unique to the University of South Dakota,” said Knedler. “This year’s experience was particularly unique as our donor collaborated closely with Ruba Katrib to connect students with several artists at the start of their careers. This allowed our students to deeply relate to the challenges and triumphs of navigating emerging artistic careers.”
An alumnus, who wishes to remain anonymous, helped organize and fund the trip as well as participated in the experience.
“The NYC trip was an amazing opportunity for our students to meet established and rising artists and visit their studios,” said Kelley. “I love to see our students soak in the experience, question the artists and each other, and learn and grow. It is an incredible experience, and I am so proud of our students. A special word of thanks to a wonderful USD alumnus who is deeply connected to the NYC arts scene. His dedication to our students is inspirational.”
Here’s what a few of the students had to say about the trip.
What was your favorite part of the NYC trip?
Natalie: My favorite part of the trip was being able to experience New York through the lens of the art world. It was fun to be with a group of people who I spend so much time with in class and be able to spend time with them outside the school environment. The dinners and exploring the city after dinner was definitely a highlight.
Trey: I enjoyed all of the things we were able to see. This includes my personal interests, such as pigeons and the plants some of the artists had, as well as the skyscrapers surrounding you, wide arrays of artwork spread across studios all across the city and the general hustle-bustle culture of New York City.
Mariana: My favorite part of the NYC trip was the extensive studio visits. Seeing artists in their creative spaces, witnessing their processes and hearing their personal stories was incredibly inspiring. It gave me a sense of what it truly takes to live as an artist and made the experience deeply memorable.
Nathan: I know there was a lot, but my favorite parts were the studio visits themselves and understanding the gravity of the fact that we were offered a chance to see artists in New York in their studios. It was amazing. Sometimes when I look at a piece thoroughly up close, it sparks questions of what the process looked like exactly. Yes, this is the product, but I want to see the process of waiting to see the glue dry, the scraps thrown in the corner of the room long forgotten. Seeing the process piece together is breath taking.
What is something that you learned?
Natalie: I learned that it is possible to build a career as an artist as long as you network and stay true to yourself and your art. I also learned that you need to be confident in what you are creating while also being open to other ideas and criticisms.
Trey: In terms of artwork, there was a wide variety of subject matter and mediums that we saw. Many of the artists made the point that you should enjoy what you make. Coupling this with artists who make artwork about bananas and hotdogs, or artists who bleach plants, or finding success through community building (rather than solely through personal artwork), the big idea is that there’s opportunity out there. Success can come from you finding something you enjoy and flying with it.
Mariana: I learned how much dedication and resilience are required to sustain a life as an artist. A memorable quote, “You have to be your own biggest supporter because some days, no one else will,” really resonated with me and emphasized the importance of self-belief and perseverance in this field.
What is something that you will apply to your own work?
Natalie: This trip has inspired me to continue creating artwork that brings me joy. In total we visited 13 artist studios, and each artist had a unique style that brought them joy and got them excited. It inspired me to continue painting in my own style even though it may not be the most realistic or refined.
Trey: I want to be more comfortable with what I make and explore. I also want to be more experimental. One artist – Timmy Simonds – really stuck out to me, and it was because of how much he experimented and played with ideas. He’s bleached plants, turned celery into paper, and he’s currently experimenting with transmitting sound through objects, such that the object acts like a speaker. In short, I hope to be more experimental in my work.
Mariana: I will apply the lesson of persistence and self-support to my own work, knowing that challenges are inevitable, but dedication and hard work can lead to progress. This trip reminded me of the importance of consistency and finding strength within myself to push through obstacles.
Nathan: The trip sparked my interest majorly. I have the desire to push myself to think more about my work and being able to absorb as much information as possible and have it to continue to open my mind. I already have had a few new experiences this semester and the thing I get from each of them is how to grow my ideas, my curiosity of printmaking and seeing things in new perspectives that I once might have not noticed before. I have become more aware of my surroundings after each artist’s talk. I have started to appreciate hearing from multiple viewpoints; everyone has a different approach to something that could benefit my work and mindset.
What does it mean to you to be able to go on a trip like this?
Natalie: This trip was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It allowed me to understand firsthand what a career as an artist can be like. It also provided an opportunity to ask professional artists questions about the process of becoming an artist and finding their unique style, and any other questions I had. Being in their studios like that will never happen again and it would not have been possible if this trip did not take place.
Trey: It’s a unique experience. My family isn’t particularly explorative, so vacations were few and far between. I know some of my brothers will likely never see a place like New York. It’s quite overwhelming knowing there’s so much more out there than one would expect. It’s scary, but it’s invaluable to know. What this trip means to me is that I’m finding success where I once didn’t think there’d be much going on for me.
Mariana: Going on a trip like this means so much to me – it’s an opportunity to experience the reality of the art world beyond the classroom. While I have already exhibited my work nationally and internationally, being guided by Assistant Professor Wohletz, who joined us on the trip, enriched the experience as we explored various forms of printmaking and exhibitions. It was inspiring to connect with other artists and learn from their journeys. This trip also gave me the invaluable chance to envision my own artistic path more clearly. I’m incredibly grateful for the insights I’ve gained into what it truly means to be an artist, which now deeply informs my exploration of immigration history and the body of work I create.
Nathan: For one, being able to have a second chance to visit NYC under the name of USD; I would not have had these opportunities if they were not presented to me. It also reminds me that I took the risk to go to school and that risk brought me on a plane to visit a city that I have been in love with since I was a young kid. Being able to walk the streets of some of my favorite sites, being able to come back to streets that I am somewhat familiar with and being able to learn the streets a little more is more than I could ever ask for.
