Hamilton’s senior art concentrators embarked on the annual Art Department trip to New York City to see and learn from contemporary studio artists and their work from Nov. 1-3. The seniors visited the studios of painter Loren Munk, photographer Eileen Quinlan, photographer and sculptor Ellie Krakow, painter Peter Krashes, and photographer Laurel Nakadate.
Associate Professor of Art Robert Knight, Professor of Art Rebecca Murtaugh, and studio operations manager John Powell guided students on the educational trip that is part of their year-long art concentration thesis. The trip was made possible thanks to generous support from the Kirkland Endowment and the Office of the Dean of Faculty.
The Hamilton group met with a variety of artists across the city to hear about their work, practices, struggles, and triumphs in pursuit of their passions and interests. On Thursday afternoon, the group visited the intellectual painter Loren Munk who spoke of his interests in art history and expressed his appreciation for the arts community in New York.
Photographer Eileen Quinlan, who works with Polaroid photography, talked with students about how “sometimes you lead the work and sometimes it leads you.” The mixed media artist Ellie Krakow advised the art concentrators to “keep liking yourself” in the pursuit of their passions toward art. Alex Black ‘19, reflecting on the artists’ inclination to lend their advice to the students said, “Most influential for me on the trip was that even though each artist made work so distinctly their own, the advice was basically the same--trust yourself.”
Painter Peter Krashes focuses his artwork on political activism, and he emphasized that they should “make your own place. A lot of people will try to talk you out of it. You have to be willing to make work because it's rewarding for you.” While discussing her career in photography and video on Saturday, Laurel Nakadate expressed a similar sentiment encouraging her visitors to “make a lot of work and be prepared for an opportunity.”
Between visits, students had the opportunity to accompany the faculty members to current photography, painting, and sculpture exhibitions in Manhattan galleries. These exhibitions provided additional inspiration and witness to the variety of art New York has to offer.
Reflecting on the trip, Powell said it was “so enjoyable to take our curious and creative minds to the bustle of New York City; to have five artists share their studio processes, views on art, and advice on creating; to explore what currently fills various New York art galleries; and to have it all done in gorgeous weather! What more could you ask for?”
