By: Grace Leone
As a liberal arts university, Bellarmine boasts an art program with classes in media such as painting, drawing, ceramics, photography and more. However, the facility where art instruction is held is often a neglected part of these processes.
Erica Endris, a junior photography major, said, “The bottom floor where the ceramics and photography area is….it looks like they just pretty much put a wall up and just said ‘here ya go.’”
Michael Kopp, a full-time assistant professor in the art department said: “‘Is this the perfect set-up for teaching all of the awesome curriculum that we have here at Bellarmine?’ Not so much. More space would be awesome. More designated space for the more advanced classes that we teach would be great.”
Senior photography major Abby Nelson said the first floor Mac lab used to be a normal studio her freshman year but was updated during her sophomore year.
A makeshift photography studio resides in the Norton Fine Arts Complex basement.
Nelson also said studio spaces in the basement feel neglected.
“Whenever it rains, pieces of the ceiling tend to fall out,” she said. “I learned this recently when I was meeting with my professor, we had to cover up this thing we put our photo prints in when they’re being washed because if we don’t when it rains stuff will drop into them, and we don’t want gunk messing up our prints.”
But how does neglect in a building have a direct impact on the creative process?
Kopp said: “[students are] not feeling super comfortable. It’s hard to be in your most creative, best working, authentic self.”
These conditions are not ideal for producing opportunities to let the creative process and student art flourish. Students and faculty may even argue art is supposed to be messy, not clean and organized.
Endris said, “The conditions sometimes, it just makes us feel like my major doesn’t really matter to a lot of people.”
Nelson said the conditions in the art building can be distracting and although the ‘messiness’ does make it feel like an artist’s environment, it also makes her think the major is being neglected.
“Whenever I hear the loud AC kick on or just notice that it really is kind of dirty down there, it does just make it feel like, ‘Oh, this isn’t anything that Bellarmine is paying attention to,’” she said.
Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences and Associate Professor of Fine Arts Laura Hartford said the university focuses on comfort more than appearance.
“We want students to have the space they need to make their artwork. Most art facilities are going to be a little bit messy because people are supposed to be free to make messes in them,” Hartford said.
Kopp said he agrees with the students’ perspectives.
Kopp said: “What we have heard from students is some of the studio spaces could be redeveloped to be a bit more conducive and comfortable to working such long hours. Art classes are 2 hours and 45 minutes.”
The drawing horses sit in the basement drawing studio.
“The faculty in the art department have really let students take lead in presenting areas of improvement that they would benefit from within this building” Kopp said.
Kopp said student government representatives from class were leaders who pushed for more funding for rooms like the basement drawing studio.
Hartford said the building will never be truly clean and pristine and there needs to be space for students to make a mess.
"We have a budget, but we have to think very carefully about how we spend that budget because we have to keep an emergency sum in reserve in case some of our big-ticket items break down,” Hartford said.
The problems within the building and the resulting consequences could lead administrators to believe the art program should eventually be phased out and its funding reallocated. But the art program has had a positive impact despite the setbacks and hurdles produced by building conditions.
Kopp said: “I feel really humbled and gracious to have this experience to teach here. I love the intimate class sizes that allow for connection with students on a deeper level.”
Endris emphasized the importance of class size and the students.
“There’s not many people in the art programs, so you kind of take the same classes with the same people, so it’s a very tight community and that’s what I think has most impacted me. You gain a lot of friends,” Endris said.
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