Wilson opens new studio for visual art

Wilson College unveiled its new visual arts studio Thursday — an open space stocked with acrylics, inks and watercolors for students in search of self-expression.

The studio space is located in Room 303 of Wilcox Hall and will be open four days a week.

Wilson master Marguerite Browning said that while many of the preparations for the opening of the arts studio have taken place this semester, ideas for the space have been discussed since the fall of 2005.

"The idea for the art studio came from a student, Jessica Wey ['07], a Wilson RCA," Browning said. "She and some other students organized the first annual Wilson College Art Show in the spring of 2006."

Wey approached Browning after observing that many of her advisees were very talented and interested in the visual arts. Inspired by the success of the 2006 show, the two began to talk seriously about reserving a space in Wilson College for an actual studio.

Some preliminary work was done last spring, Browning said, noting that most of the preparations were undertaken recently, with Wey, Elizabeth Kassler-Taub '10 and Wilson administrator Marianne DeVuono playing active roles.

Kassler-Taub, who is also involved with the Stella Art Club, said she hopes the studio will foster more student involvement with the arts on campus.

"I think there's art everywhere on campus but it's not as visible as it could be," she said. "That's why I think it's a great idea to bring art to the residential college level ... I think that there's enough interest on campus, but there's just not enough lively venues on campus for the visual arts."

Organizers stressed the importance of studio space to meet the needs of students pursuing visual arts academically, as well as those whose interests are of an extracurricular nature.

Martina Car '10, a freshman in Wilson, said she thinks the studio will provide student artists with much needed workspace — which until now has been somewhat lacking on campus.

"It's great because if I weren't in a painting class, I'd have no access to a workspace," Car said. "It's been almost impossible up to now to continue doing art without being enrolled in a visual arts class, and that need limits my choice of classes."

Browning said she thinks the opening of the arts studio in Wilson will offer opportunities that mesh well with the goals of the expanding residential college system.

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"The most important role the residential colleges can play is to support student initiatives," Browning said. "We can provide resources, but we need your ideas to make the colleges places where the arts flourish."

In addition to offering the open studio space and art supplies, Browning said the college plans to add more venues for artistic expression in the form of free art classes and a second exhibition of student works in March.

"We're in the process of setting up regular, free art classes of various sorts that will make use of all our great facilities — the darkroom, the ceramics studio and now the art studio," she said.

Current plans call for classes taught by local artists to be open to all students.