Free art facilities attract few in residential colleges

Tucked away in the basement of 1938 Hall is one of these spaces, the Wilson College ceramics studio. Though it was mostly empty during its open hours on Sunday, the walls were lined with half-finished pieces, from thrown pots to chess pieces.

One floor above the college’s dining hall is the Wilson College art studio, which is open three days a week to any student interested in painting, drawing, charcoal or pastels.

Though these spaces are open to students and offer materials free of charge, they attract a relatively small segment of the campus population, student manager of the ceramics studio Heather Landry ’12 and student manager of the art studio Kelly Rouser ’11 said.

Landry noted that the ceramics studio typically attracts around five students during open hours, while Rouser estimated that three or four students show up to the art studio.

Ecology and evolutionary biology professor Stuart Altmann, who is a faculty adviser for the ceramics studio, said that though some days are more popular than those described by Landry, the facility could still accommodate many more students.

Landry explained that the low volume of regular visitors might be due to a lack of publicity, but added that an all-day “mug-a-thon” held in November drew around 50 students.

“A lot of people say that if they’d heard about [the ceramics studio], they would have come much sooner, so we are trying to advertise and get the word out,” Landry said. “We’re always looking to get more people in.”

Altmann, who has been a potter since 1961, said he got involved when the Wilson College office asked him to help restart the ceramics studio five years ago. While he occasionally visits the studio to provide instruction and help with beginners, his primary role has been facilitating the studio’s development as an extracurricular facility.

“It took a lot of time and effort to get the thing started, even after Wilson College was committed to it,” Altmann said. “You don’t just wave a magic wand and have it all appear.”

Altmann explained that the college has been very supportive of the studio, but said he could not provide an estimate of how much funding Wilson College provides.

“The budget fluctuates wildly. Most of the time it’s nothing, since we have the supplies on hand,” he added.

When the ceramics studio does request more costly materials, Altmann said, discussions concerning purchases such as a new pottery wheel can take up to a few years. The facility is currently working toward securing a new kiln, which would cost around $1,000, he added.

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At the college’s art studio, Rouser is responsible for purchasing the required supplies. She noted that that the residential college’s funding has enabled her to buy a wide range of materials, including some that have been specifically requested by certain students.

Though it may seem that a large portion of college resources is being focused on only a few individuals, the two studios fill a unique niche in the campus culture, Rouser explained.

“At this point, I don’t think there are any other groups geared toward making art in an informal setting every week besides Stella,” she said, referring to the Stella Art Club, which is unaffiliated with the residential colleges but holds studio hours in the Wilson art studio once a week .

Student managers are on hand to supervise the college’s art studios during all open hours, and the ceramics studio also offers weekly instruction by Debbie Reichard, a member of the Arts Council of Princeton.

“There’s always a manager here who can provide instruction, so it’s a good outlet, particularly for beginners,” Landry said.

In addition to its art studios, Wilson also houses a music room and a dance studio in Wilcox Hall.

Like Wilson, Forbes College offers art, music and dance studios which are open to students. Peter Grabowski ’12, arts and music chair for the college, said that Forbes plans to open a digital media lab — similar to Rockefeller College’s new-media room — that will offer weekly classes this semester.