REFLECTION
The Student Art League looks back
on a year of creativity and on the future
By Marisha Zimmerman:
All photos by MARISHA ZIMMERMAN. / Clockwise from right: “Ketchup” Said El-Dajani; “Untitled”
Lauren Perigo; “Dreamin’ Music” Clint W. Ahlersmeyer; “Robot” Julie Wall; “Les Fleurs” Katie M. Conner;
“Ranuculus Crocodilus-Frogadile” Benjamin Lawrence; “Lily” Lauren Perigo; “Music City” Clint
W. Ahlersmeyer; “Wild Child” Julie Wall.
The members of the student art league gathered to remember at great year and display their impressive art work from this year at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art recently. The group put the show together themselves, moving patricians to display the pieces, making food for the guests, and put together the music. The show displayed some of the best pieces from the league’s members and all the pieces displayed the students’ talents, skills, and thoughts. The show marked the closing of the school year for the league, as well as the beginning of a new chapter for the league as current president, Josh Hoering, will be leaving for graduate school. The league’s new president will be Julie Wall, who is studying print making. I caught up with Julie at the show to discuss this past year and the future of the Student Art League.
Marisha Zimmerman: So, how do you feel about being the new president of the Student Art League?
Julie Wall: “Nervous! Josh left some big shoes to fill. I hope I can make people as happy as he did.”
MZ: What do you hope to accomplish this coming year in the Student Art League?
JW: “We want to get the campus more involved and come to more parties and shows we’re going to put on this next year through better advertising and more timely advertising so people can plan to attend.”
MZ: How did you get involved in the Student Art League?
JW: “Josh asked me to join and I did. It was nice to be with people who were more like me and we just had a lot of fun.”
MZ: So what made you want to become president this upcoming year?
JW:“Well, it’s my last year and I wanted to do a little more and contribute more to the league.”
MZ: Do you have any other comments for perspective league members?
JW: “We’re fun. We’re not stuck up or anything. We like to help people and have a good time in college.”
As the evening continued and guests arrived, everyone found themselves enjoying the event. Conversations ranged from why art was important to civilization to how a piece was made to how art can be used to bring a cause to people’s attention. I found myself in one of these discussions with league member Lauren Perigo. She and the students in her advanced printmaking class decided to do a project for Lola Martinez’s family. Lauren knew Lola and was inspired to do something for her family when she died. Each of the students in the class made and eight by eight inch wood block picture to be printed onto paper and sewn together. In the middle square, the students printed the poem “Remember Me” by Christina Rossetti. The students chose this poem because they thought it was nice and that it expressed their feelings about Lola. Lauren said, “We wanted to show her family love and to do something for them.” Some of the inspiration for the project even came from Lola through her sketches. Many of the students created their pictures based on the sketches she left behind. The project showed how art can be used to bring attention to a cause or to something that needs to be discussed or remembered.
The show ended on a high note and Lauren had this to say of the show: “I’m proud of how well put together it was. It looked classy for a bunch of students throwing it together at the end of the year with finals going on. It was a good representation of the artwork of the students of IPFW.” The art ranged from lithographs and paintings, to prints and drawings with various styles and images, but it was clear that the Student Art League is a talented group of individuals who have a lot to offer on the campus.
back to top
