The EvCC Arts Program: The Full Picture
Students and Staff Review Their Experiences with the Art Program.
Drawing studio located on the third floor of White Horse Hall.
The Arts programs have grown in EvCC over the past decade and received their own building on campus, Whitehorse Hall, in 2007. Just imagine, you walk into one of the EvCC art studios, silence completely engulfing you as the door closes. It’s just you and your art. Cabinets are filled with top of the line equipment to help make your dream a reality. “I moved five hours to be in the Art program,” said Abbee-gale Finn, an EvCC digital arts student.
A group of photography students gathered in the critique space in the heart of White Horse Hall.
The EvCC Arts programs are a major part of college life, both for those in and out of the program. Many students have taken at least one art class, either for their own personal enjoyment or to fulfill a humanities credit.
“I’d recommend the art program.” said Kim Grantierre, who is aiming for a Masters in Art Therapy. Students and staff alike have great reviews about their experience in art classes.
“There’s so much space for everything,” said Samuel Case, EvCC’s Artist Instructional Technician. “We have full painting and drawing classes, but they don’t feel crowded or rushed.”
“I never had more than twenty people in my classes,” said Grantier, “you get personalized attention.”
Photography, graphic arts, painting and ceramics are all options EvCC offers, either for electives, or to earn a degree in the Arts.
Each of these degree programs comes with an equipment supply available for students.
The ceramics department has an assortment of glazes, throwing wheels, work tables, storage racks and several kilns, which can either be electric, gas or wood fueled. Printmaking has presses, drying racks, tools for making blocks and plates.
Ceramics student crafting a clay bowl on a pottery wheel.
Photography students can access 50 DSLR cameras, half recently purchased last summer, along with two separate studios filled with backdrops and several styles of lighting and screens. For drawing, the studios are large and well lit.
The windows face north to block out direct sunlight, and are well ventilated to keep the air fresh, said Sandra “Sandy” Lepper, who teaches several classes within EvCC’s Arts program.
The Instructors are just as important as the studios and equipment within EvCC’s Art Program. “It’s a nice teaching style [for] somebody who doesn’t connect with the art form,” said Finn, who stepped out of her comfort zone to learn traditional art as a prerequisite for another class. “The teacher makes it feel understandable, I never felt left behind.”
Art is defined as an expression of human creative skill and imagination, works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power, and the EvCC programs give students the chance to create these works. “Our main job is teaching,” said Lepper, “what we care about is what we teach you.”
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