“But then we realized we really liked it. It’s fantasy. It’s strange stuff. All of us are a part somehow. And ‘duality’ felt right because there are so many different ideas among us, but they somehow all can work together.” The students did not create any new art for the exit show. The show is a culmination of their artwork over the past two years. At the start of the course, each student brought in 40 to 60 of their pieces, and their very first assignment was to judge each other’s work. When asked if it was hard to be critiqued by their peers – who, mind you, are not of the same culture, heritage, walk of life, back- ground, art style, you name it – they said, “Oh yeah. But that’s art.” “Period,” someone snickered. “Art is hard,” they rang out.
“There is more than just the doing . Being creative is an over-time skill.” “It’s been intense,” Abby Stofferahn said.
Stofferahn is a visual communications major with a fine arts con - centration. She graduated from Ivy Tech over a decade ago with her business associate degree but returned in 2022 in search of a career pivot. Stofferahn says so much goes into an Associate of Fine Arts degree that others who are quick to judge art majors have no idea. “I’ve always done very well academically. But with this degree, I have to physically and academically apply myself. This is hands-on work. A lot more goes into the assignments for this particular de- gree, mentally and physically. I’ve been burned physically because of my art, and I’ve also burned out mentally, earning this degree,” she explained.
Photos by: Shakkira Harris
Everyone in the class echoed Stofferahn’s remarks in one way, shape, or form.
Da’Vion Stewart added that art is not only a mental and physical discipline. It’s also a matter of dedicated time. “A lot of people that don’t make art either professionally or at all have this mindset that you can whip up something in a couple of minutes or hours. In reality, much of what I do is a lot of research. I look into concepts and different aspects or styles of paintings just to figure out what I want to do for one painting, specifically. Painting a piece may only take a few hours, but it took a week of research beforehand,” Stewart said. Hayes Lupin says that they feel like folks only see the end product. As someone with an invisible disability, they are all too familiar with people who do not take the time to think about the steps neces- sary to complete anything, especially from an accessibility stand- point.
16 | Ivy Indy
16 | Ivy Indy
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