Lakeland senior artists took the spotlight again on Feb. 28 for the second Senior Art Portfolio Exhibition this semester. As part of the art major requirements, each student must host his or her own art reception. The three seniors who displayed their work were Sally Carson, Alysa Strebe and Kumi Katayama. All of the seniors have been working hard the past few weeks in preparation for this major event.
“We all have been staying up until 2 a.m. working on these projects, so they are just right,” said Strebe.
Explaining why she returned to Lakeland to continue her education, Carson said, “I had been fighting my need to create, and I had lost the battle. I had to get off the bench [when I realized that] I needed a better role model for my daughters and show them that they could accomplish goals at any time of their lives.”
Carson draws inspiration from her children. She would ultimately like to be self-employed and create her own paper and fabric designs. She wishes to keep her designs away from commercial and more towards exclusive.
“I now find that there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I am inspired to design,” said Carson.
When Katayama first started her studies at the Lakeland College Japan campus, she didn’t know what her future would be. She did not decide her major until just before she came to the Wisconsin campus. She found her passion for art in her 2-D Design class.
“It was the first time for me to learn about art seriously,” said Katayama. “Learning anything about art was new; I had never felt so inspired before.
“I have always enjoyed art from a younger age. My oldest memory is of cutting up paper and Christmas cards to make new images. I have always been inspired to create and design anything and everything. This love of art can stay with me and develop and grow. And now I cannot imagine wanting to do anything else.”
Strebe transferred to Lakeland from LTC to get a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. She strives for a position in advertising and marketing after graduation.
“I’d like to have a career that will allow me to expand my graphic design skills as well as exceed a company’s expectations,” said Strebe. “Being able to combine your career with your lifelong hobby is probably something not many are able to do. Graphic design has allowed me to continue my love of art and make it into a successful career and future for myself.”
If you have not gotten a chance to see the exhibition, stop by the Bradley Arts Center to see all of the phenomenal works by the seniors. The exhibit will be up until March 31.