Visiting artist Janine Antoni (right) with GW student and artist Rachel Schechtman. Photo: Meg Clark
Students of The George Washington University’s (GW) Fine Arts program have an exceptional opportunity to meet one-on-one with leading and emerging contemporary visual artists that participate in our Conversations with Artists series. The morning after their public program, artists lead critiques (“crits”) of students’ work. They spend about 30 minutes each with four to five students and then conclude the morning with a communal lunch with students and faculty. A mutually inspiring process, the crits are a welcome challenge that proves equal parts exhausting and exhilarating. This semester, I accompanied visiting artists Janine Antoni and William Pope.L to GW and listened in on the crits, fascinated to witness the exchange of ideas between veteran and student.
While I was there, I had the opportunity to observe the evolution of graduate student Wesley Clark’s master thesis work, Constructs (pictured below). Clark’s installation is on view through April 24 in Gallery Classroom 102 at GW’s Smith Hall of Art.
Visiting artist William Pope.L (left) with GW student and artist Wesley Clark. Photo: Dean Kessmann
I also found humor in the studios and work spaces in the department:
“Guide for Consumption and Placement” Photo: Meg Clark
“Flammable Objects” Photo: Meg Clark
Megan Clark, Manager of Center Initiatives