Whether they are in-person or over Zoom, synchronous or asynchronous, or some hybrid of all of these elements, Hamilton classes have found creative ways to adapt to COVID-19 guidelines. These adaptations have created unique learning experiences for all Hamilton students, especially for students studying studio arts.
The Spectator
spoke with two students who are taking art classes remotely this semester.
Valeria Ruiz ’22, who is pursuing a concentration in Art, is studying remotely this semester from her home in Park City, IL. She intends to specialize in Drawing for her Art concentration.
This semester, Ruiz is taking “Junior Seminar.” “I had also been planning to take Advanced Painting, but my advisors recommended against it because I was not going to be on campus, so I decided against it,” said Ruiz.
In terms of organization, Ruiz said that “Junior Seminar” has so far taken place under a canopy. Ruiz joins the class via Zoom, and John and Anne Fischer Professor of Fine Arts Rebecca Murtaugh orients her computer so that it faces the board and most of Ruiz and Irish’s classmates. “It can be challenging to hear sometimes because the canopy is outside,” said Ruiz. During class time, students discuss homework readings, and use time outside of class to work on their art projects. Ruiz said that the class recently discussed the dematerialization of art.
Ruiz said that the biggest challenge that she has experienced this semester with her art classes has been self-discipline. “There’s no one at home to say, ‘Oh, you should be doing this right now.’ It’s tough to get yourself into that practice, especially when you’re just kind of on your own here,” said Ruiz.
Although there have not been many benefits to studying remotely, Ruiz found that it has helped her become more comfortable with reaching out to professors. “It’s been nice to have that support from professors and more one-on-one meetings with them,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz hopes that this semester will provide opportunities to experiment with studio art materials and learn more about herself as an artist. “It’ll be cool to see what directions I go in with my art and get more studio practice. We’ve also been working a lot with graphite recently. I think it definitely has its strengths but I’m excited to move forward and instead look more at color. I’m particularly hoping to experiment with watercolor,” said Ruiz.
Malik Irish ’22, who is pursuing a double concentration in Sociology and Art, is studying remotely this semester from his home in Boston, MA. He is planning to specialize in Video Production for his Art concentration.
In addition to “Junior Seminar,” Irish is also taking “Introduction to Video.” Irish said that he has enjoyed Junior Seminar so far because he can employ more creative license over what projects he wants to do and how he wants to execute those projects. One example includes the “Inact a Verb” project, for which Irish is making a music video to accompany an instrumental that he also produced. “Hopefully with this project, I can start another one after, because I’ve kind of slowed down with all my other art initiatives since I needed to take a break and breathe a bit and understand what I’m doing. This bigger project kind of allows me to stay grounded in one thing,” said Irish.
Irish said that his biggest challenge so far has been accessing resources that he needs for his classes. He has been unable to use the codes that Hamilton receives from a third party to download Adobe Premiere on to his computer, which is the main program that he uses for “Intro to Video.” “I’ve had to adapt to a different program that’s not as good as Adobe Premiere. It’s very difficult to use and the learning curve is just off. It’s also challenging to study remotely when you encounter a problem like this because if I was at Hamilton, I could easily find a backup computer and access Adobe Premiere that way,” said Irish.
Another challenge for Irish has been adapting to time and space restrictions. “At Hamilton I’m more independent to go do whatever I need to do within the moment. For example, if I wanted to go record in the Glen, I could go do that and not have to ask anybody. When I’m at home, it’s difficult because not only does COVID restrict accessibility to spaces, but I do live in the city and so you have to be a little more cautious about things. Also, since I’m with my family, they want to know what I’m doing and where I’m going, and I haven’t really left the house by myself since forever, so it’s been harder to go out and find places,” said Irish.
Looking towards the rest of the semester, Irish is looking forward to making more experimental videos, and hopes that both the restrictions that come with working remotely coupled with some self-imposed restrictions will help Irish produce some of his best work. “I want to be able to add my own restrictions that allow me to process ideas more and plan out things a little bit better, so I can come up with a really interesting product,” said Irish.
Despite all of the challenges, Irish finds that he has been able to appreciate his mind’s capabilities through this experience. “This experience has been kind of a re-emphasis that your mind is always a guide, and since sometimes things within reality aren’t always going to work out the way that you wanted to, your mind can come up with so many ideas that can help either resolve a situation or settle and ground yourself. As a result, I think I’ll just be more appreciative of what I come up with. I think this experience will also help me be more adaptable and think better on my feet,” said Irish.
