On my first tour of Hamilton College, I was pretty much smitten. It was a beautiful campus, clean and nature-filled, the buildings were pretty, and it seemed like a good enough place to spend four years. But even if I was not sold, what the tour guide said next sealed the deal: “We have an open curriculum”. I had always struggled with math and science, and I was elated not to have to take them in college. But then, as I matriculated onto campus, I realized that with the pressure of STEM classes out of the way, I was left with space on my schedule. I filled these spaces with studio art and performance art classes, and this was one of the best things I have done for myself during my time at Hamilton. I believe that students around campus must use the open curriculum of our school to their advantage, and a great way to do this is by adding art classes to one’s schedule.
Now, granted, it can be hard to get a spot in these classes, as many studio art/performance art classes have reserved spots for majors, but the intro classes usually have spaces, and the professors in the Art department are characteristically extremely helpful, and enjoy helping non-art majors have art class experiences, especially in the intro classes. An email to the professor during class registration usually goes far with these professors, who strive to have students branch out of their day to day studies by joining an art class.
The classes themselves feel like a vacation from curriculum. This is not to say that they are not loaded with work, it would be untrue to say that one can skate through these classes, as students are expected to spend a lot of time out of class in the studios and practive spaces perfecting their craft. That sense of vacation comes not from a lack of work, but from a break in thinking the way students think in other departments. Art classes are more open, more able to be interpreted. All you have to think about during the class period is creating; herein lies the vacation. Instead of solving problem sets or writing essays, you get to hot glue cardboard to wood, create a ceramic skateboard, or get on stage and perform intricate dialogues. All this is to say, the art classes at Hamilton feel like an escape.
The sheer amount of materials that an intro art student has access to is startling. In the Intro Printmaking course, each student is provided with their own carving kit, and is given access to a studio filled with metal plates, rosin, acid, and multiple printing presses. These are materials that the average student would never be able to come in contact with, let alone create with. The Intro to Sculpture class is much the same. Students are given access to the woodshop and all the powertools within, the closets full of materials and their own toolkit to create. The amount of money that would be necessary to gather these materials or gain access to these spaces outside of the campus would be infeasible for many, and at Hamilton, we are given them to us just for signing up.
Another reason to use one’s open curriculum in performance or fine art classes is the professors. The art professors are masters in their crafts, they are frequently creating and working side by side with the students. An art class and an art professor works very differently than how a regular class would. Many times this is due to the fact that in fine art and performance art, there is no right answer, so a professor of these classes aids rather than corrects, helps you figure out where to go, how to move forward, but the student is the one who ultimately decides what is right, what is the answer. This type of collaboration leads to a very special relationship between professor and student, a mutual respect and transfer of ideas is created in ways it cannot be when students and professors interact in a classroom of one function. I have grown closer to my art professors in one semester than any of my other professors on campus. When asked why students should take art classes, Professor Grace Troxell, who teaches figure drawing and intro to sculpture here at Hamilton stated “Students should take art classes to be confronted with the unknown, materially and conceptually. At a liberal arts school art enables critical thinking in unexpected ways. To learn a technique is a method; to understand art is a new way of thinking. Use your hands, learn what craft is, get messy.”
Jack Grant ’24, a Biology major and Dance minor, supported the importance of taking advantage of the the open curriculum on campus.“ Taking classes outside of my major forced me to step out of my comfort zone, engage with new groups of people, and find new passions”. Jack’s passion led him to pursue a Dance minor on campus, a very different passion than his work in the biological sciences.
Christian Byrne ’24, an Economics major, feels similarly. With regards to his Intro to Theatre couse, Bryne said “Theatre class was a favorite of mine because it pushed me out of my comfort zone…I never fully took advantage of Hamilton’s open curriculum until I enrolled in theatre class. It made me truly realize how amazing it is to be able to pursue my major while still exploring different subjects. Lastly, the class gave me the opportunity to form new meaningful friendships with classmates who I don’t think I would have met otherwise.” Bryne highlights the benefits of an art class to be a departure from one’s everyday routine as a student at Hamilton, and is thankful for the friends he made along the way.
If you are able, you should make it a point to take at least one fine art or performing art class during your four years at Hamilton College. You will walk away with newfound knowledge, new friends, a new community, and some pretty amazing art. In the words of Professor Troxell…“get messy.”
