What’s your name?
Sarah Byrnes
Where is your home town?
Camden, Maine.
What’s your major?
I’m a senior art education major.
Why did you decide to attend USM?
I started out at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), and then moved on the Maine College of Art (MECA), and finally arrived at USM because it’s closer to home than Canada, and it’s more affordable than MECA.
How do you compare being in an art school with being in an art program at a university?
Well, the facilities at MECA and NSCAD far surpass USM. The physical looks are better. For example, at USM a typical art classroom is just another room that’s converted for studio space. MECA was new, so although it was sterile, everything was specifically designed for making art. And NSCAD was a very old and established campus, so there was something of a history of art there. But when it comes down to it, you don’t really need state-of-the-art facilities to create good art. Art is rooted in using your resources and being creative, so it shouldn’t matter what the place looks like, as long as you have good guidance. It would be nice to have my own studio space though. But besides the physical differences between the schools, the only other real difference is the number of requirements outside the art major.
What is the best thing about USM?
The professors are practicing artists who are committed to teaching, and they find a way to balance that.
You are currently part of a sculpture exhibition in the Danforth Gallery in Portland. How did you find that opportunity, and what has the experience been like?
Having a show is one of the requirements for the senior seminar class. Everyone is paired with someone else in the class based on what kind of work you do. This is the first time I’ve had to curate my own show. Other shows I’ve been in have been group shows, and they were curated by the galleries. This time we had to do everything, even paint the walls. We had to decide where all the work was going to go, basically everything you see here: lights, food, promotion . we did it ourselves.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
I would really like to open a co-op gallery for local artists. I don’t think there are enough venues for emerging artists to show their work. Also at this point I would like to teach high school art. But the thing that would really make me happy would be to make greeting cards. You know, small originals which incorporate collage and paint and textiles . I don’t know. I like to collect things that inspire me to make new work. I think a lot of artists are the same way. It seems to be a common love. Lots of clutter. I like that.
If and when you become a high school art teacher, what will be the most important thing you will teach your students?
That there’s no limitation to what art is. You can do so many things that can be art. It’s a form of expression that doesn’t have to be painting.
What bit of advice would you like to give other students?
Just stick with classes and get it over with. I’m going on my sixth year of school for a degree that should take four, and that’s a big waste of money.