Why Ursuline?
I visited Ursuline and just had a really great experience. It’s personal and I really like that as opposed to some of the bigger colleges. I also liked Ursuline for the location.
When did you know you wanted to study art?
Ever since I can remember I’ve been drawing. Any birthday or Christmas I would ask for sketchbooks or crayons. I just loved drawing. It wasn’t until community college that I really got into painting and ceramics and it kind of just went from there.
You earned an associate’s degree at a community college before coming to Ursuline. What made Ursuline different?
I liked the location, I liked that it was small, more intimate. I met Sister Diane (Pinchot, OSU) and she was so amazing, she just made me really want to be here. She was kind of my mentor coming in and she started me as her teaching assistant my first semester. I had so much responsibility and I felt wanted and respected. I just loved that. I was a teaching assistant from when I started until I finished.
You had a full-time job as an artist lined up even before you graduated?
Yes! 2015 grad Joanne Abruzzino works as an artist at Henninger’s, a religious art and design company, and learned about me through Anna Arnold (director of Ursuline’s Wasmer Gallery). Joanne invited me to come visit Henninger’s so I did and it turned into a job interview! The next day they called me back and asked when I could start. At first I’ll be working with stained glass. They also paint and restore statues. They restore, they fabricate, they install, they take on a variety of commissions, which I love.
