It’s pretty easy to recognize and appreciate the talented athletes and scholars at Tabor Academy. Students often watch games in the athletic center or out on the fields, and having classes together demonstrates academic abilities. What is not always as obvious, however, is the incredible artistic talent that also resides at Tabor.
Not everyone has a regular chance to see the work of some of the talented artists on campus showcased in the art center. There are, at Tabor, countless talented artists with skills ranging from dance, drawing, photography, and ceramics.
Some of these artists even plan to pursue their passions and talents in college, and both seniors Nicole McLaughlin and Jennifer Joung are planning on attending art schools next year.
McLaughlin had never even tried ceramics before she came to Tabor, but now she has received a scholarship to attend the Maine College of Art for ceramics. She attributes her success and accomplishments to Tabor’s program and her instructors, Kevin Arnfield and Bob Mogilnicki.
The best part of the program, she says, is how supportive each student is towards each other.
“We’re always helping each other better our techniques,” said McLaughlin. “We all want to see each other succeed.”
Mr. Mogilnicki and Mr. Arnfield are, as well, invaluable resources.
“They continually spark my interest in art,” McLaughlin said. “Mr. Arnfield has really pushed me as an artist by forcing me to break down my work and find what works.”
Looking forward, McLaughlin plans to do a senior project in ceramics, studying five different cultures and their traditions to find the “correlation between ceramics and society and culture.”
She plans to create pieces in the traditional styles, and then fire and glaze in the traditional ways of each culture, making each piece as authentic as possible. The end result will be a piece or a collection of pieces from each culture.
“The ceramics program has prepared me so well for this project and for college next year,” she said. “It has helped me find who I am as an artist well before I journey into my career as an artist.”
Joung, attending Rhode Island School of Design, has been in Studio Art since freshman year with Trisha Smith.
“I didn’t just limit myself to painting and drawing though,” Joung said. “I would use clay from the ceramics studio, wire, any materials we had.”
Joung’s teachers always challenged her to reconsider her perception of art, she said.
“Before Tabor, I always used acrylics, but Ms. Smith has pushed me to try charcoal, graphite pencil, gouache, etc.,” Joung said. “Thanks to her, I could put together my portfolio of mixed media and fine art for college.”
Another Tabor teacher who had an impact on her art career was Chris Botello, the InDesign and Photoshop professor. Through working with him, she said, “I developed an interest in graphic design and the process of thinking about how to communicate visually.”
Joung expressed how much she loves figuring out “how to incorporate the white space in the background to demonstrate a particular scene.”
For her senior project, she’s combining her skills for Photoshop, drawing, and InDesign to design and create a magazine.
Walking through the Braitmayer Art Center, you can see many of Nicole’s and Jennifer’s pieces. As they head into their college art programs, they will build on their skill sets learned throughout years of classes and hours of time spent in the studio to continue to create and excel in their fields.
By Madeleine Gregory
