A Broad in Venice: In conclusion

Well, that’s it. Six weeks have come and gone.

I spent months anticipating my study abroad trip, and once it finally arrived, it flew right by.

In the span of five weeks of classes, I have earned six credits in studio art for printmaking and artist books.

I was the only student on the trip who was not actually in the School of Fine Arts, and this became increasingly apparent as the trip progressed. As our coursework grew more intense, my approach to production was distinctly different from the true artists.

We had the last three weeks of our program to work on our final projects: an artist book or edition of books utilizing intaglio print making techniques. The subject had to be inspired by Venice.

I came up with an idea, sketched it out and began immediately on production.
I wrote a day-by-day schedule for completion that left me with some wiggle room for error.

I cranked it out and finished well before our final deadline. For the diehard printmakers, it was a completely different story.

They scoured the island looking for inspiration and sketched dozens of images of things that caught their eye.

They then spent almost every moment of every day working through their ideas, constantly sketching things, making test plates, making book structure models, etc. I marvelled at their dedication.

During the final days many of my classmates easily spent 16 hour days or more working in the studio, scratching at their copper plates, printing and stitching. When we gathered around for our final critique, every piece was a masterpiece, unique and incredible.

I felt mine was the most amateur of them all, but it’s OK. I’m still happy with it.
I realized even as the odd man out, this trip enabled me to have a very unique experience. I was not only able to immerse myself in a new country and culture, I was able to involve myself in a new field of study.

By living and working with a group of amazing artists, I learned what it is like to be in their shoes. Additionally, I gained an infinite amount of respect for their work and lifestyles.

I started talking with one of my classmates, senior Elizabeth Pechacek, a ceramics BFA who is well acquainted with the practice of studio all-nighters. I told her I felt guilty about finishing my project so early, while everyone else was still working so hard.

She told me it was because I completed my project like a publication; I made a plan of attack within a deadline structure and stuck to it.

Meanwhile, all my peers had approached their pieces as genuine works of self-expression, worthy of their portfolios as artists.

Even though my final project ended up resembling a publication, it’s reassuring to know I’m doing the right thing by pursuing journalism.

Hopefully, I can now approach my journalistic endeavors with the attitude of an artist. When I have to spend late nights working on something, I will do it with the mentality of perfecting a work I can really be proud of.

Despite the hefty monetary cost of this trip, the experiences and knowledge I have gained are truly invaluable. I got to experience and absorb the beauty of Italy: the art, the architecture, the food, the ocean, the mountains and the towns in between.

I made many new friends I never would have met otherwise, and I became particularly close to some very special people.

I produced work I never would have been inspired to make and developed my production habits. I worked side by side with some incredible artists, and I can only hope that maybe they learned something from me too.

So, thank you Ed Bernstein for dreaming this up and making it happen for ten years’ worth of IU students. Thank you School of Fine Arts and IU Office of Overseas Study for making these opportunities available. Thank you family for giving me the support to get up and go.

And mostly, grazie Venezia for everything you showed this broad.