Speakers

Image of LEAP 2024: Building a Creative Toolbox: Sustainable Art Practice Through Four Mediums - Abstracts

LEAP 2024: Building a Creative Toolbox: Sustainable Art Practice Through Four Mediums - Abstracts

Panel 2: Building a Creative Toolbox: Sustainable Art Practice Through Four Mediums

Building a Creative Toolbox: Sustainable Art Practice Through Four Mediums

What creative tools help build a sustainable art practice? This summer, we explored four diverse mediums—ceramics, music, poetry, and painting—and developed methods to cultivate our artistic practices. While each medium requires unique techniques and research, we found common ground in a shared toolkit that emphasizes self-inquiry, community, mentorship, and process. Our experiences highlighted the balance between immersing ourselves in our work and knowing when to take a step back, allowing us to combat burnout and find inspiration. By learning to pace ourselves, we laid the foundation for a lifelong creative journey. Our panel encourages aspiring artists to consider the essential tools for cultivating a sustainable and fulfilling artistic practice.

Moderator: Marianna Dixon Williams, Assistant Professor of Art Studio

I’M GLAD YOU’RE HERE - Sophia Jakobson ’25, Sociology and Art Studio double major
Poetry and Environmentalism in the age of Climate Crisis - Sara Abubo ’25, Environmental Studies major & Critical Race and Political Economy minor
Puzzling Together a Career in Music-Kibriya Cooper-Malek ’26, Music major & FMT minor
Developing a Ceramics Practice that Centers Appreciation and Experimentation-Molly Potts ’25, Environmental Studies major & French.

Speaker name: Sophia Jakobson
Title: I’M GLAD YOU’RE HERE
My independent creative research project, I’M GLAD YOU’RE HERE, mined both family history and queer theory to engage with themes of grief, embodiment, and presence. My research took diverse forms: I traveled to the Swedish archipelago, drawing source imagery of the mossy landscape. I spent hours in the library free writing and delving into queer theory. Beyond conventional binary systems of thinking and being, queer theory invited a posture of transformation and experimentation into my studio practice. Artistic research inherently involves a place of unknowing– this moment has potential for discovery, rather than assessment and anxiety. I discovered creative research itself is an embodied practice, it requires a particular kind of attention, pacing, and presence with your work. Most of all, I learned the value in slowing down, listening to your materials, and allowing for the natural ebb and flow of practice.

Speaker name: Sara-Cayen Abubo
Title: Poetry and Environmentalism in the age of Climate Crisis
“In this current moment of climate catastrophe, what role does art, poetry, and humanities play in advancing climate justice? This presentation will review how Sara engaged in an independent creative project and experienced a summer of reflection, research, and creative writing, which yielded personal insights, new poems, and artistic growth. This presentation will discuss questions of what it means to be committed to truth, to combine research and creativity, and to develop an artistic practice!”

Speaker name: Molly Potts
Title: Developing a Ceramics Practice that Centers Appreciation and Experimentation
Have you ever wondered what’s involved in producing handmade functional ceramics and maintaining a clay studio? In my presentation, I will describe my experience of working at a community clay studio and developing my personal ceramics practice. Above all, I will share insights on cultivating a sustainable and fulfilling art practice that are relevant to me and universal across various art mediums.

Speaker name: Kibriya Cooper-Malek
Title: Puzzling Together a Career in Music
This summer, I experimented with piecing together various aspects of a musical career. I learned how to create the right environment for inspiration and mitigate burnout. I also ventured into the nebulous realm of creative research, expanding my technical and creative skill set. Additionally, I collaborated with several artists, discovering the importance of balancing input among all contributors. In my presentation, I’ll share the tools I’ve discovered and developed that have helped me create a sustainable music practice.