Nate Holden (Class of 2021)
Blogger Role: Painting
Major: Painting
I chose Marywood because I heard from everyone that Marywood was an intimate and nurturing university with an excellent art department. I was extremely nervous about applying to school, not really sure what I wanted to pursue, nor how far away from home I would be comfortable with. It wasn’t until I applied to Marywood as an art major that my nerves began to subside and my confidence about starting my college years increased. As a local student I was very enthusiastic to be studying something I loved in an environment I was comfortable in.
I am majoring in Art because, like all of my peers in this department, art has always been a part of my life going back to when I was very little, however it did take me some time to accept this path as my own. It wasn’t until a particularly difficult adolescence, emotionally speaking, that art really became very important to me. It allowed me a way to express the difficult thoughts and feelings I was experiencing in a creative and constructive way that I would not be able to do otherwise. Ever since then, art has been a fundamental part of my identity.
When I’m not in class, I’m spending most of my time with friends, cooking meals, and painstakingly trying to find something to inspire my next painting!
So far, my favorite art class at Marywood was 3-D design with Dennis Corrigan. Although this was required Foundation Year course, being in Dennis’s classroom was fundamental to what I wanted my creative career to look like and sound like. Dennis was a non-stop inspirational powerhouse for me, from his own incredible art work to the colorful conversations we shared as a class. He really is the archetype of what I would like to be as an artist.
The coolest thing I’ve done at Marywood so far was participate in the department held Art museum trips to the MET in NYC. I haven’t really put myself out there much during my time as a student which is something I hope to change this semester as the new student blogger for painting!
When I graduate, I see more school in my future. I have yet to map out what it is I want to pursue with my creative abilities although the day is waning. Besides, I always seem to come up with my best ideas at night any how!
I’d recommend the Art program at Marywood because of the intimate, nurturing, learning environment that initially appealed to me. The incredible teachers that allow and encourage you to explore your own creativity your own unique way while supplying you with the lessons that will improve your skills as an artist in order for you to execute your vision more accurately. And above all, the enormous amount of talented classmates that will inspire you to no end!