Emma Caroline Brown
Editor
Almost two weeks ago, four Mississippi University for Women’s ceramics students returned from an extensive trip to California, where they met with renowned artists while also gaining new artistic perspectives.
Students Justin Hampton, Olivia Ivey, Henri Krough and Erin Crabtree were led by The W’s Ian Childers, an associate professor of art, throughout the trip. Childers’s contacts with artists in California allowed the students to meet and network with all types of Californian artists.
(R-L) Henri Krough, Olivia Ivey, Ian Childers, Erin Crabtree, and Justin Hampton in California
Picture courtesy of Ian Childers
Ivey, a senior ceramics student, found many things during the trip insightful, but Childers’ contacts in California opened up opportunities the group may have never encountered.
Each day in California meant seeing new sights and meeting new artists and people.
“Our professor has a ton of friends over in L.A. and San Francisco, and it was every day we were meeting like five or more new people in different arts,” Ivey said.
Each and every artist the students met brought new ideas, inspirations and outlooks into life and art. These people came from different backgrounds, social classes, mediums and inspirations. Getting to meet a variety of people turned out to be Ivey’s favorite part.
“I think my favorite part was every day someone’s new and they’re so different from the other person, and their outlook on life was completely different,” Ivey said. “I think my favorite part was the different viewpoints.”
Taking a class of four Mississippi students to the West Coast was not without adjustment.
The two-hour time difference took some getting used to, but the difference between Mississippi and California was made even more clear during the trip. Krough commented that, like Mississippi, graffiti could be found in California, and the group saw it as people creating art in a different form.
Hampton, also a senior ceramics student, said that besides the group meeting artists from all walks of life, they also used public transport constantly, tried new foods and visited the beaches in San Francisco. They also realized just how big and influential California is compared to Mississippi.
“It [the trip] was a culture shock,” Hampton said. “But it was so much fun.”
The students saw that artistic liberties were more freely taken and used to create memorable, valuable works of art. They saw art pieces in California that would not be as renowned in Mississippi, they spoke with an artist who sells ceramic furniture to Dior, and they never ran out of things to do or sights to see.
The students visiting one of the artists’ studios.
Photo by Ian Childers
“Everywhere you look, there’s something new, something to look at or someone to learn from,” Ivey said. “We learned a ton of stuff from all of these different people.”
Hampton, Ivey, Krough and Crabtree are still all feeling the effects of the 11-day-long trip. Besides having to catch up on schoolwork and get back on Central Time ,the students are back with new inspirations, ideas, plans and goals for their work and artistic careers.
Ivey said the group came back with an energy of wanting to jump right back into making art, but in different ways, the ways they saw during the trip.
“I think our artwork will change a lot after this trip,” Ivey said. “We took a lot of reference pictures, and Erin was really good about getting contacts, so we mostly just need to stay in contact and talk.”
Crabtree, a member of The Spectator staff, was instrumental in getting the trip put together. After Childers mentioned to the students that he would like them to experience California and learn from West Coast artists, Crabtree decided fundraising was the first step.
To fundraise for the trip, the students held a gallery in Summer Hall from Sept. 15-26.
On Sept. 17, a reception was held at which attendees had the opportunity to purchase the students’ work, and the funds would support travel costs. All of the students’ items were sold by the end of the reception, and with some extra pushes from alumni, the trip was able to happen.
“It all happened in like maybe three months,” Hampton said. “We got this whole thing together, and it was a lot of Erin and Ian’s work, and The W Foundation and alumni were a big help, too.”
Even though the trip has now come and gone, the students are still reeling from the unforgettable experiences they had within 11 days. When choosing one word to describe the trip, the group all felt the same way.
Photo by Ian Childers
“Mind-blowing,” Hampton said.
“Chaotic,” Ivey said.
“Amazing,” Krough said.
“Wonderful,” Childers said.
The students are very hopeful that another trip like theirs will be available for future students.
The journey not only taught the students new artistic methods, but it also gave them the experience of a place creatively different from Mississippi that will affect their art and the way they approach their artwork for the rest of their careers.