This year Eastern is saying goodbye to four of its fine arts majors: seniors April Cuthbertson, Michael Skinner, Stephanie Connell and Amanda Crowell. Since arriving as first-years, these students have had a few obstacles to overcome to achieve their final goals in graduating.
Describing the level of difficulty of an art class, Crowell said, “Being creative isn’t exactly easy. As long as you progress in the class, you will get a decent grade. If you don’t try, and they can tell you’re not trying, then you’re not going to do very well.”
All art majors are required to take their art classes off campus at Rosemont or Cabrini College. As far as the students know, Eastern does not offer any transportation to the commuting students.
When asked about the convenience of the situation, the girls, who had cars available to them, agreed that it was not too inconvenient. For those who do not have vehicles at their disposal, the commute is a challenge. Skinner, who does not have a car, said, “It’s draining to commute to other schools. I remember scheduling a lot of my classes with people from Eastern who have cars.”
Commuting to different schools is only one obstacle faced. The four students also were concerned about miscommunication between Eastern and Rosemont resulting in many scheduling and credit requirement problems.
That ordeal did not sway the students from continuing at Eastern. Cuthbertson even said, “During this whole transition I felt like this is really where I was meant to be.”
Skinner agreed, saying, “I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.”
Now the students are faced with the stress of their senior art projects and the approaching deadline. The art show featuring work from the four students is to be held at Rosemont in the Lawrence Gallery on April 19th.
With eleven weeks until their show the four are working hard on what they plan to present. Talking about her hard work, Stephanie Connell said, “You want to hang something you’re proud of, not something you threw together in five minutes.”
Their years here at Eastern are to end with a show filled with all the hard work and creativity that they brought with them to our campus.