rait of a POE Fine Arts Faculty Expand Palette of Classes
By John Wall Photography: J.D. Cavrich
When Erica Met Monika Erica Quinn ’10 arrived on the Juniata campus in 2006, primed to study literature. After taking “Beginning Photography” in her first year, Erica felt her focus shifting. Writers are always describing epiphanies as “seeing the light,” but for Erica her realization happened in the dark. “Being in the darkroom is very soothing,” says Quinn, who is now pursuing a master of fine arts degree in photography at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. While Quinn had dabbled in taking photos before Juniata, it was her first course with Monika Malewska, assistant professor of art, that inspired her to switch from fiction to f-stops. “She is an incredible teacher, always giving me books to read. Having someone that dedicated to helping me was something I had never experienced,” she says. Soon Quinn’s bookbag was filled with cameras, film and photo paper instead of classic novels. She decided to take art history courses like art historian Karen Rosell’s “20th Century Art” and “Women in Art.” She took more art history courses while studying at the University of Leeds, worked in the College’s museum studies program, and eventually worked as Malewska’s darkroom assistant. Like many artistic-minded students before her, the budding photographer had to create her own academic program (her POE is photography and literature) because Juniata had no POE in fine art. Well, that’s all changed.
Inside the Studio Arts POE
41
2012 Spring-Summer
In 2009, art historian Karen Rosell got together with Malewska and ceramic artist Bethany Benson to talk about creating a studio art POE. The meeting wasn’t a historic moment. The College offered an art major in the past. Indeed, one of Juniata’s first professors, David Emmert, was a respected painter. But for most of the life of Juniata’s POE, which emerged in the 1970s, Jack Troy taught ceramics part-time along with fine artist Sandy McBride, who taught full-time. Thus, scheduling did not allow for a full slate of art courses.