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major. Josh also got to know Oglethorpe’s faculty well, including Alan Loehle through his fundamentals of art class. “The skills I learned in that class and others like it carry over into what I am currently doing – composition, technique and color theory. All of my coursework was based on getting me ready for today. Professor Loehle took the time to give me specific projects to help me in what I wanted to do. He crafted curriculum and projects showing line and form specific to mechanical illustration.” This time and special attention worked to get Josh to his next step and beyond. After graduation, Josh was accepted to the Medical College of Georgia – one of only a few graduate programs in the country which offer medical illustration, where he was one of only eight students. During his time there, students got to sit in on surgeries with sketchbook in hand. He graduated with a degree in scientific and medical illustration. Another Oglethorpe alumnus, Nobles Green ‘03, graduated from the same program. Josh has worked at Visible Productions, a medical multimedia and 3-D animation studio based in Ft. Collins, for almost two years. He works with “visible human projects,” where he uses the dataset from a cadaver and turns the information into an animated model. Clients for his company include doctors, hospitals, teachers, patients and lawyers. One animation project, showing how the human stomach works, from swallowing to digestion, was taped for airing on a future Oprah Winfrey show. “It’s a small field, and I love it – Oglethorpe prepared me well for my career – and for my life.”
Angela Torchio ’02 – Sotheby’s Institute, Master’s in Contemporary Art While attending Marietta High School, a friend gave Angela a book on Matisse and suggested she might get into the arts. Little did the friend know what a chain reaction that would cause. Choosing Oglethorpe allowed Angela to continue that interest and watch her talent and confidence grow. She crafted an independent major in art history and business and thought at the time that she might like to open an art gallery. “I found Professor Catherine Kelley’s Modern Art class, and her lectures were amazing; everything she said was stimulating,” said Angela. “And with Alan Loehle’s Anatomy for the Artist class, I was completely obsessed.” A trip to Italy after graduation to study art history and opera convinced Angela to continue her art history studies. She moved to New York after returning to the states and worked as the assistant to an independent curator before deciding she wanted
make a living
faculty profile Kendra King A medical illustration by Nobles Green '03.
By Mark DeLong ’03 Dr. Kendra King, assistant professor of politics and assistant director of the Rich Foundation Urban Leadership Program, could install a revolving door in her office, as a steady stream of students move in and out during office hours. “I believe education, especially a liberal arts education, is a great equalizer,” said King, who was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and attended Colby College in Maine. “The liberal arts tradition allows you to explore the possibilities. Growing up in the projects, education was a gateway for me.”
to continue her study of art history. Once she decided she was going to graduate school, she asked Dr. Jeffrey Collins and Loehle for advice and they recommended the Oxford program.
This semester, King is teaching two special topics in politics courses: Moral and Political Leadership and From Montgomery to Memphis –The Political Evolution of Martin L. King, Jr.
She loved her Oxford experience, studying ancient art and conducting individual research.
One student told her that reading Martin Luther King, Jr.’s biography changed her life. “And that’s what this profession is all about,” King said. Her other courses this spring are State and Local Government and The Politics of Hip Hop for University College.
After Oxford, she found the Sotheby’s master’s program on the internet, applied and was accepted in 2005. In an email to Loehle in May 2005 she wrote, “I had my interview last week (at Sotheby’s) and they told me that I was overqualified and the exact type of student they look for. So thank you. There is no way that I would be in such a great position if it were not for you and Professor Kelley and Dr. Collins . . . Thank you for all of your help and guidance over the years.” At Sotheby’s Angela is being trained to work in the field of contemporary art, giving many oral presentations, attending lectures at the famed auction house and even curating a hypothetical exhibition. She completes the program this October and looks forward to getting another master’s or her doctorate. She says that it recently dawned on her that an OU education prepares students unlike any other school. “I wouldn’t have been half as successful if I hadn’t attended Oglethorpe; I think about things differently than the general populace thinks about them.”
While in college, King was active in student government, she wrote and acted in a one-act play, and she worked in the cultural affairs office. Working with the dean, she organized a trip to Atlanta’s King Center. “I felt like it was an opportunity to get to know Dr. King and his legacy of nonviolence up close and personal,” she said. “The trip was a life-changing experience as I did get to experience Dr. King through Mrs. Coretta Scott King and Elder Bernice A. King daily in the opening and closing sessions.” King spoke at her 1994 Colby graduation, sharing the podium with George H. W. Bush. “I shared with my moral and political leadership class that one of my biggest mistakes was not recognizing the president in my speech. He acknowledged me, but I never recognized his presence,” she said.
After Colby, King went on to earn her doctorate from Ohio State University. She began her teaching career at the University of Georgia, but came to Oglethorpe in support of the liberal arts experience. “The Oglethorpe difference is the opportunity to invest more in the teaching process, to focus on each student,” she said. “Because of the intimate classroom setting, you get to know each student’s strengths and weaknesses and help them master their skills. That’s a wonderful experience. You know the change is instilled in students.” Outside of the classroom, King is working on a politics textbook, to be released for fall 2007. Beginning a series on minority politics by Polity Press, the book will be the first African-American politics text with chapters on the influence of hip hop and mega-churches.
Through her writing and her teaching, King lives by a quote displayed prominently in her office: “Be the change you seek.” At the end of March, King joined 20 students in the National Sleep Out in Atlanta’s Centennial Park to raise awareness for America’s poor and homeless citizens. The event is just one example of how King is working for change in society and in the mind of every student she reaches.
OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY | THE CARILLON
OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY | THE CARILLON
ten years of art at OU
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