ZACH KELLOGG From Calabasas, California
BFA PROGRAM IN ART
“
I had a multiracial upbringing, half Asian, half white, and growing up I spent a lot of time in Hawaii. I wasn’t allowed to watch much TV, but I did see American, Japanese and Chinese cartoons, and they definitely had an influence on my drawing style in terms of layout and framing of the figure. “My favorite classes in high school were in science and I considered studying science in college. I was in a weird place at that time, and realized that I was coming at science from an artistic perspective. I was using science as a means of making art—exploring the process of making scientific diagrams and creating fictional biospheres—little worlds and the hierarchies that existed within them. “I knew I wanted to do fine art and wasn’t really happy with the structure of many of the other schools I applied to. They were very regimented and technically oriented—‘this is the project you have to do, then you’re going to present it.’ It just didn’t make sense to me to have them tell me what kind of art I was going to make. And they also had a strong focus on art as a craft—which wasn’t as important to me as learning the conceptual process of making art. “There are foundation classes here too, but they’re not as regimented. That’s ultimately why I decided on CalArts.
MY PROCESS IS TO FIND A FOCUS FOR MYSELF— WHATEVER I’M INTERESTED IN AT THE TIME—AND JUST EXPLORE IT TO MY FULLEST UNDERSTANDING, AND GET TO A PLACE WHERE I FEEL THAT I’VE EXHAUSTED THE IDEAS AND CONTENT OF WHATEVER IT IS. “I’ve only had great experiences with the faculty here. I’m constantly meeting with faculty and having private meetings and in-class critiques. That’s one of the most valuable parts of my CalArts experience—they constantly challenge my ideas, making me think more deeply about what I’m doing, and suggesting books I haven’t read or artists I haven’t seen. I don’t know where I would be as an artist without knowing these people and having their perspectives on my work. The faculty viewpoint is always well thought-out and grounded in art history.
”
10