Junior Frida Laux has been told her whole life that art is something you can do on the side. Yet after taking a class at Colgate University on early European modern architecture, she was convinced that she could make art central to her life and career.
More specifically, Carolyn Guile, an associate professor of art and co-director at the Center for Freedom & Western Civilization, greatly impacted Laux’s desire to pursue art after teaching her First-Year Seminar (FSEM).
“[Guile] cares about architecture in the same way that I do,” Laux said. “In the art department, she will really do anything to help talent shine and make people passionate and hooked about what she talks about.”
Laux described that Guile’s passion for instilling confidence in her students helped reaffirm that passion within herself. Laux is studying art and art history, hoping that an emphasis in architecture may soon be available. This semester, Laux is taking courses in architectural history, sculpture and studio art. She realized that her previous academic success in math and sciences could be helpful tools for her desire to pursue art, which she sees as inseparable from architecture.
Guile’s impact on Laux helped guide her to enroll in the GSD Design Discovery Program at Harvard University and truly helped her to flourish. When she first came to Colgate, Laux intended to study psychology because the University did not offer an architectural program, and she felt that she was not going to pursue art. However, Guile showed Laux that she could get her “fix of architecture” at Colgate if she later chose to pursue it. Also, Laux began to understand that there was an overlap between the world of psychology and architecture.
“I choose architecture over art in general, and I really want to work to improve quality of life, specifically with the psychological aspects of how people behave,” Laux said. “I want to make a space that suits someone’s physical, psychological and emotional needs.”
Laux also explained how art and history are interlinked, and how art is relevant through aspects of life that people do not usually consider. History is essential in understanding why certain pieces were created at certain times, and historical factors such as wars play an important role in the types of art that were produced during that period. Laux acknowledged that taking art and having more in your toolbox impacts the classes that one can take, even those that have seemingly little to do with art.
“It’s a challenge to not make those connections in other classroom settings because I can’t take courses without thinking about [them] in relation to art,” Laux said.
Laux believes that when people take introductory studio classes, they often assume that the class will be easy, which is a common misconception.
“I encourage those students to synthesize through what they’re making. It really is an incredibly meditative experience,” Laux said.
She also acknowledged that many people are closed off to the idea of pursuing art simply because they don’t believe they are good enough at it. Like many things, art takes discipline and practice, and Laux firmly believes that everyone should be taking art classes because it allows one to comprehend things in a completely different way.
“The point of art is to create and, unlike other classes, once your mark has been made involving your art, you have the capability of determining what it does or does not mean,” Laux said.
One particularly impactful thing Laux discussed is the importance of having beauty all around you as a means to inspire you in whatever you do. Although the Louvre Museum is not in Hamilton, N.Y., she firmly believes that the beauty of Colgate is a piece of art in itself, one of many aspects of the University that led her to her choice to study here.
