2017-18 Recipient of the Nancy Bergman Pantirer '77 and Vivian Bergman Scholarship
Sarah Smith '18 is a ceramics major at the Hartford Art School. She is grateful for the opportunity to study with inspirational faculty who have encouraged her to explore her passions and mature not only as an artist, but as an individual.
When I came to tour the University of Hartford, I instantly fell in love with the beauty and the feeling of community on campus. I wasn’t expecting this instant connection. Everyone was so kind and now, as a student, I am treated like family at the Hartford Art School.
Small classrooms and the hands-on style of professors have enabled me to thrive. I get to work with inspirational and supportive faculty who encourage me to push my limits and freely explore as a maker. I remember during my sophomore year completing my first wood firing—an ancient Japanese ceramics firing method that produces varied results from ash levels. It was a three-day firing and I stayed awake for most of it! I learned so much about the mechanics of a hand-built kiln and about the firing process in general. It was also a great team building experience as it’s a task impossible to complete on your own, drawing me closer to my peers. Since then, I’ve done five wood fires and made lifelong friends along the way. These experiences have piqued my interest in other firing processes, such as raku, soda, pit, and reduction firings, which I’ve been able to explore in summer classes, thanks to additional scholarships.
Outside of ceramics, art history professors have encouraged me to pursue classes beyond the suggested path for a minor. Their encouragement has inspired me to take classes ranging from African Art and Contemporary Japanese Art to Women in Art History, helping me carve my own academic path.
I am proud and honored to be a part of the 2018 Alexander A. Goldfarb Juried Student Exhibition. Having my work exhibited in a juried show was both rewarding and exhilarating. As part of the University’s work-study program, I work with our ceramic technician and have learned valuable life skills. I can now successfully repair electrical and gas kilns and wheels, and I have acquired a deep understanding of the inner mechanics of running a studio. Now that I am graduating, I can apply this knowledge to future jobs. I’ve accomplished so much as a student at UHart and have made so many strides as an individual. UHart shaped me into the woman I am and I couldn’t be more confident or proud of who I have become.
After graduation, I will spend the summer teaching children’s hand-building classes at a ceramic studio in my hometown. I will then go on to complete several residency programs across the country as well as post-baccalaureate programs. After some experience in my field for about two to three years, I am going to apply to various graduate programs. I will then to go on to receive my doctorate in the arts. I hope to be a professor similar to the ones who changed my life here at UHart. I want to expand the way we think about craft and art in society.
Sarah Smith, '18I would like to say thank you to my donors for giving me the aid I needed to continue my education and evolve as both an individual and as an artist at the University of Hartford. I wouldn’t be where I am now without your help. It means the world to me to have these opportunities. Thank you for your generosity.