Each summer, Ringling College of Art and Design Fine Arts majors attend residencies all over the country. This summer, current students Zack Crosby ’25, Fine Arts, and Leyla Sefket ’25, Fine Arts attended New York Academy of Art’s Summer Undergraduate Residency Program, and recent alum Rose Marjanneke Williamson ’24, Fine Arts with minors in Art History and Business of Art and Design attended a 6-Week Residency at Chautauqua Visual Arts, at Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY. Read about their incredible experiences this summer.
Zack Crosby
New York Academy of Art Summer Undergraduate Residency Program
“At the New York Academy of Art Summer Undergraduate Residency Program, I spent the month of June taking live figure model painting, sculpture, and drawing classes to practice technical skills and better capture the human form. I was also grateful to be taken around to lots of galleries, artist studios, and events in New York City. The highlight of my residency, besides the New York nightlife, was participating in the SURP exhibition, using my time in between and after class to make personal work for the show.
It was my first time in a big city, and the program really inspired me, connecting me with the world of fine arts on a larger scale. Being immersed in the gallery scene and talking to curators, critics, and working artists opened a lot of doors for what I want to accomplish and where I will go after I get my degree at Ringling College.”
Rose Marjanneke Williamson
Chautauqua Visual Arts in Chautauqua, NY 6-Week Residency
“I was so honored to be selected to be a part of an amazing opportunity alongside 24 other resident artists. This year, the residency was fully funded, and I received a full scholarship from the Friends of the Chautauqua Visual Arts to attend the 6-week summer program located in Chautauqua Institution. The timing couldn’t have been better as I have just recently graduated from the Fine Arts program at Ringling College of Art and Design and Chautauqua Visual Arts provided us with a wonderful and interactive program that was community-engaging and filled with creative energy. Our studios were located at the ‘Art Quad’ and we had 24/7 access to facilities such as a clay studio, woodshop, printmaking studio, media lab, fiber arts studio, screen printing room, and additional flex spaces to utilize for large-scale installations pop-up shows or any of the other many things we could’ve imagined.
Chautauqua Visual Arts (CVA) hosted a wide series of artist talks, studio visits, and courses that we were able to take part in. The courses were taught by amazing faculty and professional artists (Sachiko Akiyama, Alex Callendar, Susan Lichtman, Elizabeth Mooney, Stephanie Pierce, Kevin Umana, Cosmo Whyte). In addition, the CVA organized group field trips to plein air locations such as Panama Rocks and museum trips to the AKG Museum and Burchfield Museum in Buffalo. Outside of this, our cohort organized our own unique outings to places such as Barcelona Beach on Lake Erie, hikes at Chautauqua Gorge, and Niagara Falls.
Our day-to-day varied as it was very much a ‘choose your own path’ layout. We could attend morning plein air classes led by Susan Lichtman, take a walk around Chautauqua to a lecture at the Hall of Philosophy, have a studio visit after lunch, sit in on an artist talk at the Hultquist Center, stop by one of the gallery openings, and even catch one of the many events at night being held at the Amphitheatre from the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, the Beach Boys, or a performance by the Paul Taylor Dance Company, just to name a few.
Going into my residency at Chautauqua I didn’t have a set plan of what I wanted to create/make. Having just completed my thesis at Ringling College of Art and Design, I took a range of materials in addition to a tool that helped guide my most recent body of work—my microscope. I have been looking at my childhood photos on 35mm film under the microscope and many other pictures within the past year. During my time at Chautauqua, I continued that investigation but also started to dive back into drawing and painting from memory—and creating collages with cardboard. The residency allowed for another period of play and exploration in my work. Offering an amazing opportunity to reflect on my final year at Ringling, my work, and where my art might be headed next.”
*Read more about Williamson’s residency in their journal.
Leyla Sefket
New York Academy of Art Summer Undergraduate Residency Program
“In my four weeks at the New York Academy of Art (NYAA) Summer Undergraduate Residency Program, I was able to experience the thrill of living in Manhattan as an artist. For the past month, five days a week, I have taken figure-based classes, including drawing, painting, and sculpture, along with theory and cultural Studies. I have also been able to work in my own studio space alongside other young artists. When I’m not in class or working in my studio, I have been exploring the city, visiting museums and galleries, and gaining inspiration for my own work along the way. This program has allowed me to strengthen my skills and prepare me for entering my final year at Ringling College!”
