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EDUCATIONCONNECTION |

OCTOBER 2014

ALBERTUS MAGNUS COLLEGE

Students of the visual and performing arts hone their talents Albertus Magnus College

In 1970, Albertus Magnus College in New Haven officially established a major in art. Before that, a survey course in art history had been offered for many years. Sister Thoma Swanson, O.P., now an internationally-acclaimed stained glass artist, founded the art department and served as its first chairperson. Since then, hundreds of art majors have gone on to post-graduate study, teach at all educational levels, establish careers in commercial and fine arts and art-related professions. Sculptors, artists, graphic designers, art therapists, digital designers – Albertus alumni continue to pursue the centuries-old Dominican motto of “Contemplata aliis tradere” – to give to others the fruits of one’s contemplation – sharing their talents through their art. Today at Albertus, the visual and performing arts department is cochaired by Julia Coash, professor of studio art and art history, and Jerome Nevins, professor of visual and performing arts. De-

partment programs combine the humanistic offerings of a liberal arts college, with a broad and integrated training in the arts. The Albertus mission is to provide women and men with an education that promotes the search for truth in all its dimensions and is practical in its application. Nevins recently received the College’s Veritas Award for his 35 years of service to the art department and arts at Albertus. “I’m grateful for the privilege of working with students to help them discover beauty in art, to see light more deeply and to discover truth that is felt and personal,” he said, accepting the award at the Founders’ Day celebration. Given from time to time to those alumni and friends who personify the values, traditions and service to others, the Veritas Award honors the hallmarks of the Albertus mission. Nevins has exhibited in solo and group shows, most recently in Connecticut and California. He received an M.F.A. from Rochester Institute of Technology. For Coash, her role as teacher is “to encourage

ALBERTUS MAGNUS COLLEGE

The theme of the Albertus Magnus College Founders’ Day celebration on Sept. 19was Dominicans: Preaching through the Arts. Sister Thoma Swanson, O.P., center, creator of the five stained glass windows in the College’s St. Catherine of Siena Chapel, spoke on Preaching through Art. Responders to her talk were Jerome Nevins, co-chair of the department of visual and performing arts, left; Rebecca Weinberger, class of 2015; Annalise Chiarelli, class of 2014; and Abbe Miller, director of the Graduate Art Therapy Program. students to reflect on how ideas, values and materials from their personal lives and interests could be a source of inspiration in their studies and their studio work.” She also is the chairperson of the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program at Albertus. Recently returned from doing sabbatical research on calligraphy in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, Coash has exhibited her work in Bermuda, Paris, Cairo and throughout the United States. She holds degrees in painting, higher education and ethnographic photography. Undergraduate students at Albertus major in studio art, art therapy, photography, graphic design, arts management and art

education. In addition to the bachelor of arts and bachelor of fine arts degrees, a master of arts in art therapy degree also is offered – the only one in Connecticut. A variety of art courses are available to students – from art history, drawing and African art to threedimensional design, photography and ceramics. Albertus student Rebecca Weinberger is a member of the class of 2015, and has been intrigued by art for as long as she can remember. She recalls that as a 3-yearold she spent time with a patient grandfather, who talked about art as she carefully colored within the lines of coloring book pictures. From ages 7 to

14, she took private art lessons. In high school, she heard about art therapy from an art teacher, and knew that this was the field she wanted. “This was my path, my plan,” she says, “and I have followed it. I will graduate with an art therapy major and a minor in English. My art makes me feel whole and calm. Art takes passion; you must really want to do it. I think everyone can be an artist in some way; if not through painting, then maybe through words or sculpture.” After graduation in May, Weinberger plans to continue at Albertus to get her master’s in art therapy and to work with young adults who have au-

tism. “I love Albertus,” she says. “It feels like a second home; we really are a family. I’ve never had a class where the professor did not know my name. Students are No. 1 here.” Art students, along with students in other majors and disciplines, have the opportunity to experience their field of interest through internships. Recent art internships have been at All U Design, FASTSIGNS, Stockton Fine Art Photography, Eric Brushett Photography and the Albertus department of visual and performing arts. For more about the art programs at Albertus Magnus College, go to Albertus.edu/arts.