This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MCLA chapter.
Isaac Wood is a junior FPA: Art major with a passion for printing. His love for art has taken him in many directions, including working in the Press Gallery as well as the Maker’s Mill in North Adams. Isaac is smart, funny, and especially driven. See what he has to say about his journey at MCLA here!
Year: Junior
Major: FPA: Art
Hometown: Norwood, MA
What brought you to MCLA?
“I came to MCLA, for the artist community as well as the scenery. Walking down town as a visitor I enjoyed seeing all the galleries and murals around and saw potential for me to grow as an artist in this area, also having lived in Vermont I was surrounded by trees so I feel right at home here!”
What are some of the draws of the art program here?
“What drew me to the art program here, was having the experience to create in downtown North Adams at both Mass MoCA and PRESS Gallery.”
Since you’ve come to MCLA, you’ve also become more involved in the arts management program. How has that experience affected your learning?
“I will say, since taking some of the arts management classes it has opened my view of the art world and avenues to travel down in the future and helping me learn how to manage myself as an artist.”
Last year you were the intern for Press Gallery, which has recently moved back onto campus. Can you tell us about that experience? What was the most valuable learning moment you gained from that?
“Working at PRESS was a great experience! I was a sophomore and still not really sure what I wanted to do as an artist, but working with founder and professor Melanie Mowinski and artist/intern Jonas McCaffery really allowed me to observe and work side by side with professionals! The greatest lesson I learned was to be flexible and being ok with starting over. There was an independent print project I had spent over 40 hours working on both in setting type and printing and realized my work was 1/16th of an inch off and I had to start over. But that experience truly taught me how to be ok with starting a new and letting go and creating a work I could be truly proud of.“
This year, you’re the intern for the new Maker’s Mill in North Adams. How has the experience helped shape your time at MCLA? Has it given you any clarity on a career path?
“Working at Makers’ Mill has been a fantastic experience! I wouldn’t necessarily say that my time there is shaping my time here at MCLA. What I see happening is that I’m taking my experiences I’ve had with MCLA and applying to the “real” world. Allowing me to grow as an artist even more so. I still have 0 clue as to what I’d like to for my future, but I could see myself continuing working in art nonprofit organizations.“
You’re primarily an artist – a printer, specifically. Is that how you identified before coming to school here? If not, how has MCLA helped you to get on that path?
“I originally came in as a digital photography concentration, I studied it informally for three years then formally my junior and senior year of high school. Then I took a typography class with Melanie Mowinski and that was my introduction to the press and I just became enchanted with the analog. And now I’m a printer.”
Finally, who or what is your biggest inspiration?
“There’s a question! I gather from many places, growing up it was picture books, then artists such as Keith Haring, Fred Day, Corrita Kent, and a lot of inspiration from people I know from family, friends, and mentors. It all stems from my desire to keep growing and learning.”