Studying art at a liberal arts college can be a liability for some aspiring young artists because of constraints on studio time, but for many students the possibilities of enhancing their work with the knowledge gained from various areas of study is an advantage. Fortunately, the latter is true for Melissa Brown '93, a painter who has taken advantage of Dartmouth's many resources in cultivating her artistic career.
Brown, who graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth last year with a B.A. in studio art, is currently finishing up a one-year post-graduate teaching fellowship in the College's studio art department. Brown lauded the department as being very supportive of its students. "My experience [at Dartmouth] has been very positive. I would do it over in a second," Brown said.
Brown's art career at Dartmouth began with a drawing class her freshman year and matured through her years here, culminating in The Perspectives on Design Award Show of her recent work, which opened May 12 and is currently on display in the Hopkins Center's Jaffe-Friede and Strauss Galleries.
Brown is the second recipient of the Studio Art Exhibition Program's Perspectives on Design prize, which awards a graduating artist with a one-person exhibit in the year following graduation.
With funding from a James B. Reynolds Scholarship for recent graduates of the College who have gained admittance to a study or research program outside the United States, Brown will spend next year studying painting and aboriginal culture at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. According to Brown, the idea for this project originated in the spring of her junior year when she attended an exhibit of Australian aboriginal bark painting in New York City.
Brown has also been inspired by John Walker, an artist who lived and worked in Australia. "Walker has been influenced by living in Australia. You can see illusions to aboriginal art in his work," Brown said.
Brown's interest in aboriginal art stems from the role it plays in the lives of native Australians. "For the aborigines, painting is tied to everyday life. They all paint," she said. "This intrigued me."
Study at the University in Canberra will be a learning experience for Brown. "Ultimately I would like to have my painting reach a larger audience, but right now I'm focusing on learning to paint," she said. "Controlling the paint is a difficult thing."
In addition to classes at Dartmouth, Brown studied painting at The Studio School in New York City and the Chautauqua summer art program. According to Brown, these were valuable experiences because she gained exposure to artists working full time. "I was able to see art as a way of life," she said.
Brown has begun forging the path for this way of life outside of Dartmouth. This year she exhibited with seven other independent artists aged 20 to 30 years at the "Young Talent" show in Washington, Conn. "This was a great opportunity to meet other artists with minimal experience outside of an academic art world, but it was a strange feeling to put yourself out there," she said.
Strange as it may have been, it has not deterred her from pursuing the challenging career of a visual artist. According to the painter, she will eventually pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree and possibly teach. "I know it's not going to be easy, but if I'm doing something I love, it will be worth it," she said.
Brown's latest work will remain on display in the Hopkins Center through May 22.
