As Hannah Williams ’14 sees it, computer programs open up endless creative possibilities for digital artists. What else can make you feel like a god, capable of creating anything from nothing?
“The first time that we rigged an animated character we built was such a weird experience, because it’s like you’re bringing life to something that was just an object,” Williams said. “I think there’s a lot of beauty and intrigue in that.”
Williams said she has been involved in art “forever,” working with collages and textiles and even started her own crocheted hat business before college. At Dartmouth, she channeled her creative energy into a new field: the digital arts.
“Coming here, it tied together all of those entrepreneurial and creative things with a software that can do anything that you want,” Williams said.
Williams’s friend and freshman floormate Chase Klein ’14 encouraged her to try the computer science department’s digital arts progression, a sequence of three classes that includes 3-D digital modeling, computer animation and a special projects course.
Some of her favorite classes have included projects like making an original short film, which allowed students to familiarize themselves with Autodesk Maya, an animation software.
Klein, who created his own digital media major, said he could only take partial credit for introducing Williams to the subject, calling her a “superstar” well-suited for the work.
“She’s a brilliant artist but also possesses organizational skills and working skills that are rare to capture in one person,” Klein said.
Williams, a government major with a minor in digital arts, serves as Student Assembly secretary and vice president of Sigma Delta sorority. She is also a teaching assistant for computer science professor Lorie Loeb’s computer animation course.
Loeb, who taught Williams in several classes, said she was a standout student.
The Digital Arts Leadership and Innovation Lab’s founder, Loeb organized the first Digital Arts Exposition, an exhibition of original digital artwork and music by undergraduates. Williams assisted her as project manager, collaborating with students, faculty and staff to ensure the event ran smoothly.
“I’ve worked with a lot of students, producers, project managers and production managers,” Loeb said. “She was as good as it gets.”
Williams also works as a modeler, animator and associate producer for an independent study project managed by Klein. The team is making a short film about a broken clarinet in an antique store, which Williams said will likely be screened by the end of the spring.
Williams said that the project was exciting for being completely “ground-up” student work, including original music composition to storyboards.
Williams plans to return to Dartmouth in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in computer science and digital arts. She is most interested in learning more about animated film, although she is also interested in graphic design and web design, she said.
“I just love [animated film] so much, I’ve loved it my whole life,” Williams said. “But I also really like my government major. So who knows, it’ll be animated filmmaking or war-planning, one of the two.”
The Final Word with Hannah Williams '14
The most played song on my iPod: “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole. It’s been a top played song since I was, like, 16.
If I could have any super power, it would be: flying, without a doubt. I feel like it’s a cop-out, but definitely flying.
