Becoming… an artist

By: Maya Noble, Senior Art Major

How many times have you heard someone say, “art major — that’s easy” or “what can you do with an art degree?” The world and how we perceive it is influenced by the artist. When we go to a gallery or museum, it is obvious that an artist created the work. However, when you step outside of that gallery space, take a good look around you because everywhere you look — every manmade item was in some way influenced by an artist. From the building blocks of an object’s form and function to the branding and label design, an artist was involved in the process.

Colors and the artistry behind color combinations are used to evoke emotions and influence buying habits of consumers. Did you know that in 1931, Coca-Cola hired an artist, Haddon Sundblom, to revamp the various images of Santa Claus? They wanted something new and fresh to promote their product. Sundblom created the new, large, jolly Santa Claus, created advertising using the same color scheme as the Coca-Cola logos, and combined that with the green color of holly. This new rebranded Santa Claus took off, and the colors of red and green became synonymous with Christmas for Americans (NPR, Dec. 2016) — all because Coca-Cola hired an artist.

The road to becoming an artist is not easy. For the Keystone College graduating Visual Arts seniors, while their artistic passion may have come easily, the process of BECOMING a professional artist did not. Some came directly out of high school to pursue their dreams; others had to overcome obstacles and hurdles in life, and some had to wait until their children were grown to pursue their dreams of becoming a professional artist. We all have backstories that got us to this point, and what we all have in common is several years of hard work and intensive studies to become who we are today and step out onto the stage as professional artists.

When someone asks what you can do with an art degree, look around because we help shape the world we live in.

We welcome you to share a glimpse into their world of creation as we feature each of the nine graduating seniors in this blog.  We ask that you join us at the AFA Gallery in downtown Scranton on Friday, April 2, from 6–9 p.m. for the opening of the Keystone College Senior Art Exhibit, “Becoming…”.

The show will run through May 1. Regular gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, noon–6 p.m.  For further information about the show, please contact the AFA Gallery, 101 Penn Ave., Scranton Pa., 18503 or (570) 969-1040.

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