A Q&A with one of the 1,319 students who received a diploma May 4 at UW-Stout:
Name: Lily Lund
Hometown: Buffalo, Minn.
Major: Studio art, concentration in ceramics
Why did you choose UW-Stout? Stout felt like a perfect fit to what I wanted for a college experience. The distance of two hours was enough from my family. The small campus felt secure, and the art program seemed to compete against other colleges that I was looking at. Stout just seemed to fit with who I am as a person and as an emerging artist.
What are the biggest obstacles you faced in earning your degree? My biggest obstacle would have to be fighting the stigma of being an artist on campus and having to give almost all of my time to focus on my future. As an artist at Stout we don't get a career fair. We honestly don't get a lot of outside help either. I had to spend a lot of my time leaving the state, paying for conferences, volunteering my time helping well-known artists around the Midwest instead of doing a keg crawl or going out to the bars. Another large obstacle was being a strong, independent female artist in this program. A lot of the time you get shamed for your comments during critique, your ideas and honestly for the gender you were given. Standing out in a sea of other students was hard, but I overall believe I did exactly that.
What stands out among your college experiences? What stands out the most from my college experience is the relationships. I had the chance to create incredible relationships with my professors and fellow students. I am leaving Stout with a strong community that is backing me and believes in me as an artist.
What’s next? This summer I am heading out to a secluded studio space, while also doing an assistantship with Linda Christensen during her workshops. From there I will be heading out to a residency in the fall to continue my art. All in all, I will be going full force into becoming an artist.
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