The FMU Fine Arts department hosted three artists to speak with students about honing their artistic skills and finding jobs in the field of graphic design in the Hyman Fine Arts Center on March 18.
The three artists were visiting for the show including Hannah Phelps, Amy Fichter and Andrew Bogard. They provided the students in attendance with advice and tips on how to build their resumes, find work and deal with their personal struggles. The artists were chosen because of their backgrounds, with each artist coming from rural areas in the U.S., much like many of the students in the art program.
“[Hannah Phelps] is an artist and curator, as well as a gallery assistant at the University of Wisconsin Stout,” Delaney Me-Sun Shin, assistant professor of fine arts, said. “She received her Bachelors in Fine Arts (BPA) from Stout and she received it in studio art and received a minor in art history. She had a concentration in drawing and her work explores identity and self through her multidisciplinary practice.”
Phelps shared her experience growing up with the students. It detailed Phelps finding herself in the world of fine arts and how it shaped her.
“At some point growing up, I realized that I was creative, and I didn’t know if I had any talent or skill or the drive necessary to be successful in a creative field, but I slowly learned that this is how my brain works,” Phelps said. “I knew I wasn’t thinking the same as some of the people around me… I knew I needed different opportunities.”
Phelps used her experiences as a way to encourage students to find what drives them. She wanted to give them ideas that they could use to build their careers off of. Phelps emphasized different things including the importance of finding one’s voice and that one should build their knowledge through education and portfolio building. She also encouraged students to seek out opportunities that allow them to grow their skills. Phelps also stressed the importance of a support system, and that it can come from both professors or family members.
The next artist to speak was Bogard, who was another student at the University of Wisconsin Stout.
“Andrew Bogard is a dedicated creative pursuing a lifelong career in graphic design and visual exploration,” Shin said. “After graduating from the University of Wisconsin Stout in 2021, they interned for 3M and &Walsh, which is a New York City-based design agency. Andrew freelances for various artists and currently works for the Walker Art Center as a Fellow.”
Bogard’s presentation focused primarily on their life after graduating college. Bogard shared their work ranging from fanzines to designing for corporate companies and creative agencies. Bogard also highlighted a platform called “WorkingNotWorking,” which focuses on hiring creative talents similarly to LinkedIn. WorkingNotWorking provided Bogard with the chance to work with “&Walsh” and paved the way for them to pursue further creative opportunities.
The last artist to speak was Amy Fichter, a graduate of Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Fichter has been a professor at the University of Wisconsin Stout since 2003, teaching the subject of life drawing.
During Fichter’s presentation, she discussed how studio artists can build a successful career.
“You can do what you love as a designer in a corporate situation and be an artist too,” Fichter said.
Fichter also shared stories from herself including some from her students about how they managed to keep their passion for creation alive while working non-creative jobs.
For each artist, the message they collectively wanted to send was that there is always a way to succeed in a creative career, even if those ways do not seem the most obvious or rewarding.