Student Profile
Vitals:
Name: Shelley Paight
Graduation Year: 2007
Hometown: Stamford CT
Major: Studio Art
Weekend Activity: Sculpture
Shelley Paight is a recent graduate of Manhattanville's Studio Art program. She also minored in Art Education and received her New York State teacher certification. As a Studio Art major, her senior thesis assignment was to create an exhibition of her artwork that was shown for a week at the end of April in the East Room of Reid Castle. She began working on the pieces as soon as the Fall semester started. Although she enjoys painting, the majority of her work is ceramic sculpture.
"My studio art class became like a small art community and each week we all asked each other for advice and ideas," she said. "The faculty was also very helpful in providing tips and ideas which made the process less stressful. For my exhibition I decided to create a body of art that allowed me to make people aware of the beauty of life. I combined natural and human forms together to demonstrate our daily interaction with nature and to encourage respect for it. I brought in real natural elements, such as grass, to enhance this impression." See the photo below for a sample of her artwork from the exhibition.
Shelley plans to pursue a Master's degree in Elementary education at the University of Bridgeport. "Art has always been a part of my life, and the Studio Art program here aided me in discovering more of who I am as an artist and what I am capable of accomplishing. As I continue on my journey as an artist and teacher I look forward to sharing what I have learned with my future students."
Title: "Trio."
Description: Three trees and a human hand made out of ceramic, placed in real grass. Drawings of trees on charcoal paper hang on the wall.