{"id":276,"date":"2013-10-19T18:16:20","date_gmt":"2013-10-19T18:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/?p=276"},"modified":"2013-10-19T18:16:20","modified_gmt":"2013-10-19T18:16:20","slug":"276","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/2013\/10\/19\/276\/","title":{"rendered":"Art and Inspiration with Sandy Zhang"},"content":{"rendered":"

By LAURA HUMBLE<\/strong> – STAFF WRITER<\/em><\/p>\n

Sandy Zhang\u2019s pursuit of art was clear to her from the beginning. \u201cI came to Centre knowing I\u2019d be an art major,\u201d Zhang said. Despite not having much formal training with art, Zhang first realized she had a talent when she was accepted into the Kentucky Governor\u2019s School for the Arts Program. \u201cThat was the first time I was like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m actually okay at art? I actually made it into this thing? Maybe I could try [art] out as a major!\u2019\u201d Zhang said.<\/p>\n

\"Senior<\/a>
Senior
Sandy Zhang believes art can touch all people and can be used to improve society<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, Zhang was first uncertain about where this decision to major in art was going to lead her. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what I was going to do with [my major] but the really great thing about the Centre Art Department is that they let you explore different paths, and they\u2019re pretty open [to] what you want to do with your major,\u201d Zhang said. She commended Centre\u2019s professors for helping her figure out her career path, and for contributing to her overall happiness. \u201cI enjoy being an art major. It\u2019s really therapeutic. It helps me see the world differently. Everything is really engaging and vibrant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zhang expresses her cheery worldview in her artwork. \u201cFor my senior show, I\u2019m focusing on the figure\u2026 people suspended in space. They look like they\u2019re floating or falling or something. I like drawing people in general because people have a lot of different color tones\u2026 [Color] just makes me really happy,\u201d Zhang said.<\/p>\n

Being an art major at Centre, however, can be time consuming. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of time, but it\u2019s not hard,\u201d Zhang said. At the minimum, she spends five hours a week working on her art, but when she is working on a big project, she puts in even more time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put in 18 hours on [my recent landscape painting] over the course of a week and a half, but I put in 40 or 50 hours on [a much bigger painting I did last year],\u201d Zhang said. \u201cThe beginning process is a lot slower, but as it gets closer to the deadline, I\u2019ll spend four or five hours in the Art Barn a day. But it doesn\u2019t hurt your brain! It\u2019s hard on your body, [but] you build up your back muscles over time!\u201d<\/p>\n

Zhang enjoys art that has a story and is somewhat fantastical. She likes art that remains slightly unattainable in the way its story is not immediately recognizable; the observer must bring his or her own interpretation and experiences to make the work of art fully come alive. \u201cI don\u2019t want my art to seem realistic, but more emotional,\u201d Zhang said. \u201cArt is something that can be used to tie groups together. You can create memories and experiences with art.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zhang would like to go into public education, or work in an art museum or art center. \u201cI don\u2019t know for sure what I\u2019ll do after I graduate, but I know it will involve teaching. I really want to get art out to the general public, [and] raise appreciation for it,\u201d Zhang said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize how important [art] can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Centre, Zhang is the president of the Art Society. \u201cThe Art Society was established to raise student appreciation for art and to give students who aren\u2019t art majors opportunities to be involved with the arts,\u201d Zhang said. The Art Society hosts a lot of workshops in the fall, including one coming up on Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. in the Art Barn, where free, non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.<\/p>\n

The Art Society also provided transportation for students to go to the LexArts Gallery Hop and holds a silent art auction. \u201cThe money for [the silent art auction] goes to the Governor\u2019s School for the Arts,\u201d Zhang said.<\/p>\n

For students interested in art\u2014but not necessarily an art major\u2014the Art Society is a great way to get involved.<\/p>\n

Zhang believes art can touch all people and be used to improve society. Zhang\u2019s passion for art is obvious.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s really important to make the most of every opportunity you\u2019re given,\u201d Zhang said. Perhaps we can all take note from Zhang and let the happiness art provides benefit us as well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By LAURA HUMBLE – STAFF WRITER Sandy Zhang\u2019s pursuit of art was clear to her from the beginning. \u201cI came to Centre knowing I\u2019d be an art major,\u201d Zhang said. Despite not having much formal training with art, Zhang first realized she had a talent when she was accepted into the Kentucky Governor\u2019s School for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-leisure"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cento.centre.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}