By: Charlotte Cheek ~Staff Writer~

From ceramics and sculpture to painting and textiles, true art comes in many forms. Students who participate in the Xavier art department have always created beautiful and interesting projects utilizing these different methods. The inspiration for the following projects, however, may be as unique as the projects and artists themselves.

While many Xavier students prepare for research papers and standardized tests, senior Sarah Sager is working on her very unique senior thesis. “I came into Xavier knowing that this is what I wanted to do,” Sager, a fine arts major with a concentration in painting, said. According to Sager, senior theses are shown at the end of the year and can be used to apply for graduate school. They act as a resume, portraying exactly what skills each artist brings to the table. “It’s the foundational part of your career after you leave academia,” Sager said. Her thesis, which will be a series of four to five paintings of people who identify outside of the gender binary, will be presented on April 25. Although her days are taken up by her artwork, her freetime is otherwise occupied. She works as a nanny when she isn’t in Cohen. “Working as a nanny (after school) is good because it leaves my nights and weekends open to do art,” Sager said. After graduation, however, Sager has her eyes set on NewYork. As far as her plans while she is there, Sager is keeping her options open. “I applied to the New York Academy of Art, and if I get in, with enough funding, I would like to go,” Sager said. “I also applied to a couple of galleries. I would like to intern with them and get into the scene, no matter how I have to do it.” There is a student art show on Feb. 23 in Cohen. All Xavier art students will show their most recent pieces in the large and small galleries.

Junior Hannah Smith is pursuing a fine arts major with minors in art history and business. “I always knew I wanted to do something with art,” Smith said. Smith is currently working with curators at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC). “Curatorial studies is sort of like preparing, organizing and presenting art exhibitions in art galleries and museums,” Smith said. She plans to work with the CCAC on a few more exhibits this semester to discover what research goes into planning an art exhibition. After graduation she plans to pursue an internship or an artist residency and then masters in curatorial studies. Smith decided to minor in business because of its practicality. “Having this business background is going to be useful in any area of future careers and studies,” Smith said. “I think finding this blend of art history and business and fine arts with curatorial works is probably when I realized what I actually want to do in the art world. I know the whole starving artist scenario— it doesn’t have to be like that.” Her most recent piece is a sculpture about subtle sexism. “I plan to create a long narrative and print it on the tongue,” Smith said. “I was interested in something so bold because it’s a very human tactile nature that we’re facing in our culture right now. It’s something people don’t recognize that they’re doing, but it’s so engraved in our everyday lifestyle that you just do it,” Smith said.