After being sent home in March for remote learning the rest of the year due to COVID-19, art majors at Bluffton University were some to experience what it was like to have online art classes.
Students, faculty and staff are participating in the same practices established with the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year in Sauder Visual Arts Center as in other buildings on campus. These include spacing students from one another, students wiping down their areas before sitting down and having one-on-one meetings as needed either socially distanced or through Zoom.
Senior Berlin Fuqua is a studio art major who spent the last half of his junior year online.
Fuqua said his teacher recorded videos of what they were supposed to do for their projects. He said the videos were helpful, but it wasn’t the same as the demonstration being done in person and being able to ask questions as the process was happening.
“[Online learning] was definitely a stark change just because of the learning format because art and teaching art is such a one on one experience,” said Fuqua. “I felt like at times it hindered me.”
In digital printmaking, Fuqua said there were processes with specific materials he was looking forward to which he missed out on due to going online.
Sophomore Sara Poiry working in the Mac lab in the Sauder Visual Arts Center. Photo by Olivia Westcott
Sara Poiry is a sophomore graphic design major. She said a lot of her classes were already on the computer, so she and her peers ended up having to get permission to download the necessary software for their projects.
For her Design 2 class, Poiry said Jim Fultz, assistant professor of art, ended up mailing each student the necessary supplies for one project which ended up being their final. The supplies were mailed since the course was about working in 3D.
Poiry said she felt like she missed out on challenging herself with online learning.
“I feel like if I had to have been here I would’ve pushed myself a little harder with our final project and doing a little more risky things,” said Poiry. “I kind of played it safe at home.”
Fuqua and Poiry are both happy to be back on campus. Both have expressed they hope they are able to stay on campus for the whole year.
“I want to stay on campus and get the knowledge that I can,” said Poiry.
“I definitely work better when I am around other people,” said Fuqua. “I feel more supported that way. I just hope we can all work together to make sure that is how it stays.”
When it came to turning in projects, Fuqua and Poiry experienced having to take pictures of their work and submitting them online. Both students said in doing this they weren’t able to get the feedback on their projects in a beneficial or personal way from their professors or peers.
Every year, senior art majors get to show their best works in a senior showcase. Last year, the graduating class missed out on that experience.
Fuqua expressed his hopes for him and his class to be able to show their works.
Senior Berlin Fuqua working digitally on his iPad. Photo by Olivia Westcott.
“My art has really grown and has turned into something I would really love to show other people,” said Fuqua, “I would love for my other graduating class members to show their work and to be proud of what we’ve all done.”
Poiry and Fuqua said they feel they are still getting a good education even with the standards set for preventing the spread of the virus.
“I am just really proud of the art department for trying their best,” said Fuqua. “I really appreciate them, and I’m grateful for how hard they work to make sure they give us the best education and guidance that they can with the limitations that they have.”
