I wish I had videoed the short speech he gave - he was so eloquent and knowledgeable about his art and expressed himself so well. I couldn't believe that was Ian up there, wowing everyone; he was amazing that night. But I digress......
In helping out with the Showcase this year we saw the application they use to weed through the artists for the first time. On the second page was the question, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years and how do you plan to get there?" There is also a requirement by the artists to provide three references from teachers. I thought, wouldn't it be wonderful to see what Ian's response was? I called up Kate Burridge, one of the co-chairs for the committee on the off-chance that they might have kept the applications from the winners. I prepared myself that they had thrown it away, when Kate told me that she did have Ian's application, I couldn't talk. I didn't realize how badly I wanted to see what my son saw for his future. I think I croaked out, "Can I read it?" Kate was very kind and told me that not only did she have Ian's application but she also had the three references from his teachers and she would send me a copy right away.
Here is Ian's answer: "In five years I plan on attending graduate school at either UCLA, SAIC or Yale specifically studying sculpture. I believe these universities offer excellent programs and are located in cultural and artistic hubs where I can establish connections and build a reputation in the art world. When applying for art school the most important asset I can have is a killer portfolio, so my main focus right now is to continue building a cohesive body of work. I have always maintained excellent grades, and the counselors at Hancock said I should have no problems with acceptance as far as the academic requirements go. I feel my goals are of a high standard, but also well within my reach; I am prepared and excited to begin this journey."
Now the braggin' part - here are some comments made by Ian's three references:
"in my view, Ian is not only highly motivated...he is truly talented and will make art his life-long pursuit."
"Ian always completed the assignment successfully and, often, in innovative ways."
"I have found Ian to be a truly excellent student. He is currently ranked 23rd out of 536 students in his grade and has an overall GPA of 4.18. He has taken a total of 22 semesters of honors and AP classes and has the 4th highest SAT scores in the school." (this was something we did not know)
"..he is a brilliant artist. His work clearly shows an extremely high level of technical skill...he has acquired a very refined and mature style....his technical drawing skills are exemplary...he seems to have an intuitive understanding of composition and use of color.....He is easily the most promising sculpture student I have ever had.....what I am especially proud to see as he progresses through college is the modern, edgy trend to his sculptures....this is a new direction that he is moving in his work and I think that he will be an influential artist in the next few decades....I think that Ian could end up as a serious famous artist who impacts the course of the visual arts...I know that in 20 years I will look back over my time teaching and know that Ian, and students like him, have made it all worth while."
"Ian is diligent, sincere, considerate, thoughtful. he is inquisitive and searches for ways to express his vision..he frequently approaches ceramic and sculptural media in ways that are technically challenging....he is courageous about taking risks to grow as an artist.....he demonstrates maturity and promise...seeing examples of his drawing is a revelation to me; I am impressed by the depth and breadth of Ian's talents and potential for success in Visual Arts."
I think they liked his work but not only that, they appreciated the kind of person he was. They saw his character and that matters more than his talent. These words are a treasure to us and we are so thankful to have them.
