getting to know the graduates
Graduating Student: Renée Bouchard (W21)
Alas, my work in writing is incomplete, and I plan to continue researching indigenous culture after I graduate. In fact, much of the work I did this semester in my backyard is incomplete. The inverted baskets require at least four seasons to complete a cycle. In the spring, I plan to use them as greenhouses. Several paintings in my studio are also still in process. I see the Graduate Exhibition and Thesis (Process Paper) as a bridge into my future art practice.
What was on your play list during your time at VCFA?
1st Semester: Duran Duran – “Hungry Like the Wolf”
2nd Semester: Billy Joel – “Innocent Man”
3rd Semester: Patti Smith – “Because the Night”
4th Semester: Rufus & Chaka Khan – “Tell Me Something Good”
Each song played on repeat throughout the semester.
Who are your favorite protagonists in fiction?
Mavis in Paradise by Toni Morrison.
How did VCFA change your approach to thinking about your studio practice and your community at home?
My practice intersects my community, mothering, research, writing, and painting.
What, or who, should you like to be?
Original copper engraving of the P. antiquus holotype by Egid Verhelst II and published by Italian scientist Cosimo Alessandro Collini, 1784
What is your favorite bird?
A pterodactyl (technically a winged reptile, not a dinosaur).
Who, or what, is your work in conversation with?
What state/country do you live in?
Vermont, USA
Heidi Blunt (W 21)
Jeff Dornenburg (W21)