By Sam Kilgard —
University of Wisconsin–Stout’s very own School of Art and Design (SOAD) will be celebrating its 50th year this Oct. 16-17. The school will be hosting many events, such as a reception, workshops, silent auctions and more.
Each department within the SOAD will bring something to showcase. For example, Art Metals will be doing hands on workshops, Industrial Design will be doing a Best of Design exhibit and Graphic Design will be doing a poster sale! Rob Price, a former UW–Stout professor, will even be holding an intuitive drawing workshop for a select number of students during the week.
But what has made the SOAD thrive for so long? “Collaboration,” said Tamara Brantmeier, director of the SOAD. When asked to explain she said, “The fact that we make our concentrations work together, for example our engineers and designers will team up, as well as our studio art students and our science students.”
Not only is collaboration key, but so is hiring the right people. Tamara credited hiring the right professors and staff to a majority of the success of the SOAD. “We like to hire professors who are also practicing in their fields, it gives the students even more experience,” said Tamara.
Tyler Helfrich, a student in the Studio Art and Printmaking major, was able to offer a different perspective on the event and SOAD as a whole. When asked about what he thought the greatest part of the 50th anniversary was he stated, “Knowing that so many alumni have gone through the same school and now get to come back and look how far the program has come”.
That is precisely why this celebration is so important: it is a statement that for 50 years students have been able to express and further their education, with the help of the understanding and well-educated professors in the UW–Stout School of Art and Design.