Graphic Design Personal Statement

My educational background and knowledge in the arts and art history developed rapidly once I entered my undergraduate program in graphic design at East Tennessee State University. Being a member of the Fine and Performing Arts Honors College during my undergraduate study imbued me with a heightened sense of achievement and sense of purpose as I was presented with opportunities not provided to all art students. Until my Fall 2017 semester, I had an Art History minor attached to my major however, due to the number of studio courses required for my BFA, it was more pragmatic for me to drop the Art History minor and focus on producing quality work for my senior year of undergrad. Despite not officially receiving a minor in Art History, I completed over 19 hours of art history

Being just outside of London enabled me to frequent galleries and museums as often as I liked (which is to say, nearly every weekend) and witness more works by historic and contemporary artists alike. My extensive four-year honors level undergraduate study in graphic design fostered my fascination and reverence for print culture and the modernity that its artists ushered into the medium and the art world as a whole. While I did not receive my undergraduate degree in art history, studying and producing graphic design work for four years placed me in the unique position of being both the artist and the art historian. I can better understand what problems Jules Chérèt and others encountered when producing their lithographic posters, as I’ve faced these same problems myself in my demanding studio courses. It is my personal belief that the printed medium and its corresponding culture are the most influential and critical forms of art as they, at their very core, embody the possibilities of