The 15 best student artists:Uchenna Okere

Year: Junior
Major: Architecture

While most youngsters in his hometown spent their Saturdays playing outside or watching television, Uchenna Okere would busy himself with art classes at various universities. It came as no surprise when one of his paintings was accepted and displayed at a permanent art collection in Jersey City, N.J.

The multitalented junior architecture major said he continues thinking about art as a progression. Instead of using a pencil to draw a picture, Okere said he’d use watercolors.

“No matter how vague an idea someone gives me about anything, I automatically come up with something much more creative,” Okere said. “Everything I create is a reflection of my thoughts.”

What’s keeping Okere busy these days is the Green Hotel project, in which he and other Tyler students are involved in building a lifesize structure of a 900-foot environmentally friendly hotel. The studio-wide project is carried out by second-year architecture major students at Fairmount Park.

Okere said he’s designing a system that will harness all natural resources of the site and recycle rain water to be reused for gray water within the hotel, restoring the natural look of the site that was lost with the addition of expressways and overpasses.

“This hotel is meant to reshape our vision of sustainability, and true green design that fully engages the user from the underground entrance to the above ground occupancy, containing trees, vegetation, natural light, outdoor trail paths, a pool pavilion and an overall great educational experience.”

Even though he’s prolific in many areas of art like painting, sculpting, pottery, graphic design and model making, architecture is what he prefers most. He said he finds it to be the most difficult activity of everything he has learned so far.

“It’s really just a thought process that’s difficult,” Okere said. “Every decision and everything you do has to be thought out and well-explained.”

Being able to master many things at once may not be as important to some as it is to Okere. He stressed that it is essential for an artist to be multitalented.

“I think when you finally sit down and say, ‘OK, I’m going to master something,’” he added, “all those other things that you know as background will ultimately start to reflect itself.”

Sergei Blair can be reached at sergei.blair@temple.edu.

The 15 best student artists:Ebun Olaloye

Year: Junior
Major: Architecture

It’s a common assumption that most architecture students set out to achieve goals like mapping skyscraper blueprints. But this isn’t always the case.

“I still want to be an architect,” said junior architecture major Ebun Olaloye, “but there are things I want to do besides designing buildings.”

Olaloye began designing shirts as a sophomore at Pennsauken High School in Pennsauken, N.J. Since then, he has hand-painted more than 300 shirts.

“Most of them are separate designs,” he said. “Only a few of them were actually for my friends and family.”

Born in Nigeria, Olaloye brought his love for soccer to the United States when he immigrated to the country nine years ago.

Today, soccer athletes and themes are on many of Olaloye’s clothing creations.

“Eventually, I want to put together a line of shirts geared toward soccer,” he said. “I’m looking for what appeals to other soccer players.”

Some of his work extends to word play and typography. One of Olaloye’s favorite shirts has the words “Creative People Must Be Stopped” printed in clumsy and bubbled letters.

“A lot of people liked it,” he said. “It had a feeling of irony.”

By keeping up with his high school hobby, Olaloye said he shows off his traits while giving others the chance to do the same. He added that soccer, art and fashion were always his primary interests.

“I felt it was a way to express these things to everyone else, a way to tie these things together,” he said.

Olaloye said toying with clothing styles helps a culture just as much as drawing building designs.

“Shirts are the first thing you see on someone,” he said. “I want to find ways to make things with style and comfort.

“If I’m a well-refined designer, I don’t have to just design buildings. T-shirts, clothes and shoes are an extension of my creative style.”

Ian Romano can be reached at ian.romano@temple.edu.

The 15 best student artists:Kelsey Morton

Year: Sophomore
Major: Printmaking

Kelsey Morton is a creator. When she’s not busy creating artwork, she’s creating a name for herself in the art community.

The Tyler School of Art sophomore has always held art in high esteem, trying her hand in countless media ever since she was able to hold a pencil.

“Everything you look at that is man-made was touched or influenced by an artist in some way,” Morton said.

Originally from York, Pa., Morton came to Tyler to be a painting major but decided on printmaking, a technique that combines drawing, painting, woodcutting, engraving or etching to produce a unique sequence of prints.

Her most recent work is a series of detailed baseball card-sized prints depicting Queen Victoria and the caste system.

Although she is the only one in her family to pursue art as a career, Morton attributes her success to her parents and the Tyler staff.

“The teachers are willing to work with you and develop new ideas, expand on your knowledge and really push you to become a better artist,” she said.

Morton is also working toward receiving a teaching certificate while at Tyler and hopes to one day educate high school or college students.

Until then, she spreads her love of art throughout the community by returning to her high school to speak with students about careers in art. She plans to start a cross-stitching and needlepoint club with her church members this summer.

When she’s not in the studio working on projects that may take more than 70 hours to complete, Morton works at a hospital transporting patients.

“I work with every kind of patient there is, and I think that transpires into my art,” she said. “It has helped me network and learn how to talk to people.”

Morton said communication is one of the most important parts of being an artist because of the stereotypically secluded nature of the field.

Morton regularly schedules her art exhibitions and will be showing at the Maryland Federation of Art’s Emerging Artists Exhibition April 18. Her work will also be on display May 9 at “Jazz on the Ave,” an annual jazz festival and health fair that takes place at Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

This may only be her second year of art school, but Morton is already a confident and passionate artist.

“Artists may only be 3 percent of the world’s population,” she said, “but we’re an important 3 percent.”

Julie Achilles can be reached at julie.achilles@temple.edu.

The 15 best student artists: Malcolm Kenyatta

Year: Sophomore
Major: Theater

Malcolm Kenyatta doesn’t mind being awkwardly comfortable. In fact, this poet welcomes the feeling.

“Before I performed ‘Awkwardly Comfortable,’ I was originally against it,” the sophomore theater major said about performing his poem in the nude. “But I realized: this is my medium, my art, and it was exactly what the poem was about.

“It’s about giving your all to someone, completely naked and unrefined. Like poetry, it’s saying, ‘This is me.’”

As chairman and founder of Babel, Temple’s collective of poets, Kenyatta has made it his mission to bring life to an otherwise dormant art form in the Temple and Philadelphia community.

His emotional, thought-provoking signature piece, “Public Service Announcement,” has been known to hail standing ovations and finger snaps of approval in venues scattered across the city.

“People need people, whether they like it or not,” Kenyatta said, “and there are a lot of messed-up situations. ‘PSA’ is an allowance to myself and others to show weakness.”

Kenyatta said his writing process is unconventional. Rather than beginning with an idea and finishing it off with a title, Kenyatta does the opposite.

“My poems start with a title, and I work backward,” he said. “Sometimes, the piece isn’t directly in sync with the title, but some very cool ideas have developed from them.”

Kenyatta is an idea man. When he isn’t fronting Babel, he is an actor, singer and YouTube personality.

He started his YouTube show, A Moment with Malcolm, in November and has already collected more than 115 subscribers. In the show, Kenyatta entertainingly gives his take on current events, pop culture and whatever else the artist has on his mind.

For Kenyatta, art is a crucial factor in getting whatever weighs him off his chest.

“When you just want to scream or yell or roll,” Kenyatta said, “sometimes words just can’t express it. Sometimes you just cry because you have nothing left to say. Poetry is finding words for those things that never had words before.”

Maria Zankey can be reached at maria.zankey@temple.edu.

The 15 best student artists: Zack Gross

Year: Senior
Major: Photography

Within the Tyler School of Art, there is a student who does more than just his homework. Making his way in the big leagues, Zack Gross is booking his own gigs.

This sophomore photography major was chosen as one of the top 15 artists for more than just his artistic abilities. Aside from keeping up with his schoolwork, Gross is establishing himself as a photographer and is one of the founding members of Omelette Arthaus, a promising group of talented artists.

Gross has worked on projects for companies like Febreze, Canon, AOL.com and Melophobe.
He found his first gig on Craigslist. The event was free, and Gross was able to network with recognized photographer Richard Agudelo.

Agudelo went on to invite Gross to a photo shoot, providing Agudelo with free help and Gross with experience. Gross participated in shooting for projects like Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist and reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee.

“Seeing the collaborative effort between photographer, crew and the person being shot was out of this world,” Gross said. “It is definitely something to be experienced, not just taught from in a classroom.”

Gross also interacts with fellow group members in Omelette Arthaus. The group is comprised of more than just graphic designers and photographers – it contains artists from ceramics and glass to sculpture and pottery. Members meet to inspire and enhance each other’s artistic work.

“The most important thing is portfolio,” Gross said about building his résumé. “Grades should be good, however, visible proof of your work gives a much better impression.”

With the intention of having photo shoots booked every weekend until he graduates, Gross is sure to have a marketable portfolio.

“I would like to graduate with a portfolio that would be comparable to someone who has graduated 10 years before me,” Gross said.

Gross is continuing to advance his status in the photography industry. He hopes to one day work for companies like H&M and Elle Magazine.

Setting the bar high is not an issue for an artist like Gross, who makes all the right moves.

Maria Cannon can be reached at maria.cannon@temple.edu.

The 15 best student artists:Kate Patsch

Year: Alumni
Degree: BFA in Photography

Traditionally, water and cameras are two mediums that do not mix. In fact, the combination can be quite disastrous.

But in the case of Kate Patsch, who has a bachelor’s of fine arts in photography, she not only figured out how to combine the two, but how to use her love for art, photography and lifelong interest in psychology as a tool to help others.

“Art is an outlet,” Patsch said.

A little more than a year ago, Patsch was a senior at Tyler’s Elkins Park campus. She plunged into underwater photography while lifeguarding for Temple.

Taking pictures of models under water required underwater housing, or an “$100 of black bag,” as Patsch calls it. The bag protects a photographer’s camera and lenses underwater.

The underwater photography was a therapy for Patsch.

“I was submerging myself in this completely deafening world like it was nothing. You’re encasing yourself in nothing, and it’s calm,” Patsch said. “To be in that environment and feeling such a sense of that but having this inspiring person in front of you moving around… I loved every second of it, and I never stopped doing it.”

“The figure is a very key component in my work,” said Patsch about the freedom of the figure while encased and floating.

All her models had different reactions to the environment, and this is what Patsch captured. Whether they were terrified, wrapped floating in billowy sheets or fell to the bottom relaxed and serene, their spontaneous reactions were recorded.

“It’s so natural. It was insane how natural it was, and I just loved every second of it,” Patsch said.
Patsch grew up in Three Tuns, Pa., where her interest in photography was cultivated. Her father was a photographer for 26 years, and his experience continues to inspires Patsch.

Patsch graduated in December 2008 but has been showing and selling her work since 2005, when she participated in the Greetings and Grievings exhibit at the Muse Gallery in Philadelphia.

“As my photography matured, it sort of morphed into an art form, like something that embodied me instead of just something that I did and didn’t even think twice about.”

Patsch looks forward to earning her master’s of fine arts in art therapy. She also wants to teach art at the college level.

Patsch has already been accepted to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. 

Patsch is dedicated to helping people find, create and wholeheartedly travel down their paths.

“Art, especially photography … struggles to be seen as art,” Patsch said, “but it has its place, and it has its purpose and is some of the most beautiful work I’ve ever seen.”

She admires artists who show the world something new.

“That’s the thing, we’re recreating. We’re not creating anymore,” said Patsch with a smile. “We take for granted these days the beauty that’s to be found in each frame.” 

Kali Wyrosdic can be reached at kali.wyrosdic@temple.edu.

The 15 best student artists: Kristen Jones

Year: Senior
Major: Sculpture and Art Education

Colorful blocks strung along lengths of plastic tubing make up Kristen Jones’ latest piece. The large-scale version of a doctor’s waiting room toy invites anyone to come and play.

Jones, a senior sculpture and art education major, enjoys when her audience can interact with her art.

Jones dabbles in sculpting, glass and printmaking, runs track, works for the Tyler Admissions Office and serves as a track camp counselor in the summer. After graduation, she looks forward to coaching track and teaching art to high school students.

“I like paying attention to the kids [who] especially don’t necessarily think that they have the best of abilities because they have the best of something – they just don’t know what it is yet,” Jones said.
Jones has a different way of using materials. Last year, she welded a metal dance party tent.

“It’s always been interesting to me to see how the public views sculpture because some people think of it as more like the traditional materials being used,” she said.

Jones is currently working on a soft sculpture that she’ll be stuffing.

“It’s like a kid toy, only enlarged,” Jones said.

She will fabricate a brightly colored, multi-sized stack of rings. The rings will be made of fabric, stuffed and stacked on a post.

“I’ve always loved art,” Jones said. “I’ve always done art since I was little. It was something I was kind of drawn to.”

She draws inspiration from her recent trip to Rome. At first, it was difficult not knowing the area or the language. But by the end of her stay, Jones made work that was inspired by the places she visited.

Jones received a partial track scholarship and ran for Temple for two years. Though the schedules can be rigorous, Jones said she encourages students interested in art and sports to pursue both.

“It taught me a lot about being a student-athlete and what a student-athlete goes through,” Jones said. “There aren’t many artists who are athletes as well.”

Jones has always admired knowledgeable teachers who could recommend three or four artists she would be interested in. It is her goal to be just as helpful to teach her future students.

“As a teacher, I feel it’s really important if I’m looking at my students’ work, to be able to be like, ‘OK, they’re working like this person, I’ll recommend people to them,’” she said. “To me, that is key [to expanding] their knowledge.”

Kali Wyrosdic can be reached at kali.wyrosdic@temple.edu.

The 15 best student artists:Brown Recluse Sings

Year started: 2006
Genre: Indie rock

Three 20-something Temple alums founded a band in 2006 named after an evil killer spider, the poison of which induces stomach-turning wounds – not a likely source for feel-good indie pop, right?

“I wanted the imagery to contrast the aesthetic of nice pop songs,” lead singer Tim Meskers said.

Brown Recluse Sings, a retro-throb indie rock group with eclectic vibes, has gathered its growing fan base with ethereal vocals and a ‘60s feel. 

Tim Meskers, 24, and Herbie Shellenberger, 23, have played at Kung Fu Necktie and Khyber.

With producer Mark Saddlemire, 25, the band is busy working on its fourth album, The Soft Skin.

Sitting in an intimately-lit apartment on a vintage couch, surrounded by modern art and foreign film posters, Meskers talked about his years at Temple. He said he loved those years, as they changed his life. 

“A series of classes helped me radically restructure my perception of American culture,” Meskers said.  “Some professors had a great impact on me.”

All were attached to music at an early age. Meskers and Saddlemire sang in their respective church choirs as children, both with musical families.  Shellenberger listened to his mother’s cassettes of Thriller and ‘60s rock band, the Turtles.
 
“I watched MTV obsessively,” Shellenberger said. 

Meskers, who writes the majority of the band’s lyrics, said the words are mostly inspired by his life experiences.

“Periodically, I assemble [lyrics] in a way that might be intriguing,” he said. “I can learn about myself through the process of making music.”

“It’s an intimate metaphysical description,” Shellenberger added.

The band also takes cues from visual art, sociology and politics.

Soft Skin will introduce percussion and electronic accents to the sounds of Brown Recluse Sings. 
“We’re going in new directions,” Shellenberger said of the new album.

Maybe the ball of human hair the trio has assembled, apparently for its own amusement, will be of some inspiration.  

Check out Brown Recluse Sings’ MySpace page at www.myspace.com/brownreclusesings.

Bianca Brown can be reached at bianca.brown@temple.edu.

The 15 best student artists:Justin Foley

Year: Senior
Major: Painting

A quick lick of guitar strings by smooth moving fingers is followed by a slow, easy-going strumming pattern. This is the sound of Justin Foley.

Foley is a transfer sophomore student, majoring in film and media arts. He hails from Macungie, Pa. During his first year at Temple, he made quite an impression with his music’s acoustic sounds.

Foley frequently performs during events at Saxbys Coffee and the Temple Hillel House. He has also played at the biweekly open mics at Saladworks located on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus.

Foley said his biggest influences are Sublime, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, State Radio, Dispatch and the Decemberists. He’s also inspired by classic artists Steely Dan and Van Morrison.

What are most memorable to any person who listens to Foley are his performances. He belts out a strong and soulful voice. Despite his exciting performances, Foley said he has experienced stage fright.

Much like his varied musical tastes, Foley’s set lists are often composed of a complex mix of original and cover songs.

“Hell or Highwater,” an original song, begins with an impressive and unforgettable riff.

The smooth transitioning of his version of Van Morrison’s “Domino” is often accompanied by his friend Corey Abramson, a sophomore BTMM major.

Foley also plays an acoustic version of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice.”

He plans on recording a demo of his new and old material. He is also planning to record his version of “Gin and Juice” with Saladworks open mic host Lee G.

Though he spends most of his time working toward his film career, Foley would also like to establish a music career.

“I may still want to make music as a career,” he said, “but with or without the fame that may come with it, I still plan on playing.”

For those interested in finding out more about Foley and his music, check out his page on MySpace, Facebook and ReverbNation at reverbnation.com/justinfoley.

Stephen Kimmerly can be reached at stephen.kimmerly@temple.edu.

The 15 best student artists: Hallie Lehuta

Year: Junior
Major: Printmaking and art education

With a mother and an aunt who both attended the Tyler School of Art, Hallie Lehuta has always been surrounded by art. However, it wasn’t until high school that Lehuta realized she wanted art to be the focus of her future career.

It was this realization that prompted her to apply to Tyler, her dream art school, located about an hour from her hometown of Perkasie, Pa. Since being accepted to Tyler, junior printmaking and art education major Lehuta has won multiple artists’ awards.

Lehuta was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Pennridge Chamber of Commerce. The scholarship could be used at any art school of her choice.

She also received the Dean’s Promising Artist award after submitting a portfolio of her work, which was honored with a $1,000 merit scholarship, as well as a $50 grant for Tyler’s supply store.

Although many of her individual pieces of work have been awarded prizes, Lehuta says the greatest accomplishment comes from within.

“If I can be happy with the work that I am creating, and if others can relate and identify and be inspired by my work, that is the greatest success of all,” she said.

Lehuta said numerous artists inspire her, but the everyday aspects of life provide equal inspiration.
“I can look at a piece of art and know what I like, but I can also look at how rain collects on a window and feel just as inspired,” she said.

Lehuta is currently studying abroad in Rome, where she recently showed her work. Lehuta and classmates from her painting class were invited to create paintings for a charity masquerade ball hosted by the French ambassador.

After graduating from Tyler, Lehuta plans to pursue an advanced degree in printmaking and is considering moving overseas to continue her future artistic career.

“Who wouldn’t want to make art in Rome?” Lehuta said.

Lehuta said she is a country girl at heart and is grateful for her family.

“I wouldn’t be where I was today,” she said, “if it weren’t for the love and support of my family.”

Grace Dickinson can be reached at grace.dickinson@temple.edu.

Next Page »