Roger Feldman, Professor of Art
BA in Art Education from the University of Washington
MFA from Claremont Graduate University
You're known for . What led you to that medium?
When I went to graduate school, I was a painter. Then I took a course where you couldn't make art with art materials. You could use light, space, sound, kinesthetic perception. It was an "aha" experience. I realized I used my entire body, not just vision, to make a statement. You weren't just seeing something, you were doing it.
Tell us about the art installation you created near a Scottish castle.
It鈥檚 called echo, but we spelled it in Norwegian, so it's . This castle was built [in Scotland] in 1100 by the [Norwegian] vikings. It's a spiral. In Celtic tradition, a spiral is a connection to infinity and to spiritual reality.
It's 8'4" high, but when you're inside of it, because of the spiral, you can hear the roar of the ocean from over 100 feet away. It's constantly windy, but this blocks out the wind. It's a still point, in the midst of chaos. Those are spiritual connections with the site.
How does your Christian faith influence your work?
I went to seminary for a year. I did paintings while processing what I was learning theologically. Most of my work comes from a theological core. You'll find themes that resonate with Biblical principles, and sometimes specific Scriptures.
How are students involved with installation art?
In my sculpture class, we make pieces and then . They're typically up from May to October, and thousands of 涩里番 come to the park.
How do you prepare students for careers after graduation?
In our Art Foundations courses, we invite at least three guest speakers from different realms in the arts. As a freshman, students are being exposed to 鈥淗ow can I get a job when I leave here?鈥� They see their options. Then, internships are a way of testing the waters, of saying, "Do I really want to do this?" You get to see what it's really like.
How is SPU connected with the American Institute of Graphic Artists ()?
We have the strongest student chapter in the Pacific Northwest. This spring, our students organized and hosted a portfolio review. Eighty professional designers from the larger 涩里番 area came to SPU to look at portfolios of students from across the state. Through AIGA, we get to visit design firms and see what it's like to work in downtown 涩里番.
What sort of careers do students have after graduation?
We鈥檝e had four students at the firm that designed . There are also ministry opportunities for visual communications and photography. Ministry is an option, for organizations that need to have their stories told. Our students have gone to , and to , just to name a few.