“The value of travel within Europe during my time abroad wholly surpassed my expectations, as it’s impact has persevered through my return to Cooper. I owe it to the Designing with Type Awards Scholarship for my opportunity to study both within and outside of Frankfurt.”
Year of graduation
2017
School
Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste Städelschule
Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 2016
What you gained from the experience professionally and personally
During my time in Frankfurt, I was able to develop my interdisciplinary practice amongst an array of peers hailing from across the globe. The international quality of Städel allowed me to experience a diverse network of artistic communities engaged within one city. This diversity steadily heightened my sensitivity to the work of my peers, especially during a year of crisis with the rise in nationalism and tension surrounding European borders. The climate provided a valuable counterpoint during my travels as the question of “what’s at stake”, in regard to traveling through borders, became so prominent.
While studying, I was able to focus on the relationship of my design practice in conjunction with my photographic work. Through various individual pieces, as well as collaborative projects with other peers studying in various institutions across Western Europe, I engaged in a lengthy process of self-initiated projects. Along with these projects, I was able to show work multiple times in both large critique settings and individual meetings with artists from around Europe. From each visit and project, I became more aware of the cultural sensitivities that exist around those who discussed my work. I was exposed to the complexity of designing in other languages, where the formal nuances in language presented a new opportunity to rethink the standards of the English language.
These nuances accompany the many other facets of German design sensibilities that will remain a valuable takeaway from my studies. Visiting the numerous design museums in Frankfurt alone gave me a much needed insight into the distinct values between German and American innovation in graphic production. Publishing firms like Spector Books and institutions like the Hochschule for Grafik und Buchkunst in the city of Leipzig offered rare glimpses into contemporary design that I had never anticipated encountering.
The value of travel within Europe during my time abroad wholly surpassed my expectations, as it’s impact has persevered through my return to Cooper. I owe it to the Designing with Type Awards scholarship for my opportunity to study both within and outside of Frankfurt.
- Study Abroad