10 Questions for our alumni
Jenn Schaub, BFA, Printmaking, 2002, and Masters of Public Administration, 2007
1 - Why did you choose to attend Grand Valley?
I loved the smell of the printmaking studio and the school was right sized for me. I am also second generation GVSU.
2 - How or why did you choose your major or main emphasis area?
I knew I wanted to be an artist from the time i was a kid, and feel in love with printmaking in High School, when i realized you could major in it, I was hooked. I came back to GVSU for my Masters in Nonprofit Administration.
3 - What advice do you have for future students thinking about colleges?
Follow your heart, Fine Arts Degrees teach you to think creatively and communicate visually, skills that come in handy in a bunch of jobs. Consider getting a minor in something that will help you with build a creative career or is interesting to you, like marketing or even business..... Oh, and of course, study abroad.
4 - What advice do you have for current students thinking about careers?
Over the course of your life you will have several careers and work in different fields. There will be threads and themes that weave through many of those jobs but there isn't one and only one fit.
5 - What did you do after graduating?
I worked cleaning houses, at a frame store, volunteering at arts organizations, running an independent art space and doing art fairs and exhibitions.
6 - What are you doing now?
Director of Community Building and Engagement at Dwelling Place. We are a nonprofit community development corporation that utilizes the arts to activate residents and neighborhoods. I do everything from designing arts programs and contracting artists to make public works to curriculum development, marketing and fundraising for our organization. In addition I still make art and show regularly.
7 - How have you used the skills you developed in your field of study in your life and/or career after GVSU?
The creative problem solving of a Fine Arts degree is invaluable. From designing an event for 50 with limited budget, to understanding the arts as a tool for communities and individuals to express themselves, I think I draw on my education daily.
8 - What is the best advice you got from an instructor at Grand Valley?
Paul Wittenbraker - "art" is a way of being in the world
9 - What is your favorite memory of being a student at Grand Valley?
Being in the art department late at night and working in the studio. I love that print studio.
10 - Anything else you would like to share with our Visual and Media Arts Community?
Developing a studio practice that isn't defined by classes and critiques is everything. Make time to make for the joy of doing.
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Image credits: Jenn Schaub. You can follow Jenn on Instagram at
@jennschaub.
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