Alumnus, faculty, reporter share retrospective of time spent at the campus
ALBANY – Once upon a time, I was a one-semester “Rosebud” (an endearing nickname for a College of Saint Rose student).
Prior to attending The College of Saint Rose, I spent my fall 2009 semester completing my final four Fine Arts classes needed for graduation at Hudson Valley Community College. While there, I worked for the campuses’ Graphics Department learning the ins and outs of graphic designing that included lamination of campus signage and the painting of several wall murals inside the halls of the McDonough Sports Complex.
Upon completing my job, I believed that studying graphic design would be ideal for me, or so I thought.
I showed off my art portfolio to The College of Saint Rose art faculty during an HVCC college transfair fair in the later part of the semester.January 2010, I attended my first and only semester at The College of Saint Rose.
The campus did have excellent, highly educated arts professors who certainly showed me the ins and outs of basic color theory, 3-D design, and figure drawing for my new degree in a unique teaching style that I slowly got acquainted with. These professors held high expectations for their students to succeed in their fields of study.
In one semester, I failed two art classes and struggled to get my creative skills to meet expectations. When it came to making my class schedule for the incoming fall semester, the department chair, the late Karene Faul, refused to sign me up for classes. She recommended that I speak to someone in the college’s early childhood education department to inquire about switching my major to early childhood education, based upon my academic strengths.
I spoke to the early childhood education department members, as well as gained further insight from two fine arts staff members from HVCC in my next major change. Since the department chair didn’t sign me up for classes, I realized that both graphic design and early childhood education weren’t meant for me, and Saint Rose wasn’t the right fit. Once the semester ended, I withdrew from the campus.
Reflecting on everything now, my withdrawl from the college turned out to be a blessing in disguise and also, a new beginning for me.
I returned to HVCC that fall. I took several classes in the gallery management program and by a friend’s suggestion, I took on a job as a photographer, journalist, and photo editor for the campus newspaper, The Hudsonian, thus sparking my interest in arts and entertainment journalism.
Starting fall 2011, I attended my first semester at the MCLA in North Adams, Mass. and for three years, studied both arts management and art. My final year as an undergrad, I took on work as a campus photographer for the college newspaper The Beacon. In May 2014, I obtained my B.A. in Art and Arts Management.
Fast forward to a decade later after my first Saint Rose adventure. In January 2020, I began an eight-week business planning course taught by the Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region on the campus, which I successfully completed in March 2020.
Four years later, I returned to the campus to watch Harbinger Theater’s production of In The Blood at Saint Rose Campus Theatre. Friday, May 17, I paid my respects to the campus by spending time at the Esther Massry Gallery to view the Closing Thoughts Honoring Saint Rose exhibit.
Closing Thoughts
Taking one final tour inside to view the gallery’s final exhibit in-person was interesting, but bittersweet. It was bittersweet in the fact that another Capital Region art gallery and music performance space, the Kathleen McManus Picotte Recital Hall, both inside the Massry Center For the Arts, had closed their doors to the creative community. Live music would no longer be performed in the recital hall and art exhibitions won’t be exhibited in the gallery.
Although I had my own unique experience at the college as an undergrad student and as an adult, other alumni enjoyed their college experience. For several art alumni, it was Faul who inspired them to achieve the best results in college and in life in the art world.
While reading the messages left by other alumni, viewing the creative art pieces made in response to the college’s closure, seeing the campus artifacts left over from past exhibition shows (note cards for event openings) and from the campus itself (a trowel used to help with the building of the college library), I realized that other alumni had a positive learning and personal experience during their college years. The College of Saint Rose had also left an imprint on them, as much as it did on me, but for more personal reasons.
Several college alumni, as read through their statements, had met their future husbands and wives on campus. The college also provided artists, including painter Willie Marlowe, an opportunity to teach independent painting to students at Saint Rose while remaining an adjunct professor at Junior College of Albany.
Closing Thoughts Honoring Saint Rose was on view from May 9-May 18. The exhibit, curated by Jeanne Flanagan, founding director, helped bring the Saint Rose community together to share their campus stories while providing closure to the institution itself. The exhibit also provided alumni an opportunity to find their own closure for the campus closing by means of art creation, story telling, and most importantly, remembrance.
On May 18, the Alumni Association held its Honoring Saint Rose Day event. The campus community came together to process the loss of The College of Saint Rose while sharing pride and gratitude for their time well spent on the campus.
Thank you The College of Saint Rose for the life lessons that I learned upon my short time on campus and for also providing me joy in my adult years, the opportunities to enjoy the rich art, theatre, and business-building opportunities that the Capital Region has to offer.
“The end of a journey marks the beginning of another for in every closure lies the seed of new beginnings.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said. While The College of Saint Rose ends its 104-year-old tenure, new adventures for its staff, students, and the future of its building uses await.
