About
Artistry and Scholarship
Studies
Hi there, I am Sam.
I am a Lawrence, KS, local artist and scholar receiving my Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Washburn University this May. Throughout my undergraduate research I have centralized my interests in 18th-20th century French decorative arts and contemporary American artwork. I have a particular fascination with performance, kinetic, and installation works that have been featured in galleries and museums within the past century.
Gustav Klimt, Aubrey Beardsley, William Morris and Chris Burden have captivated my studies.
Though my background has been in relation to art history, I aim to widen my lens by engaging with local historical institutions, libraries, and archives to prepare myself to work further as a collections manager or archivist. Theory and interning at the Mulvane Art Museum have prepared me to upon graduation pursue a graduate degree within the respective fields to achieve my aspirations.
This fall I will start my studies at the University of Kansas, where I will be pursuing my M.A. Museum Studies. In my program, I plan to focus on collections management. In addition to my coursework, I will be joining the Spencer Museum of Art team as the collections graduate intern.
Glass Work
In addition to my studies I am an artist.
I have been a practicing glass artist for several years. I primarily work creating fused and stained glass (both leaded and copper-foiled) pieces inspired by the relationship of hues, forms, and abstraction. The versatility of medium inspired my experimentation with the cold and heat-working. As I move forward, I will expand my familiarity with glass-blowing this February.
My honors capstone at Washburn University is in progress. This independently led and faculty mentored experience has allowed me to design and create my large-scale fused glass rounds clock (The Imminence of Losing Time), which will be completed by my graduation.
I owe my love of glass to artists such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Dale Chihuly, and UK artist Linda Rossiter which have inspired my works.
Impact
Though my primary medium is glass, I have experimented with various other materials.
In turn, my work and understanding of materiality helps me better comprehends the necessity of preventative care within collections. I find this overlap of my passion with profession will serve me as I move forward with furthering my work.
Aims & Pursuits
Primarily, in my future work I look to work in collections management in an arts or historical-based museum. As the current student collections intern at the Mulvane Art Museum and future Spencer Museum of Art intern, my experiences have solidified my determination to pursue this path and nonprofit engagement.
This fall I am pursuing a Master of Arts in Museum Studies at KU in Lawrence, KS.
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