We are all created with the ability to create. Beauty can be found in many expressions of creativity and artistry. But it took me a while to understand that. Growing up, my mom was a gifted artist. She loved to draw and paint. She would doodle fun, silly sketches while talking on the phone, unaware of the little characters she effortlessly brought to life. She painted individual cards for people to show that she cared for them, and she was the best help on school projects. I, on the other hand, can’t draw a stick person in proportion and struggle to produce anything creative with a paintbrush. When we started our family, my husband and I asked my mom to paint our children’s nurseries, allowing her love and gifts to flow into their little spaces and always surround them.
And they were beautiful.
For years, I wondered why I hadn’t gotten any of her artistic ability. But, as I grew in my career, I began to realize that artistry is more than just sketches and paint. Writers, actors, poets, builders, crafters—they are all artists, leaving their own unique stamp of beauty on this world.
Often in education, we focus on natural sciences, technology, data collection, numbers. But the liberal arts remind us of the value of the humanities—studying our world through history, literature, philosophy, art, languages and religion. In this issue, we focus on telling stories of humanity and how art and creativity sinuously weave through human expression, experience and education.
From an alumna who is changing the face of Braille, to students creating new instruments in Student Craft, to alumni and friends mentoring the next generation of makers through new folklife apprenticeships, our faculty, students and alumni are using their education and creative talents to change the world around them, infusing it with beauty and a piece of their spirit. I hope these stories will inspire you to consider your own unique gifts and how you can use them to serve others and create something new in your corner of the world.
Abbie Tanyhill Darst ’03
Editor
Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications
