Art Department Highlights Alumni Work

July 05, 2016

An article from the Summer 2016 Issue of the Anoka-Ramsey Community Newsletter

The Art Department Alumni Exhibition showcased 36 alumni spanning 30 years. Works included drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, fabric, ceramics, glass blowing and mixed media.

Migliorino noted that many students remain connected to the college. Students have gone on to earn bachelor’s or master’s degrees at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls—one of only a few regional schools to offer classes in glass blowing.he Art Department has grown tremendously,” says instructor Laura Migliorino, reviewing her years teaching at Anoka-Ramsey. She brought traditional black-and-white photography, silver and digital imaging, medium and large format, and even pinhole photography, to the department. “Part of what has made the program stand out is the breadth of media represented,” Migliorino explains. The department allows students to pursue media such as bronze casting, printmaking and glass blowing in the Visual Art Center facility that was built in 2010.

“Higher education research tells us that when students make a personal connection on campus, make good friends, it adds to that positive feeling,” says Migliorino. “In art, the interactions with faculty are much more personal. You’re not in a large lecture, you’re always working one-on-one.” Students develop strong relationships with peers as well, maintaining them in part thanks to the official alumni chapter of the Art Department.

Migliorino, whose work is in the permanent collections of the Walker Art Center and the Weisman Art Museum, describes her experience at Anoka-Ramsey: “It’s a strong faculty in terms of working artists; you’re going to be working with people who are doing it. I love what I do. The great thing about Anoka-Ramsey students is that they come in eager to learn.”