“I could have branched out a little more, but I got immersed at the College of Fine Arts very early on and loved it.

Last semester, my work started to get good and I’m really proud of one assignment that’s part of the student show in Gittins Gallery in the arts building. The theme was, ‘Portrait without a head,’ about how you represent someone without physically representing them. So, I did my mom and made a 36-inch-long meth pipe. She was an addict and passed away when I was 12 so I felt comfortable that I could tell this story of her, through my eyes, without getting in trouble.

For two years, I was an Emerging Leaders Intern in the College of Fine Arts and helped plan networking events for ArtsForce. It’s a program that organizes networking events and workshops to help arts students articulate ‘Why an arts degree?’ and the value it provides in the modern workforce. We got to reach out to and bring to campus professionals from lawyers to financial planners to help us prepare for life after graduation.

Planning next steps, I’ve applied for some yearlong residencies in New York and Minneapolis that I really hope I get. I like the idea of being able to focus on the work, not handing in assignments for a grade.

Graduation for me means that at the base level, I’m losing my safety net that I’ve had for 20 years. My entire life, I’ve been in school – and that’s the scariest part. The most liberating things is now, I only answer to myself.”

— Nemo Miller, Class of 2018, ceramics major and sculpture minor