WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., July 10, 2023 — West Liberty University student Lilianna Hardt participated in the New York Academy of Art’s Summer Undergraduate Residency. The program ran from June 4th to July 1st with acceptance to the program being competitive and based on a portfolio review of her student artwork. “For her to compete against students from some of the finest art programs in the nation and be accepted is a validation of how our studio program is structured,” said Brian Fencl, Professor of Art and Interim Chair of the Department of Media and Visual Arts. By participating in the Summer Undergraduate Residency Program, she experienced summer in NYC, improved her technical skills, and was introduced to the business side of being an artist. Summer Residents completed five courses:

• Drawing: Exploration of the Human Form
• Theory: The Trajectory of Contemporary Artistic Practice
• Cultural Studies: Museums, Galleries, Artist Studios
• Dialogues in Painting: Traditional Materials
• Sculpting the Figure: Perceptual Modeling

During the residency she experienced apartment-style dormitory housing in New York City, studio-space at the Academy, coursework taught by New York Academy of Art faculty, and tours of museums, galleries, and artist studios. According to Lilianna, “What I didn’t realize at the time of my acceptance was just how much the program will affect my future work. We toured studios, attended showings, and attended valuable classes. All of this has shown through in my latest art. One of the best portions of this experience was the ability to have our own studios. This expanded my skills by having the ability to have a space to apply the knowledge I was gaining. This incredible experience will allow me to become the artist that I want to be.” The residency wrapped with a group exhibition at the Academy.

“The faculty are very proud of her, and anytime a young artist gets to learn and spend time in one of the world’s art capitals it will be a transformative experience. What she learned and the growth she experienced will be very helpful as we map out her remaining two years at West Liberty and what her post graduation options are,” said Professor Fencl. “Lilianna’s junior and senior years will be very productive.”

To learn more about the Academy, visit their website at nyaa.edu. West Liberty offers program options in the visual arts from studio art, graphic design, digital media design, illustration, art education, and creative arts therapy. To learn more about WLU’s arts offerings visit our Department of Media and Visual Arts webpage.