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Lower School Creates 3D Sculpture With Visiting Artist

5/8/2019

Sculptor, painter and printmaker Nastassja Swift began a four-week residency with Collegiate Lower Schoolers this week during which she will guide them through the process of creating a 3D sculpture that will be installed in the Watt Library.

The felted sculpture design will reflect two heads in conversation, representing friends talking and getting to know one another.

Participating in this collective project gives Collegiate Lower School students a view into the many opportunities available to contemporary artists and designers, said JK-8th Grade Visual Arts Department Chair Dana DuMont.

“Hosting Ms. Swift as she makes and discusses her work in our studios allows students to more fully understand technical processes and aesthetic outcomes,” she said. “They hear firsthand explanations of the concepts that fuel her, the plans she makes and the risks, mistakes, redesigns and unforeseen successes that come along with her daily journeys through creative territory.”

Ms. Swift holds a BFA from VCU and is the owner and artist of D for Dolls, an online collection of handmade needle-felted figures. She also works with paint, print, performance and fiber within her studio practice.

“It’s so important for the students to learn the work of artists currently living and working,” she said. “For me, it’s great to see how engaged they all are, hear the questions they’re asking and the comments and suggestions they make each day — definitely inspiring, and their excitement reminds me of why I love making.”

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