Author: vle

Shannon Zheng is a sophomore at the University of Michigan studying Art & Design and Philosophy. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, a hub known for its creative culture. However, Shannon says that “the high school I went to was not diverse, and other high schools around me were really competitive, so that influences the depressing themes in my art. That environment pushed me.” In addition to exploring goriness, the grotesque, and the “dark side of everyday experiences,” she also makes work about activist causes. She says, “I care a lot about animals and justice in general. I’m always ready to fight.”

Additionally, Shannon’s open-minded view of art encourages her to explore new mediums and themes, like watercolor, ink, and digital illustration. To her, art is constantly changing. “Art is anything that effectively evokes some kind of visceral reaction, and new art broadens my perspectives.” She also spent hours of her childhood poring over different books, such as Roald Dahl stories illustrated by Quentin Blake, whose sense of whimsy and playfulness left an impression on Shannon. Other illustrators like Molly Crabapple, who focuses on justice for communities such as immigrants and sex workers, inspire Shannon as well. “I think she has an interesting style that combines well with journalism.”

One of Shannon’s favorite works is a mixed media painting titled In a Pickle, Out of a Jam. Painted in her senior year of high school, she explains that it is a self portrait that expresses her uncomfortable emotions. Shannon says, “I felt like a pickle–isolated and alone. But I’m still growing into that artistic persona.”

In the future, Shannon sees herself as some kind of illustrator or perhaps going into academia and becoming a professor. But, she boldly states, “I hate kids.”

Clearly, Shannon is a talented and multi-faceted artist intrigued by the complexities of life. I can’t wait to see where her work goes next. Shannon’s Instagram!

Nicky Billovits is a junior studying Computer Science and Art & Design at the University of Michigan hailing from Midland, Michigan. A computer scientist “in practice,” Nicky also a talented artist who enjoys creating unique jewelry and learning about ethnical technical design.

He first got his formal introduction to art in high school, when he had some free space senior year and decided to take a 3D art class. He gained experience working with sculpture and metals, which sparked an interest in pursuing art further in college. To him, art is an escape from his technical studies, and allows him to “pursue a study into form and intentionality.” Although he doesn’t particularly see himself as an artist “inside” the art world, his he likes using his diverse perspectives and draws inspiration from others.

Nicky is also inspired by the environment around him–particularly society, nature, and humanity. He is intrigued by the future of technology and its growing role in our daily lives. One of his favorite projects was a collaborative effort with guest artist Chico MacMurtrie among other students that involved creating a large inflatable robotic sculpture. Nicky says, “It was the first time I had my two realms, computer science, and art, combine… it was something I found deeply fulfilling and enjoyed it a lot.”

As for the future, Nicky sees himself as a software engineer by day and perhaps starting a jewelry or rock-carving business on the side.

Multimedia artist Grace Coudal is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan studying Art & Design and LGBTQ studies. In addition to her academics, she runs STAA COLLECTIVE, an activist artist group that explores themes such as identity, sexuality, and intimacy. Grace also co-founded Between Girls, a space for girls to have honest conversations about intimacy and identity. She also is an experienced designer, photographer, and fibers artist. I sat down with the 20 year old artist hailing from Chicago to talk about how she became an artist and her perspectives on art.

At a young age, Grace told me that she was into sports, and even rowed competitively for two years in high school. Ultimately it was a zine class in elementary school that sparked her need for creativity, opening her mind to making art that was personal, relatable, and could be sellable. Grace says the teacher of that zine class showed her that there was more to art than just crafts, and to be accepting of one’s gender and sexuality. Later on, Grace would be out on the water for crew practice and let her mind dwell on the artistic projects she could be doing–she then realized that she could be putting her time towards art instead. For the rest of high school and in college, Grace met other unique artists and realized that art was truly her passion.

Art has many meanings–to Grace, she believes it to be “a universal language that challenges and enhances and confuses your brain in a way that other fields don’t. It’s so much deeper than day-to-day stuff, and up to the person to define.” As an artist, Grace strives to be honest and vulnerable in order to make others feel seen and heard–art with social impact is her speciality. She says, “Conversations, books, podcasts inspire me to make art that talks about [sexuality and human connection]. I make art that’s seen as taboo and I love hearing other people’s stories.”

One inspiring project of Grace’s is a suit and lingerie set created last year promoting rights for sex workers. Grace explains that she is “so satisfied with it because it’s impactful and a wearable–it’s intriguing material and people interact with it, so it continues to have a life. I like to interact with art daily by wearing it.”

Clearly, Grace is on a path to do great things and influence others to be truly open and vulnerable. For now, she’s a junior in college, but sees herself as an entrepreneur of a sustainable business–“I never imagined working for someone else. I envision running a brand or art group and still pursuing my own work. I know it will happen.”