“In ways greater than I can probably understand this has opened me up to new ways of thinking and imagining what is possible, as I was able to personally understand what the experience of other people was through their work.”
“What I gained from my experiences abroad, and what I gained from the Designing With Type Award exceeds what I have written here and continues to effect me, because it really was a transformative time for me and my work which was very valuable to me.”
Year of graduation
2016
School
The Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Fall 2014
What you gained from the experience professionally and personally
The main and most general thing I would consider myself to have gained from my time studying at the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam was a greater sense of perspective, as well as greater confidence and imagination in my working practices. Having a chance to step out of my context, of New York City and of Cooper Union and all of what studying here entails and place myself into an entirely different one was challenging and pushed me much further. The differences in working, thinking, seeing and interpreting allowed me to see my own context for what it was and reevaluate my fundamental artistic values. I was given a chance to engage with ideas and forms which felt impossible, or much more restrictive in New York, such as engaging with the structure of the city and working in large open spaces. This particular opportunity, coupled with a looser structure at the institution allowed me to develop new strategies for working which have led me far in my own personal development since. More specifically, it helped me piece together connections between my uses of design, spatial intervention, publishing, and photography into a more cohesive way of working which has been very exciting.
One of the unique characteristics of the Rietveld Academie is its international student body, which meant I was engaging with students in my classes from dozens of countries on a daily basis. In ways greater than I can probably understand this has opened me up to new ways of thinking and imagining what is possible, as I was able to personally understand what the experience of other people was through their work. It is also worth saying that I have also made many friends from this experience who have become very important to me. To give some examples, I became close friends with the owner of a bookstore in the center of the city, which hosted weekly events and functioned as a sort of heart of the local publishing, design and art circles which allowed me to meet a lot of interesting people and see work directly from artists and designers in a form that I love. Professionally, this pushed me forward to work the following semester at an internship for a publishing company in New York City, which gave me a greater understanding of the production and design of books.
I was able to work within different departments of the school, ranging from the departments of fine art, graphic design and inter-architecture. The interdisciplinary I was granted allowed me to meet and interact with an even greater number of people, and become exposed to ways of working and thinking that I had never encountered before. What I gained from my experiences abroad, and what I gained from the Designing With Type Award exceeds what I have written here and continues to effect me, because it really was a transformative time for me and my work which was very valuable to me.
Future plans
While my future plans remain uncertain I have begun considering my plans following my graduation. I plan to continue to develop my artistic and research practice. I plan to find work which allows me to contribute to the larger society and which I find fulfilling in some way. I have been slowly gaining experiences in different professions, from publishing, teaching, graphic design, or working within galleries or museums. I am also planning to pursue graduate study and research, and generally remain open to opportunities as they present themselves.
Contact Matt
- Study Abroad