(Photo of Olivia Rosenblum ’22 with her chosen piece)
The early morning of Jan. 26 was cold and icy. While many students were curled up in bed, a select number were out braving the (slightly dangerous) conditions to stand in line at the Tang. Doors for the Roommate exhibit, the program where the Tang loans art pieces out for the semester, didn’t open until 6 a.m., but there was already a long line by 5:30 a.m.
I woke at 7:30 a.m., much later than the people on the hunt for art. I took my time walking across the icy paths, and I was worried when I first got there. It didn’t seem like there was anyone in line. It turns out that was because they put everyone in line in a different room to wait. There were more students than there was art to take home.
After four years of being in the works, the student art loan program finally kicked off with success. Kelsey Renko, the woman the Tang hired to make this happen, was very excited during our conversation. Her work was finally coming to fruition.
To prepare for the event, Renko researched other schools such as MIT, Williams, Oberlin, and Kenyon that have a similar program. More than determining where to get the art and what art to put in the collection, she needed to know what insurance policies to use, how to hang the art, how to transport it, and many other nitty-gritty details. Renko was thorough with her job, which allowed for this program to occur.
Renko believes Roommate and other art loan programs are important because they demystify art and make it much more accessible to the viewer. Having such a beautiful and exciting piece in your own space can “completely enhance resident life” and be a conversation starter.
These views were reflected in some of the students that got “Roommates” for the semester. Jules Ramirez ’21 said that she was participating in this program because it was a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that, as long as everything continues to run smoothly, will happen each year at Skidmore. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that all students can participate in, no matter their major or class year.
The amount of trust that the Tang has to let students take the art home with them was something that Olivia Rosenblum ’22 commented on. She said it’s a “wild concept” that students are able to take pieces of all sizes and keep them.
Another junior named Shay Kolodney ‘21 noted that Roommate helped her get into art. She was “intrigued” by the many options, and all of the people and materials that went into each piece. She went from having an “absolutely bland” apartment to having a spiced-up space with a piece of art that someone had cared enough to make, and that she is now able to enjoy in her own space on a daily basis. As Jules said, “you don’t have to know a lot about the art, but you can still like it.”
The people that brought home a new Roommate also took home a journal. The journal is meant for the temporary owner to document thoughts in relation to the piece of art, and it will follow the art on to its next home. This really “creates a community,” where you can see the experiences and interactions of multiple people with one piece of art, as Hannah Paolucci ‘21 stated. Shay noted that this made art in general “inclusive to the larger population.”
If Roommate could be implemented on a larger scale, it would allow for more people to be like Shay. It would continue to demystify art and allow it to be part of daily life instead of pristine and out of reach on a wall in a museum.
During our conversation, Renko encouraged me to get in line for a new Roommate next year instead of waking up at 7:30. The last thing she said to me before sweeping away to start handing out the pieces was “living with art can change your life.” Just being surrounded by the people that were involved in this program made me excited about art, so I can only imagine what having a Roommate would feel like.