Art's Student Spotlight - Gracie Willis
Gracie Willis is a student here at USC Aiken that is pursuing an Arts degree. She offers a lot of knowledge about Art between her focus on the degree and her role as President of the Visual Arts club here on campus.
Gracie is a junior Art major with a concentration in graphic design, as well as a minor in theatre. Art has been a part of her life since she was young; sharing that it started off as a love of arts and crafts but evolved into a real passion. Gracie shares that in high school she realized it was something she could pursue as a career. She also talked about having role models in art throughout high school that helped her in becoming an Art major.
Gracie currently serves as the Vice-President of the Visual Arts Club here on campus, a club she helped found. Gracie shared her concerns about being an art student as it is
“Very easy to hide yourself away in a studio or behind a computer all day long. Our mission is to use this club as a way to encourage collaboration and help students realize how incredibly important it can be for success in the artistic industry. It is so fulfilling to put time into such a wonderful organization.”
When it came to being involved on campus in other arts activities, Gracie shared that she is
“Super passionate about the performing arts for almost as long as I have loved visual arts. Theater is something that I have always found gives me a sense of purpose and belonging. I participated in theater for two years in high school and am currently involved with the University Theater Players here on campus.”
When it comes to her choice to attend USC Aiken, Gracie has a lot of great words to say and recommend to others.
“My favorite part of pursuing art at USC Aiken is definitely my mentors. I can not say enough good things about the wonderful staff that I get to learn from every single day. They are all incredibly passionate about what they do and what they teach. It is something so rare and so beautiful to see and I am super lucky to be a part of a program in which I get to work on such a close level with these professors. They are the central reason that I have stayed motivated and confident throughout my time here. I owe any and all success that I may have in my career to them.”
Gracie shares her excitement about upcoming events in her life such as the upcoming Visual Arts Club meeting, which is happening on Thursday, October 20th, as well as being cast in this year’s Experimental Relief which will perform November 10th through the 13th. Gracie’s excitement for the arts extends past her major but extends into her life with the friends she has made through pursuing an arts degree here at USC Aiken. She mentions that she feels lucky to be around such talented students and faculty that are there to help.
If you are a student that participates in the arts (be it your major, minor, or even a club you’re in) and are willing to be interviewed please reach out to me, Isaiah Gillian, at igillian@usca.edu and we can set up an interview together! I would love to hear more about everyone’s experiences in the arts here at the university and spotlight more people on campus!
