NHIA

The Institute Congratulates its 2011 BFA Grads

05/23/2011
 

 

 

The New Hampshire Institute of Art
Celebrates Commencement as 90 Seniors Graduate


 

Manchester NH – The New Hampshire Institute of Art conferred bachelor of fine art degrees to 90 graduates at its commencement ceremony at the Palace Theatre in Manchester Sunday afternoon. It is the largest graduating class in school history.

Institute President Roger Williams welcomed the graduates and their families acknowledging that the students would not have been able to succeed without the support of friends and family.

Institute Board of Trustees chairman Ron Covey remarked that the graduates’ talent energy and passion has made a mark on Institute and on the greater Manchester community.

Graduating photography major Sara Fallahkaayr gave the student address commenting that today was the culmination of a challenging and exciting journey and that the Institute had equipped each of the graduates with a metaphorical backpack filled with skills and tools that will equip them as they pursue their artistic careers.

“Taking the artist path takes social and personal bravery,” Fallahkaayr said. “My personal growth has come from overcoming these challenges. Thank you to everyone who has cheered me on as I followed my passion.”

Commencement speaker Arno Rafael Minkkinen, a photographer well known for his black and white abstract pieces which juxtapose bodies and landscapes in surprising ways, told the students  that the arts remain as relevant a tool to understating social change as they have for centuries.  Click here to download Arno Rafael Minkkinen's commencement address as a PDF!

Minkkinen also said that over time students can take different routes to discover specific art forms and often get discouraged along the way. “Until you find your unique route …” “if you truly believe in what you are doing don't let anyone steer you off your route.”

Minkkinen encouraged the graduates to identify their artistic goal early, their artistic mountain peak and relentlessly climb towards it. 

“As you continue to climb and the years pass, though you can’t always see it, you know the mountain peak is there. At some point the tree line will thin out and the air will be clear and the path is sure,” Minkkinen said. “Years later when you get to the mountain top, the view is breathtaking and you can look back and reflect on how far you’ve come. Then you turn and seethe larger peaks that you can't reach, there’s not enough time to get there.”

It’s at that point Minkkinen said that you have three choices. “You can turn back and look proudly at past accomplishments; look up in jealousy and sadness at what you’ll never be able to reach or take a deep breath and gaze at the whole panorama. You don’t have to be number one in the world. You just have to be number one to yourself. If you can do this you will have climbed the greatest peak of all.”

The 90 graduating seniors are from nine states and 55 of the graduates are from New Hampshire.

FIRST NAME

LAST NAME

CONCENTRATION

LAUDE

HOMETOWN

STATE
Matthew Smigiel Illustration   Colchester CT
April Deschaine Illustration Magna Coventry CT
Sara Graziano Photography   Meriden CT
B. Fricker Painting Cum Sharon CT
Matthew MacLeod Illustration Cum Windsor CT
Nathaniel Owens* Illustration Cum Robinson IL
Caitlin Giunta Illustration   Chelmsford MA
Leanne Owen Painting Magna Dracut MA
Jenny Meskauskas Photography Cum East Templeton MA
Kate Bresnahan Illustration Cum Gloucester MA
Leon Doucette Painting Summa Gloucester MA
William Lambros* Painting   Marblehead MA
Katrina McCann Ceramics   Marshfield MA
Angela Tudisco Illustration Cum Merrimac MA
Gina Millard Painting   Peabody MA
Alain Turcotte Illustration   Stoneham MA
Annissa Nugent Illustration   Westford MA
Kristine Krakowski Illustration   Worcester MA
Aaron Mitchell Illustration Summa Belfast ME
Lori-Jeanne Cote Photography Cum Berwick ME
Rebecca Tilley* Painting Cum Bucksport ME
Jessica Durant Photography   Byfield ME
Mikhaela Stinson Painting Cum Dryden ME
Steven Larrivee Photography Summa East Waterboro ME
Rachael Gottsche Photography Cum Litchfield ME
Joshua Farr Photography Magna Oxford ME
Carrie Dole Photography   Rockland ME
Stephen Green Painting Magna South Berwick ME
Diane MacPherson Painting Magna Auburn NH
Adrienne Circellie-Silversmith Painting Cum Bedford NH
Amelia Cottle Illustration Magna Bennington NH
Michelle Turgeon Illustration   Boscawen NH
Bradley Turgeon* Illustration   Boscawen NH
Karen Torres Photography Summa Bow NH
Melissa Ouimette Illustration Cum Candia NH
Corina Willette* Painting Summa Center Ossipee NH
Stephen Nardini Illustration   Chichester NH
Katherine Thorell Illustration Summa Claremont NH
Katie Christopher* Illustration   Derry NH
Dana Coco Painting   Derry NH
Jenny-Lynn Cone Photography Magna Derry NH
Kara Holbert Painting Cum Derry NH
Chelsea Pathiakis Photography Cum Derry NH
Taylor Cunningham Illustration Magna Dover NH
Madison Gillies Illustration   Dover NH
Ethan Snee Painting   Dunbarton NH
Bridget Wheeler Illustration   Dunbarton NH
Jillian Murphy Painting Cum East Hampstead NH
Rebecca Snyder Illustration   Epsom NH
Rebecca Desrochers* Interdisciplinary   Goffstown NH
Annie Holt Photography Magna Goffstown NH
Katherine Howland* Illustration   Goffstown NH
Emily Darling Painting   Hopkinton NH
Louise Dichard Painting Summa Hudson NH
James O'Brien Illustration Summa Hudson NH
Margret Williams Illustration   Hudson NH
David Bundzinski* Illustration   Londonderry NH
Danielle Osadchy* Painting   Londonderry NH
Joanna Hall Interdisciplinary Magna Lowell NH
Michael Cotter Painting Magna Manchester NH
Sara Fallahkhayr Photography Magna Manchester NH
Brittany O'Neil Painting Cum Manchester NH
Michelle Paradis* Painting   Manchester NH
Michael Weinstein Illustration Cum Manchester NH
Michelle Alfonso Illustration   Merrimack NH
Nicole Anzalone* Illustration   Merrimack NH
Michelle Peterson Interdisciplinary   Merrimack NH
Sarah Sloan Illustration   Merrimack NH
Wendy DeMambro* Illustration   Nashua NH
Ryan Haywood* Illustration   Nashua NH
Tiffany Smith Ceramics Magna New Boston NH
Kenneth Duquet Illustration   New Hampton NH
Carol Whalen Painting Magna North Hampton NH
Timothy Donovan Interdisciplinary Cum Peterborough NH
Andrew Stoltz Illustration   Plaistow NH
Jessica Bourouphael Interdisciplinary Cum Salem NH
Jonathan Burns Illustration Magna Salem NH
Sara DiMario* Photography   Salem NH
John Connor* Illustration   Strafford NH
Kate Holowchik Illustration   Stratham NH
Michael Fong* Ceramics Summa Wilton NH
Jason Shulkin Photography   Windham NH
Thomas Buchtman Photography Cum Hewitt NJ
Joseph King Photography Cum Randolph NJ
Ian DeCelli Painting   Niskayuna NY
Caitlin Pallischeck Painting Cum Penn Yan NY
Corey Mikula Painting Summa Poughkeepsie NY
Nicholas Esposito Painting   Moosic PA
Lisa Lavallee Photography Cum Essex Junction VT
Kirby Veitch Illustration   West Townshend

VT

 

* Coursework completed in December 2010


Commencement at the New Hampshire Institute of Art was a weekend celebration that included the Annual Student Exhibition Preview Party on Saturday, May 21 that features works by the 2011 Bachelor of Fine Arts graduating class. The opening reception for the exhibit held on Sunday, May 22, immediately following commencement. The Annual Student Exhibition, which runs through July 19, will also feature works by underclassmen displayed in studios and hallways throughout the campus. Each area of concentration offered at the Institute will be represented in the exhibition.

About the NH Institute of Art: Established in 1898 as the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences,  from the outset the New Hampshire Institute of Art has had a firm commitment to educating diverse traditional and nontraditional students in the fine arts. The Institute offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree drawing undergraduate students from across the United States and Canada. Its Certificate Programs and a Continuing Education program attract and engages community members from throughout New England. Dedicated faculty promote intellectual and artistic development and teach students to respond artistically to contemporary social, political, and aesthetic issues. The New Hampshire Institute of Art is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

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