Brigitte Errickson is our next PCA&D Student Ambassador for the 2018-2019 school year.

Student Ambassadors are current PCA&D students that serve as representatives of the college. They work primarily with the admissions department where they serve as guides for prospective students and their parents, art teachers, and guidance counselors. Student Ambassadors provide important insight into the creative environment found in our degree programs and they create an important link to prospective students who want to be part of the PCA&D community.

Brigitte comes to us from Changewater, NJ and graduated from Warren Technical School. Brigitte is in her senior year in our fine art program and her work is evolving in ways that are so exciting. While we can’t imagine Brigitte not being at PCA&D, we are really looking forward to her senior thesis exhibit. Her technical skills are on point and her community engagement is inspiring.

If you’re just tuning in, check out previous posts on our other student ambassadors, Adam Leitzel, Emily Phillips, and Chris Morris.

 

What does being a Student Ambassador mean to you?

BE: To me being a Student Ambassador is about helping people. In the same way the girl I talked to at an open house helped me decide PCA&D was right for me, I can help people decide if PCA&D is right for them. I can field questions and concerns and give honest answers, and because I’m a student, I can give people a more personal perspective of PCA&D which I think is extremely useful for a prospective student.

 

As you were searching and comparing colleges, what attracted you to PCA&D?

BE: My college search brought me mostly to state schools, all of which were pretty large, and didn’t focus on art. PCA&D was the exact opposite – small and entirely focused on art, and I loved that. PCA&D also had the most, well, open open house. I found out that a girl I went to high school with attended PCA&D, and her positive endorsement was the linchpin in my decision.

 

How have your professors inspired you?

BE: My professors are always inspiring me. They give my art little pushes that make it so much stronger and have really helped me develop as an artist. Recently I made a 2’x4′ print because my professor suggested we work large and it is one of my favorite pieces.

 

What do you love about Lancaster city?

BE: I love the local community of Lancaster. There are a lot of opportunities to see art and find neat little stores. It a city full of opportunity.

 

Are you involved in any clubs or activities?

BE: I am the president of the Fine Art club, but I’ve stopped in on a number of club meetings depending on what they’re discussing that week. The illustration club puts on movies fairly regularly, and it’s nice to watch movies with people who are also looking at the aesthetic aspects of the film. I’ve also gone to a lot of the U Studios, and learned some pretty cool things about health and lifestyles from them.

 

What non-classroom activity/event/whatever from your years at PCA&D will you always remember?

BE: The Halloween dances here at PCA&D are incredibly memorable to me. People come in such creative costumes, or most of them do, sometimes people just wear street clothes, and it’s all good because there’s fun music and food. It’s a good time all around.

 

When were you inspired by another PCA&D student?

BE: I was working on an assignment last year that involved producing a series of motion based drawings, and I was really stuck on the last item in the series. I talked to a bunch of my classmates, and one of them suggested I try taking the piece into three dimensions with thread. I took that idea and ran with it.

 

What are you looking forward to most this school year?

BE: I am currently a senior, which means I get my own studio space in the school, and I’m really looking forward to making a lot of art in my studio. I love having a space that is mine, a place where I am supposed to be. I’m also really looking forward to seeing all the art the rest of the seniors are going to produce in their studios.

 

Do you have a motto/favorite quote?

BE: I have a favorite poem, it’s called “Introduction to Poetry” and it’s by Billy Collins. It’s got really visceral, visual language and it’s beautifully written.

“Introduction to Poetry” Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

 

or walk inside the poem’s room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to water ski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose

to find out what it really means.

 

What words of wisdom would you share with a prospective student?

BE: You can say no to things in order to take care of yourself. Know how much time you need for yourself and defend it without shame. You’ll do fine.

 

Let’s take a look at some of Brigitte’s work!