Parker Galen’s part-time job during college did much more than provide some money — it provided inspiration and materials for his senior thesis project, too.

And now, those materials, combined with the skills he gained at PCA&D and his innate creative drive, have led to an Emerging Artist Residency at Millersville University. 

That job — at a grocery store — provided Galen with receipt paper, grocery bags, bread ties, and cardboard, the makings of 2D and 3D works of art that caught the eye of residency organizers. “I plan on continuing to really push the unconventional materials that I’ve already been creating with,” Galen says. 

The 2023 Fine Art BFA graduate will start the full academic year residency this fall, working with Prof. Line Bruntse. “I will be expected to volunteer 12 to 15 hours per week, assisting with studio maintenance, as well as participating in, and assisting with, introductory through advanced classes relating to sculpture,” Galen explains. “There will also be an exhibition showcase at the end of the residency.”

Galen heard about the residency through Aubrey Maurer ’22 Fine Art, who recently completed her own emerging artist residency experience. And Galen joins fellow Class of 2023 member Bee Grissinger, who also was selected for the honor this year. 

“I’ve had my eye on this residency for a while, initially hearing about it from Aubrey Maurer’s Instagram,” Galen says, “and then looking into it further during a Professional Practices course. One of my mothers attended Millersville … so there’s also a personal connection to the school. I definitely love how close I will be to my hometown of Lancaster.”

PCA&D, Galen says, “definitely has prepared me for this residency. All of the professors I learned from in my time there were so supportive, and with this support (and many critiques), I feel that I’ve really found my own personal art style and good creative habits.”

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You can follow Galen’s Instagram at @park.does.art.