Passion never rests
A set of disappearing glass lungs. Clear glass fingers that reach out from a computer screen to touch the keys of a modified laptop. A mysterious glow emanating from a grove of trees. What will sculptor Julia Chamberlain dare to do next?
Despite her intriguing creations as a sculpture student in the , Julia never intended to pursue a fine arts degree. Arriving on campus in the aftermath of the 2008 economic meltdown, she plotted a more practical course: a bachelor鈥檚 in Human Centered Design & Engineering.
A creative legacy
Lois Rathvon can count 10 family members who鈥檝e graduated from the UW since 1915, and that鈥檚 just on her late husband Hal鈥檚, 鈥�43, side.
Deeply appreciative of the University鈥檚 positive influence in their lives, her son Will, 鈥�76, recently created the P. Rathvon Family Legacy Scholarship to support liberal arts students.
Lois first embraced the arts as a 12-year-old, when she began tap lessons during the Great Depression. Her first teachers? Artists hired by the federal government. She eventually went on to chair Cornish College of the Arts鈥� dance department.
鈥淲e hope this scholarship helps gifted, emerging young artists to find their creative voices,鈥� says Lois.
But that was before she discovered the Ceramic and Metal Arts (CMA) building. 鈥淚t was amazing,鈥� she says of first encountering the space. 鈥淚鈥檇 never seen another art-making place like this anywhere on earth.鈥�
Containing everything from ceramics and metal fabrication facilities to a glass casting shop, the CMA is the beloved home base for students in the school鈥檚 3D4M (Three-Dimensional Forum) program.
Instantly welcomed by the CMA community, Julia was hooked. She embarked on a second degree in sculpture on top of her engineering studies. It was a big decision, requiring an extra commitment of time and money to take on a fifth year as a UW undergrad.
Julia earned some timely support for her bold move last year: the School of Art鈥檚 P. Rathvon Family Legacy Scholarship. Four generations of Rathvons have attended the UW, and Will Rathvon, 鈥�76, created the award to ensure that the University continues to transform others鈥� lives.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge help,鈥� says Julia. 鈥淎s a dual-degree student, it鈥檚 really important to get support that shows people are rooting for you.鈥�
The scholarship fueled her studies in the intimate, intense atmosphere of the CMA. When professor Mark Zirpel challenged his flameworking class to 鈥渕ake a system鈥� with an input and an output, Julia devised an ingenious set of seemingly invisible glass lungs that materialize only when an observer breathes into them.
The piece led to another honor: the 2014 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center in Hamilton, New Jersey. Julia is the only UW undergrad in living memory to snag the prestigious award.
The momentum continued this fall when the 23-year-old , an installation of 12 large-scale public artworks spread around the UW campus. The youngest artist in the invitation-only show, she transformed a grove of trees into an enigmatic space that glowed with an eerie white light each night.
After a residency in Bergen, Norway, Julia will complete her engineering degree next year, and then it鈥檚 on to advanced studies in industrial design.
Julia credits her success to the UW鈥檚 deep support for cross-disciplinary thinking. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to study art in an environment where everything is possible,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nything that you can dream up that can be done in the world, I can almost guarantee that there鈥檚 someone at the UW who not only knows how to do it, but is eager to share that with you.鈥�
It was amazing. I鈥檇 never seen another art-making place like this anywhere on earth. 鈥� Julia Chamberlain