A-B Tech art student Harper Bolick, who is graduating this May with an Associate in Fine Arts degree, was the program's Academic Achievement Award recipient for the year and a top award winner in the annual Student Art Show.
In one of Bolick's paintings, two women lie nestled in an embrace. Eyes closed, they are so vividly rendered and so immersed in each other, the viewer feels as if they’ve walked in on an intimate moment. Below their bodies, in a corner of the painting, a hand holds an apple with a heart carved out of it; in the other corner are the words “God blessed me by making me transgender so that humanity shares in the act of creation”.
With expertly blended caramel skin tones and a captivating fairytale-like quality, the work is a testament to Bolick’s knowledge of color, composition, and technique. It is also a “coming out” as the non-binary artist claims their own voice and identity.
Their fascination with fantasy and Biblical themes, they said, began at a young age. As a child, their family regularly went to church, and they would doodle during the service, creating fantasy creatures in the margins of church pamphlets.
“I was always really interested in the stories [at church]. I had a lot of questions about things that didn’t make sense.”
In the painting, Bolick decided to explore one of their more complex questions. Eve is described in the Bible as being formed from Adam’s rib and later blamed for bringing sin to the world. Bolick aims to give her a more honorable and human role. “She brought beauty and diversity, and creation to the world. Women give birth to children. There’s immense power and beauty in that.”
Bolick's own creative journey has been a rich one. As a child who loved to read, their imagination was especially sparked by books like “The Cats of Tanglewood Forest”, about a girl who lives near a forest inhabited by mystical talking cats. In high school, Bolick realized they were happiest when drawing and making art. Their mother, a former chair at A-B Tech, encouraged enrolling at A-B Tech for art classes, and Bolick is grateful they did. The 19-year-old has thrived in the college’s close-knit arts community.
“It’s been amazing. I like the small scale. Teachers develop one-on-one connections. I thrived with that camaraderie.”
An art classroom, Bolick believes, should be a safe place to explore and make mistakes. In the two years Bolick’s been on campus, they’ve been able to develop self-confidence in their own artistic abilities. “A-B Tech fosters an environment where it’s not terrifying to fail at something."
One stand-out moment came when Bolick learned to loosen up their hand and draw on a larger scale in Ani Volkan’s drawing class. With Volkan's lead, they were able to create a detailed collage self-portrait that they are proud of. “I didn’t know I could do that. Making [the portrait] challenged the way I could make art. I used found objects like bottle caps and earrings.”
Another surprise moment came in Molly Morningglory’s ceramics class, which Bolick admits they saved for last this year because they never liked ceramics in middle school. “I was blown away by how much I loved it. I thought ceramics would be cups and bowls, and throwing on a wheel. But you can personalize it and make a sculpture.”
Perhaps, the best surprise of all was the fact that Bolick’s above-mentioned painting. “The Divine Love of Eve” was chosen out of many student submissions for the annual juried student art show.
Now, Bolick is awaiting what is perhaps the most exciting phase of their creative life so far. This fall, they’ll be moving out of state to study at the Art Institute of Chicago. They are excited at the prospect of living in such a rich cultural hub, though making the choice to attend art school came with its own challenges. “People discourage you from doing an art degree,” they said. “There’s been a needle of doubt in the back of my head, but I think that art is what I really excel in.”
More than just a way to develop their talents, Bolick said, creating art allows time to explore life’s unending questions and express emerging thoughts and emotions. In this way, it is perhaps not just an act of creation, but a necessary tool for survival.
“A crucial component of art is the way it connects the people and the stories that it tells,” Bolick said. “It can be a story of community and love. I want to channel that [in my own art] in dark times.”