SCC Alum Showcases Art in NYC
Every artist’s dream is to see their work on display in New York City. When you come from a small city in the Midwest, this wish can seem unattainable.
But it isn’t.
“I really have always been artistic, covering my bedroom walls with a collage and wanting to spend my free time drawing,” SCC alum Serena Stevens says. “But for a long time I didn’t know art was a possibility as a career. In fact, in high school I took all the hardest math and science classes offered thinking I was going to study medicine.
A Fort Madison native, Stevens has recently been highly praised by the New Yorker, Art Forum, and The New York Times for her work as a realist painter. This summer, Stevens was recognized by the publications for her show, Iowa Dreams, at Postmasters Gallery in Manhattan. Around the same time, she had an exhibition called The Ceiling Fan Painting at The National Exemplar in Iowa City.
Stevens shares that her steps to have her art displayed in Manhattan didn’t happen overnight, but rather by taking all opportunities to show their art, no matter the size of the show.
“I’ve had to put myself out there in a way that can feel vulnerable,” she shares. “Just a few years ago, I applied to take part in nine shows and wasn’t chosen for any. But a few years before that, I won a couple big awards in nationwide shows. You never know what a juror is going to like.”
Reflecting on her time as a student at SCC, Stevens says art instructor John Bybee was and still is a huge positive influence.
“He was always encouraging a strong work ethic and acknowledging all of my accomplishments and breakthroughs.”
During her time at SCC, Stevens participated in the Southeastern Community College Annual Juried Art Exhibition several times and now has a permanent collection at the college.
Stevens is completing her MFA at the University of Iowa, where she currently teaches Basic Drawing. She intends to become a college instructor.
“I hope to inspire another generation of students the way that SCC inspired me.”
Stevens now has a show with SCC art instructor Tim VanGinkle called Honey Bears and Bees. It will be shown at West Central Illinois Art Center in Macomb, IL through November 21.
Learn all about Stevens’ successes at www.serenastevensart.com
