If Tyler Calkin had to live in one building on campus, it would be the Fouts Gallery (clearly).   Selected by his peers as “Best Senior Visual Artist,” Calkin sat down with the Pioneer to answer a few questions about his win.

Pio: Did you come to Whitman intending to pursue a studio art major? If not, what made you choose it?

Calkin: I knew I was an art major from day one.

Pio: If you had to choose one Whitman building to live in, which would it be?

Calkin: Fouts, clearly.   It feels a little cavernous at night, but the senior studios are well heated, and it has pretty much everything I would need.   I was almost living there at points this year, anyway.

Pio: What are your favorite/least favorite things about being a studio art major?

Calkin:   My favorite thing is the complete freedom you have to make work that is meaningful to you out of any material or method and having professors that want to help refine your ideas. My least favorite is the difficulty of fitting non-art classes with my major.   I can’t say the time commitment is a problem, though, because that’s what makes the major so rewarding.

Pio: What have been some of your biggest artistic accomplishments while at Whitman?

Calkin: I have been fortunate enough to show my work in blue moon and quarterlife, as well as a couple off-campus shows.   But honestly, I feel like my biggest accomplishment by far has been my thesis.

Pio:   What are some of your fondest memories?   When were you the most stressed-out?

Calkin: Bonding with my fellow seniors this year has been a great experience.   I will also fondly remember getting to know my professors over the past few years. There were some times this semester when I was seriously stressed-out and didn’t think my thesis would come together.

Pio: Who have been some of your mentors or role models?

Calkin: During these past two semesters both Professors Acuff and Herzog have acted as mentors.

Pio:   What’s next for you and what kind of career do you hope to pursue in the future?

Calkin: I will be attending CalArts next fall, going for an MFA.   I hope wherever I go in the future I will be making the kind of work I have been moving toward these past few years.