Rachel McDonald '12 is the Brunswick art scene's number one fan. She partakes in Bowdoin activities such as photography, painting, and dance. She also organizes community-wide activities, such as downtown art walks and gallery visits. When asked why she has focused her academic career on such creativity, McDonald responds, "Why not?"
Introduced to the arts in elementary school, McDonald pursued her passions all the way through high school. While there, she realized that visual arts, dancing and singing complemented each other, and she decided to find such a balance at Bowdoin as well. McDonald's first ventures were into art history and visual art—the two subjects now constituting her double major.
"I took art history in high school and liked it, but I definitely didn't think I was going to major in it," she said. "Then, freshman spring, I was in both Drawing I and Professor Pamela Fletcher's 'Picasso and Matisse' first year seminar. I was taking visual art and art history at the same time and the combination just worked. I liked looking at art history from a visual arts perspective, and I found that they informed each other well."
In addition to seeing visual art and art history influence each other, McDonald has found that different artistic media can enhance each other. For example, she uses photography techniques in her painting process, trying out new vantage points and color choices in her work. She has also used aspects of painting in dance routines, simulating works on canvas in her choreography.
"I like collaborating lots of different media," she said. "In high school, my friend and I choreographed a dance that mimicked a painting we had as our backdrop. Also, the dance I choreographed for Pivotal last year was based off the idea of modern art. I was looking at its origins and how it broke from earlier traditions."
Pivotal, an on-campus dance group focused on student choreography, is the brainchild of McDonald and Liz Huppert '12. The first organization of its kind, Pivotal is an outlet for students who want to create their own style of dancing. Members alternate choreographing dances and audition fellow group members for their pieces. Choreography styles have included jazz, hip-hop, ballet and modern—an array of genres with which McDonald is very pleased.
"I came to Bowdoin knowing I wanted to dance, but I wasn't totally satisfied with the offerings," she recalled. "All the groups had leaders that choreographed the dances and we wanted there to be something more member-driven. That's why we created Pivotal, and it has been really successful. We are excited with our turnout and progress, and it was really fun to start it up."
Leading emerging groups such as Pivotal seems to be McDonald's forte. In addition to fostering the growth of her dance group, she spent her summer interning at the burgeoning Brunswick non-profit Five Rivers Arts Alliance. Committed to strengthening the arts community in mid-coast Maine, Five Rivers organizes local art walks, artist talks, jazz nights and art workshops. This summer, McDonald helped plan fall art walks, interacted with local artists, and updated the organization's website.
"I got to see all the different sides of the Brunswick art scene, which was really interesting," she said. "Some people were like, 'Oh, I'm in Maine... I know—I'll paint rocks!' But I also met younger artists who were really gung-ho about trying to revive the art scene and spice up the art walk, which is something I'm hoping to help with in the future. It'd be great to get Bowdoin musicians out on the streets or include student work in the galleries to make the art walk more of an event."
McDonald continues to communicate with Five Rivers, acting as a member of the organization's board that interacts with Bowdoin. Her summer experience has also influenced decisions regarding her future; she hopes to go into graphic design and involve herself in a self-created arts profession post-Bowdoin. She also sees her arts involvement as educating her about others' interpretations of their surrounding environment—something not always found inside a lecture hall.
"Art is an outlet—it's how I express myself," said McDonald. "But although I like doing my own work, I also like being in classes because it's really interesting to see how others approach things through art. I love hearing other people talk about their own work. It's really interesting to see that human aspect of the arts and how differently people interpret the world."
"Art is relevant to everything else," she said. "It's not just about itself—you learn a lot about people, too."