Jonathan Andersen came into college with an interest in art.
But it was at Saint John’s University where the now-senior channeled his passion into his purpose.
“I was thinking I wanted to do something art-related, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it until I took (visiting professor of art) Steven Lemke’s environmental art and architecture class during the spring of my freshman year,” Andersen said.
“That’s when I learned about the Abbey Church and the other buildings on campus (famed architect) Marcel Breuer designed. I’d passed by those buildings before and thought they were cool, but I didn’t know how they came to be. Learning about that inspired me. It’s when I decided architecture was the path I wanted to go down.”
Andersen drew further inspiration working as a gallery assistant for CSB and SJU gallery manager Becky Pflueger, a job he’s held since his first year on campus. He’s gained valuable experience helping set up and take down art exhibits, while also getting the chance to explore the two schools’ permanent art collections.
“Jon’s always been incredibly focused and hard-working,” Pflueger said. “As a student, you would often find him working away in the student studio in the Saint John’s Art Center making art and collaborating with fellow art majors on projects.”
This past summer, Andersen was awarded the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholars Student-Driven Summer Research Fellowship in Ethics – which funds and supports CSB and SJU students receiving a summer of guided mentorship with a faculty member.
“This opportunity gave him space and time to explore new media and ideas, research artworks he found interesting and to gain a better understanding of the history of the two institutions,” Pflueger said. “It also gave him the opportunity to try something new … to explore things for himself and not be guided by what a class assignment expected of him.”
Indeed, Andersen used those artworks and designs as inspiration for his own artistic work, specifically by working with concrete casting under Lemke’s supervision in the SJU Art Center’s sculpture classroom.
By the end of summer, he designed and installed his first solo exhibition, entitled “Archival Architecture: An Exploration of Housing and Materiality through Sculpture.” The show ran earlier this month in the Exit Gallery inside the Art Center building.
“I’m really interested in exploring the spaces in which people live,” said Andersen, who further explored his interest in architecture when he was part of CSB and SJU’s study abroad program in London during the fall of his junior year.
Lemke was impressed by the immediate way Andersen took to concrete casting and the pieces he developed.
“Jon is a self-starter,” Lemke said. “That’s really important in the daily work of making sculpture because not only is it labor intensive, but it’s material and space intensive as well. To embark on such a large-scale concrete casting project was only possible during summer when Jon could spread out and make full use of our studio facilities.
“He took on that challenge, and his applied work in the studio – coupled with his research in the permanent collections across our two campuses – showcase the breadth professional outcomes that are possible within the art major at CSB and SJU.”
Andersen – who hopes to attend graduate school for architecture starting next fall – said he’s grateful for all the ways he’s been able to explore his interests and find his path forward at CSB and SJU.
“I’m biased, but I think there are way more opportunities here than at other schools,” he said. “Had I gone someplace bigger, I wouldn’t have gotten to do the hands-on work I’ve been able to as a gallery assistant. I wouldn’t have been able to spend time researching in the permanent collections. I wouldn’t have been able to study abroad or work as closely as I’ve had the chance to with Becky and Steven.
“I certainly didn’t think I’d have had the chance to stage a solo show before my senior year. From the research and mentorship opportunities to the quality of our art spaces, I feel so lucky to be able to do that here.”
