Stella Barry - Fine Arts
The tools and resources offered by Elam have allowed Stella to discover new ways to express herself, both inside and outside the studio.
Key facts:
Programme: Bachelor of Fine Arts
High school: Green Bay High School
Scholarship: Academic Potential Scholarship, Presbyterian Methodist Grafton Hall Scholarship
“What appealed to me about Fine Art at Elam was the openness and scope of what you can do. Elam offers so many new media I had never tried before, like printmaking, as well as photography, painting, and so much more.
“From the work I had seen when I visited Elam on Mānawa Mai Open Day, I could tell students used a huge variety of materials that was much more diverse than what was offered in my high school art class. I thought this openness would force me to step out of my creative comfort zone and allow me to find passions I can take outside of university and into my future career.
“I really enjoy how friendly and helpful the technicians are; they really help you learn and thrive in unfamiliar courses. It’s not only the teachers, but also fellow students who give amazing feedback that really helps change the trajectory of your work for the better. Everyone is enthusiastic about helping.
“My favourite papers have been FINEARTS 245: Embodiment, Identity and Agency, and FINEARTS 226: Digital Photography. FINEARTS 245 allowed me to discover who I am, which has been something I’ve been a bit too scared or maybe too “in-the-fog” to try to answer. I love how the people at Elam have helped push me into new and unknown territories, and I’ve been able to face my body insecurities by modelling and learning to sew.
“I think for a long time I haven't really looked inwards, and studying at Elam has been wonderful in changing that. I’ve been able to simply create what I want to see represented; or what l want to see, wear, use, and express myself with.”
“FINEARTS 226 showed me I had passion for photography. I hadn’t found it interesting before but then my teacher encouraged me to take photos outside my perceived lens of a “photographer”. I took very blurry, Vaseline-slicked photos with the theme of memory and how we remember things. They were really fun and made me realise just how much l liked using a camera.
“For me, creativity is like a pot simmering on the stove. It bubbles over until I have no choice but to express my ideas through physical or digital form, or else I'll just think about them forever. How I see the world and how I want to express myself is my main inspiration. I've been taking photos of how I see memories of certain moments, and making clothing themed around insecurity – but my aim is to create clothing l would actually wear.
“I live in student accommodation in the city so it's a lot busier than where I used to live. Figuring out how to be more independent was a bit hard at first. I study a lot with friends in common spaces, socialise in the city, watch movies, play Dungeons and Dragons, and do fun activities like baking brownies in my friends’ shared kitchen. I also quite like using Kura Matahuna (Unleash Space) for sewing and 3D printing!
“Being a university student can be stressful as it can feel like there’s always a lot of work you need to catch up on. But, overall, it is super rewarding having a creative outlet and getting wonderful feedback so your style and art can develop.
“I would tell my younger self that friends will come to you if you push yourself to get out there and talk to people and also really be your authentic self. Allow people – including yourself – to see your spark or else you'll never shine.”