Courtesy of Elaine Sandoval Carrasco ’28
The Connecticut College Art Department is navigating a season of change, balancing unexpected departures, new arrivals, and a calendar of exhibitions designed to engage the campus community.
Katherine Yaochen Du, Visiting Assistant Professor of Drawing, Painting, and 2D Foundations from 2022 to 2025, departed in August to relocate to Canada for personal reasons. “She was an amazing professor and teaches drawing very well,” said Interim Chair Tim McDowell, reflecting on her contributions. “I admire her because her career is taking off, and she made a big sacrifice in leaving.” Du’s departure came suddenly and left the department with only three weeks to find a replacement before the start of the semester.
Stepping into the role is Annika Tucksmith, who brings both familiarity and distinction to Conn. A Connecticut College alumna, she earned her MFA at Columbia University and has since established herself in the art world through features in art magazines and the establishment of her gallery in Hudson, New York. Tucksmith was originally scheduled to teach during another faculty member’s sabbatical, but McDowell encouraged the Dean’s Office to expand her appointment. “She is competent and good,” McDowell noted, adding that she has already agreed to oversee the gallery and exhibitions in the coming year.
Among the upcoming highlights of the department’s programming is Adaptation, the 2025 Art Department Faculty Exhibition, which opened in September and included a series of gallery talks featuring faculty such as Professors McDowell, Tucksmith, Andrea Wollensak, Denise Pelletier, Nadav Assor, Amanda Russhell Wallace, and Greg Bailey. In November, the department will feature Unbodied, an exhibition curated by the Art Student Advisory Board (SAB), which will run from November 4 through November 21. The spring semester promises the annual all-student show and the senior exhibition, ensuring that student work remains central to the gallery’s offerings.
The sense of community in the Art Department has also been reinforced through events outside the gallery. In early September, the Art SAB hosted the annual Art Department Cookout at Cummings Terrace. On a sunny and windy afternoon, students and faculty gathered over hot dogs, burgers, vegetarian food and snacks and participated in the returning tradition of “paint your own rock,” which encouraged attendees to bring their own rock to decorate. New art majors were formally welcomed into the department, while seniors shared their excitement about their newly assigned studios. Professors Assor, McDowell, Tucksmith and others were present, marking the gathering as a moment that celebrated both continuity and new beginnings.
Looking ahead, the department will be adapting to shifts not only in faculty but also in course offerings. With Professor McDowell himself on sabbatical in the spring, no printmaking class will be offered, not because of a lack of student interest, but because of the limited availability of professors or visiting faculty with expertise in the field. Even so, the Art Department remains committed to cultivating creativity and community in the midst of this period of transition, continuing to provide a space where students and faculty come together to create, share, and inspire.
