Courtesy of Stevie Thomson
Thanks to the east-coast charm of the Connecticut College campus, the recruitment from the sailing team, the tight-knit but multidisciplinary community and a beautiful summer’s rain, Senior Stevie Thomsen came into Conn from their hometown of Sacramento looking to pursue all their interests in history, art, religion, gender studies, and language learning.
As a Classics and Jewish Studies major and History minor, they explained, “I was interested in finding the origins of faith through language and ancient texts.”
Despite not having the art major in their lineup, Thomsen centers art as an important practice and outlet, doing photography, illustration, cyanotype printing, and independent book, or zine, publishing in other ways on campus. Thomsen is a part of over 3 artistic clubs at school, and most notably writes, designs and publishes their own Zine called “Boyish Zine”. On-campus, they act as the head photographer for fashion and culture magazine Gray Area, are a member of the Art Department Student Advisory Board, and are a Museum Studies scholar. Originally, they’d considered going to art school — but, they said, “I didn’t want doing art so intensively to kill my passion,”
They continued, “I knew I wasn’t as intensive or traditional an artist, and I wasn’t sure how my mediums and techniques would fit so neatly within a school program. I’m glad I’m here because I have a way to do that in a way that’s not dictated by rules or pressure.”
Thomesen continued, “I do feel like specifically my Classics and religious studies do influence my art a lot, mostly stuff I make for my zines… I do a lot of things in mixed media and cyanotype, and I’ve done things that are mostly inspired by faith or by text or by my personal relationship with God or growing up Jewish.” they said. They also noted taking a number of beneficial art classes since high school and into their career at Conn.
In addition, their zines, “Boyish Zine” have gained attention on campus. They started making them in their senior year of high school — small folded booklets packed with personal anecdotes, handmade art, and central themes surrounding religion, identity and expression. They bring them to local zine fairs, share them with their friends and creative communities, and also have them available online for sale.
Speaking to the artistic work they’ve done as a creative in their college career, they said “I’ve had people tell me that, like, “Oh, I’ve seen your stuff pop up out of nowhere.” … I was like, oh, like, I really am perceived as an artist on campus.”
“I knew [art] was something I wanted to pursue,” Thomsen said. “So I also knew I wanted a small school where I could have those outlets, even if I wasn’t actually pursuing art as a major or minor.”
