By Victoria Remley
Sofia Caetano, a filmmaker from Azores, Portugal, visited Youngstown State University to teach students art experimentation on Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. at the McDonough Museum of Art.
Throughout her lecture, Caeteno discussed her life since she started working with art, and about different aspects of art and projects.
“Some are more straightforward filmmaking, fiction experimental pieces and then others are installation projects that are also moving-image based,” she said.
The lecture showed how Caetano has made a career as an artist. Students saw her approaches to art from the perspective of a visual artist and a filmmaker.
To prepare for the event, Caetano met with Dana Sperry, associate professor of digital media in the Department of Art, to talk about how she could approach her work in a way that would be helpful to YSU students.
Caetano said she came to YSU because she loves sharing her work with other people, and she loves being around students and prospective artists.
“I take any opportunity I have to contribute to their journey and learning experiences as much as I can,” she said.
Sperry said the lecture series gave students an idea of what they can do with art technology.
“Specifically with [Caetano], I was mostly interested in the fact that she has a divergent practice around film,” he said. “It manifests itself in installations. It manifests itself in a single channel like straightforward film works and screenings.”
Sperry invited Caetano to YSU to participate in his series of artists who hustle and try to make things happen in their career.
“Coming out of a state university, the reality is that you’re going to have to make something happen on your own,” he said. “If you go to a high-end private school and pay $100,000 a year, they better connect you to somebody or why are you paying that, right?”
As a young artist, there were people in Sperry’s field who were ahead of him, but not so far ahead that it seemed impossible to do what they were doing. These people inspired him, and showed him he could do the projects they were doing.
Michelle Gabriel, a senior graphic design major, said she loved the lecture.
“Her focus on color was so prominent in all of her pieces, and you could see that she was really passionate about her work, which made it fun to look at,” she said.
Naomi Carrier, a sophomore digital media major, thought the lecture was interesting.
“This is the first lecture that I’ve been here for when it’s a filmmaker instead of people that do paintings and pieces, so it’s nice to see someone who does something a little bit closer to my field,” she said.