'Twist of fate' gives painting grad space to come up into her own as an creative person

Contact: Erin Flynn

Rozlin Opolka stands in forepart of a piece she created for her senior showcase depicting her grandmother.

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—No. It's a give-and-take that has the power to change the trajectory of someone's life. In Rozlin Opolka's case, it gave her a blank sheet to pigment a new vision of her futurity.

Initially intent on working in theatre, Opolka, who grew upward in Fowlerville, Michigan, applied to Western Michigan University'south stage management program her senior twelvemonth of high school. She didn't get in, only instead of getting discouraged, she saw information technology as an opportunity to pin and pursue visual arts.

"I think I was really able to come into my own and actually change a lot and brand some waves in the Frostic School of Art," she says. "So I was really, actually happy that twist of fate happened. I think it was meant to be."

Opolka dove headfirst into the visual arts plan at WMU, taking advantage of all the creative opportunities she could. In addition to sharpening her skills, the program also gave her the space to cultivate connections with her peers and expand herself creatively.

"It impacted me positively to come to a academy like WMU considering of the community attribute," says Opolka, who worked every bit a learning community assistant in the Fine Arts House, one of several living learning communities in WMU residence halls tailored to areas of study and interest. "It actually impacts your view of the world and your view of art. At the end of the twenty-four hours, whatsoever you brand is from your viewpoint, so you should be expanding your mind and your experiences in order to make more poignant art."

Outside of the fine art studio, Opolka developed her leadership skills every bit a LeadCorp intern with the Office of Educatee Date and got involved in United Campus Ministry building (UCM), ane of more than than 350 registered pupil organizations on campus. Through UCM, she volunteered with the Boys and Girls Society and participated in a racial equity volume club.

"Information technology'due south really been beneficial in both my community development and growth hither at WMU," she says.

While Opolka will graduate Saturday, Dec. 19, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts focused on painting, the interdisciplinary nature of her Western didactics opens the door for a world of opportunities in the art world.

"In the Frostic Schoolhouse of Art, we take a bunch of different studio classes then we can be well-rounded artists, and I call up I've been able to actually break out of the role of a painter and define myself as an artist," says Opolka, pointing to her senior showcase, which featured sculptural and conceptual piece of work in improver to painting that she believes fabricated the bear witness more powerful.

Opolka, right, helps bear a painting by Dwayne Lowder in the Richmond Center for Visual Arts.

Many WMU fine art students sing the praises of the world-class facilities on campus. Among those is the Richmond Center for Visual Arts, where Opolka gained professional experience as a gallery assistant.

"I did all of the work of putting upwards temporary walls, painting walls and full general maintenance, as well as documenting artworks that were donated and interacting with visiting artists who come up to the gallery for shows," she says. Opolka likewise considers her experience with the Kalamazoo Book Art Heart—a nonprofit devoted to the creation and teaching of letterpress, printmaking techniques and bookbinding— a uniquely Western opportunity to explore an alternative art form.

"Western has really given me the technical and conceptual skills to get what I want to be as an artist," says Opolka, ready to make the world her sail. "I've gotten a fantastic base here that I tin leap off of and really thrive when I'one thousand out of higher and starting to establish myself in the art earth."

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