Daily Lobo: So what it is you study at UNM?
Emily McMaster: I am studying printmaking.
DL: How did you get into printmaking?
EM: I’ve been studying printmaking in New York for two years. I am only here for this next semester. I was taking lithography last semester, which is really nice because we didn’t have that at the school I was going to, and the department here is fantastic.
DL: So how did you find yourself here?
EM: I grew up here.
DL: Do you like New York or New Mexico better?
EM: It depends. I think the print department here is of higher quality than the one I was working at. But … I really enjoyed all the resources in New York.
DL: Can you give me an example?
EM: I was going to school upstate actually, and it’s about two hours up north of New York City on the Hudson River. There’s a train out of New York City, so I can go to different print studios, different print shops, different museums and visit artists’ studios — kind of soak in the culture up there.
DL: Is the culture radically different here?
EM: It’s not that it’s radically different. It’s just there’s not the abundance of art there is in New York City, and everything (is) sequestered to one island.
DL: The art scene isn’t as prominent in Albuquerque, but it’s still there. Do you ever do the First Friday Artscrawl?
EM: I haven’t done that. I am kind of a square when it comes to Albuquerque, but I know there’s a bed of talent. Even here at UNM, I have seen some really awesome openings.
DL: So what else is different about UNM?
EM: The school here at UNM is much larger than the school I was going to, so you just have an array of artists making work as opposed to just a handful. There are like 15 art majors in my grade where I was going.
DL: Where were you going?
EM: Bard (College).
DL: So what’s the
community like here compared to New York?
EM: Well, the community here is much more tight-knit — it depends if you’re talking about New York City. The college I was going to was in the middle of the forest, so everyone knew everyone.
DL: So out of curiosity who has better food, here or there?
EM: At the school I was going to, I ate mainly on campus, so it was bagels and pizza pretty much everyday. And here I am kind of sick of all the food in the area. I don’t have a car or bike so I am on foot, but in New York City you can get anything at any hour. So, I kind of miss that.
Emily McMaster/Junior/Printmaking
