Monthly Archives: May 2023

Visual Arts Student Designs Set for PUC Musical  

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During the beginning of this school year, auditions were in process for the Jericho Road Musical, which tells the story of two young individuals who fall in love, get married, have a child, and face problems throughout their relationship. Senior graphic design major Sarah Franklin saw this as a fun chance to work on props and set design. With already having experience with stage production and film set design and taking a class from musical director Lindsay Morton, Lindsay asked Sarah if she would be interested in creating the artwork and advertisements for the show too. All these roles created a great opportunity for Sarah to use the material in her portfolio as she finishes her senior year at PUC. 

How long did it take to complete all the art for this show? What did you enjoy the most about this experience?

I completed all the advertising artwork over winter break, and it probably took me around 30 hours. For the set design, we’ve been working all quarter and are still working on painting and constructing everything. I really enjoy working with other people on a project and helping them make their vision come to life.

Do you have a favorite art piece from the show?

It’s difficult to answer this because I consider the whole set an art piece. If I had to pick an individual piece from the show, I’d say the tree from the wedding scene, which turned out beautifully. Bethanee (Tabura) did most of the carving and painting of the tree trunk, which was made of several layers of foam, and we worked together to add the vines and leaves to the branches. We also added string lights to create a whimsical look that fits the wedding scene nicely. 

What do you like the most about PUC’s visual arts department?

I really appreciate the feeling of family in the VA dept. Throughout my years here, I have become so close to my professors and classmates. I truly value the diversity of the department and how we work together and benefit from our differences. I think it’s amazing when people who are different from each other can learn from one another and create truly amazing things together.

What have been the most important things you’ve learned from your classes, professors, or mentors?

One of the most important things I’ve learned as a visual arts major is to take inspiration from anything and everything. As an artist, I am constantly absorbing the environment I’m in—people, objects, architecture, colors, shapes, shadows, lines, graphics, words, lyrics, you name it. Being an artist means you are always taking in your surroundings and looking at the world from different points of view. It also means you are processing all this information in a way that is unique to you and relaying these new perspectives to others in a way that moves them or makes them think differently. 

Is there a class you found most valuable to you?

There are a lot of classes that were valuable to me, so I’ll give you all of them and a short reason why:

Astronomy with James Robertson–gave me perspective on how small we are and how short life is.

History of Contemporary Art Since 1945 with Jon Carstens—my favorite art history class of all-time; introduced me to some of my favorite artists and works (Mark Rothko, Josef Albers, Andy Warhol, and Lynda Benglis to name a few). These artists’ works were an integral part of my senior thesis research and inspiration, so this class has been extremely valuable to me.

Packaging Design with Cliff Rusch–aside from this being one of the most fun classes for me as a graphic designer, I ended up becoming really close to my classmates and creating some great friendships which I value so much. Not only do I value our friendships, but also the constructive criticism, competition, and push to become a better designer. 

Can you share any projects you hope to do this year?

Aside from Jericho Road, this year’s main project is my senior thesis. I am working on gathering data from individuals about their favorite colors and using this data to represent the evolution of color preferences throughout one’s life. The data will be visualized through a series of paintings and will be hung in the Rasmussen Art Gallery this spring. 

PUC Alum Sierra Lewis Wins the Jury Award at Sonscreen Film Festival 

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Sonscreen is an Adventist film festival hosted by the NAD that takes place every year during the spring in Southern California. This year, Sonscreen was in Loma Linda, CA, where more than 20 PUC film students and alums attended, along with professors Rajeev Sigamoney and Tim de la Torre. At the festival, they attended film screenings, professional showcases, participated in a pitch competition, and attended the awards banquet.

PUC film and television honors alum Sierra Lewis ‘22 has attended the festival three times and sadly couldn’t make it out to this year’s festival like she hoped. Sierra has always enjoyed going since it’s a great time to bond with the department and connect with other filmmakers and creatives from other schools. During this year’s festival, she won the Jury Award and was runner-up for Best Documentary. 

What does winning the Jury Award mean to you? 

Since graduating from PUC, it hasn’t been as easy to find/make time for my art, and I’m not working in a “creative field” at the moment. But winning the Jury Award means a lot because it gave me that validation that reminded me that I’m on the right track, despite what it looks like- and that I shouldn’t give up because there’s a place for my work and for these stories to be told in the world.

Share with us about the project you submitted for this category.

The project I submitted to the festival was my senior thesis documentary titled, Echoes. My intention was to explore the idea of what “do it yourself” (DIY) looks like within the Black community and its intersectionality between arts and politics.

I was lucky enough to get to know some amazing artists from a collective called Nure (based in Oakland, CA), and I juxtaposed their stories alongside found/archival footage that I felt “echoed” what was being said. At least for me, the idea of Black DIY is something that feels like a cultural heritage, and I hope that the film was able to showcase that tradition.

You were also Best Documentary Runner-Up at the festival. Talk to us about your documentary.

As far as inspiration for the film, I’m inspired by creative and introspective people. People who think and philosophize about life, and can’t help but synthesize their thoughts and feelings with a creative outlet.

In any case, for most (if not all) of my films, I tend to be led by music. I always make a playlist that helps me enter the right headspace for the project that I’m working on. For Echoes, there were a lot of Moses Sumney, Solange, and moody jazz instrumentals.

How did you develop an interest in filmmaking? Did you know you always wanted to do this?

Oh boy. My interest in filmmaking actually developed from Youtube. When I was a high school freshman, I had a YouTube channel with a close friend, which lasted for a few years. As time went on, I wanted to keep pushing myself further to make videos of quality, vs just silly challenges or whatever. Eventually, I made my first little short film and started doing character profiles on my friends. My mom thought I should study film in college, so you can say the rest is history haha. 

How has being a student at PUC helped you grow as a filmmaker? 

Oh my goodness, being a student at PUC has expedited so much of my growth as a filmmaker and artist. There’s such great energy in the Visual Arts Department at Fisher Hall. Our professors give so much to provide us with great experiences both inside and outside of the classroom, from the various film projects to the different excursions like trekking down to Sonscreen Film Festival. It’s a beautiful, safe space, and I’ve always felt supported by my teachers and peers. Fisher feels like home. 

Is there someone at PUC that has made an impact on you?

Gosh so many. If I had to give names, I’d say Michael Jefferson, Dean Philpott, and every teacher in the Visual Arts Department- no explanation needed. 

Can you share any future projects with us?

At the moment, I’m trying to work on an accompanying zine for my thesis film. Sort of like supplementary material, and other than that, I’m working on putting out movie reviews/film critiques and experimenting with different formats for that kind of content too. Anything else, I guess you’ll just have to wait and see. 😉 

Senior Spotlight: Ethan Blanca

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Ethan Blanco will be graduating this June with a degree in Liberal Studies. From Bakersfield, CA, Ethan originally intended to enroll at his local community college. However, not a month before the school year was to start, he learned that many of his local church friends were enrolling at PUC. That was the only thing that motivated Ethan to attend PUC instead.  

Do you remember what stood out to you the most when you first arrived on campus? 

What stood out to me the most when I first arrived on PUC’s campus was the atmosphere. The green and opulent plant life, for one, was stunning to me. I come from Bakersfield, which is certainly not known for its natural green beauty, so I was excited about the change of scenery. The sense of a close-knit community was another theme of PUC that I noticed almost immediately upon arriving. 

What has been your favorite class? 

My favorite class was EDUC-447-01 – Classroom Management with Professor Penaflorida. As someone going into the education field, it was a class that I already knew would be important for my career. However, the way Professor P involved all the students in their own learning and promoted safe and creative discussion was an amazing experience.  

What is something you want to accomplish before graduating? 

I hope to complete the rough draft for a novel I have been writing for six years. Coupled with this novel, I want to add detail to the creative writing of the fantasy world the novel is based in. The hope is that there will eventually be many different stories written about it. 

What is your favorite thing about being a part of the Pioneers family? 

My favorite thing about being a part of the Pioneers family is the connection that I have bridged with my professors. Many professors here at PUC have helped mold me into the person I am today, and I am both proud and thankful for that fact. I am confident that the relationships I have built over the four years I have been a part of the Pioneers family will not go away after I graduate. 

Recommend a restaurant in the Napa Valley and what people should order. 

Giugni’s Deli is a great sandwich shop off St. Helena Highway. The portions of the sandwich are quite generous. If you wanted, you could eat the sandwich in halves for two separate meals. Plus, there are a lot of ingredient options. If anything, I was overwhelmed with how many choices I had. 

What are you going to miss the most about PUC? 

What I will miss the most about PUC are the people. I have made many connections with friends that will certainly stay with me for years to come. Many of my friends are also committed to the creative writing projects that I am involved in. It is because of them that I have gained the confidence and ideas that have helped shape my novel. 

Meet Pioneers Student Ambassador Madison Kindred 

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Sophomore nursing student Madison Kindred is a Pioneers Student Ambassador this year. Being a student-athlete representative has been a wonderful experience for Madison, with meeting so many new people within the conference and working to improve the CAL PAC conference. As a member of the Student Athletic Council (SAC), she attends meetings once a month to discuss matters about the schools that want to improve, share what they are proud of, and are in charge of making policies in the conference that will help student-athletes. 

How long have you been a student ambassador and how did you get this role? 

I have been a SAC member for about a year. J.R. Rogers reached out to me last Spring quarter, asking if I would like to fill the role of representing PUC. 

What is the most challenging part about being a student ambassador? 

The most challenging part is balancing meetings with my studies. There have been times when school has taken priority over our meetings, but that just means that I read over meeting notes and reach out to the SAC president with any input I may have. 

What do you enjoy the most about this role? 

What I really enjoy about this role is meeting all the new people from all the schools in the conference. I know at least one person from every school I travel to with my team. There is a sense of family among the members. We all support one another. 

What is your favorite thing about being a part of the Pioneers family? 

My favorite thing is the feeling of community. Each student-athlete knows of one another here, and it makes for a small but strong community. 

What makes PUC Pioneers special? 

PUC has gone through some major changes since I have been an athlete here, but our department still continues on and I think that is what makes us special.