As the fall semester of the school year comes to a close, seniors in the art, film and media studies and environmental studies programs put the finishing touches on their capstones, cumulative projects that are reflective of their Lafayette careers.
Art
Each art student had the opportunity to create their own installation to be presented at an exhibit at the Grossman Gallery in the Williams Visual Arts Building.
Lily Gilmore ’24 created four acrylic paintings around themes of family, perfection and love. She said that each art student has their own themes and materials that they’re working from.
“I’ve been looking forward to this since I started the art major,” Gilmore said. “In capstone, we’re able to do anything we want, so it’s really based on what we’re passionate about as students, as individuals and that’s something that is really more like what art is like in the real world.”
Emily Mackin ‘24 took a different approach in her installation. After experimenting with the materials at her disposal, she created two sculptures along with a piece of performance art based on rage, weightiness, womanhood and the color red.
“I think having the access to the studio and … the faculty and students alike down there is a very unique and comforting environment at this point in my time as an art major,” Mackin said. “It felt like the right semester to take the risks because it is capstone and it’s a big thing for any major but I think there was so much flexibility, especially in the mediums for me to explore.”
Film and Media Studies
Senior film and media studies students got the chance to experiment with different mediums of screenwriting and filmmaking that they were interested in, with the advice of their professors and fellow students.
Henry Fritz ‘24 made a short fiction film named “Usedtopia,” based on his experience working at Habitat for Humanity. Fritz said that writing, filming and editing the short film has given him the opportunity to put into action techniques he has studied in class.
“I feel that capstone is the perfect thing to end my time at Lafayette College and the film department,” Fritz said. “I think that what capstone gives you is the ability to take what you found, what you gravitate most towards and then make your own when you might not have gotten the chance previously.”
After pivoting from his original plan halfway through the semester, Michael Gervase ‘24 developed a short documentary film titled “From Vietnam, With Love” about his adoption. His research was on how the use of documentary filmmaking as a storytelling medium contributes to the scale and understanding of a personal story.
“My adoption story is something that I’ve always been sort of conscious of, but not really something I’ve had a more formal excuse to dive into and learn more about,” Gervase said. “‘From Vietnam, With Love’ is a heartwarming documentary that explores the unbreakable bonds of family, the power of perseverance and the profound impact of one adoption.”
FAMS seniors will present their capstone projects on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. in Buck Hall.
Environmental Studies
The environmental studies capstone is centered around spreading awareness on environmental issues.
“I think that environmental studies capstone projects are definitely more intertwined with the Lafayette community than other forms of capstones,” Justin Bharucha ‘24 said. “I think that other capstones are more focused on individuality while the environmental studies capstones focus on community.”
The class decided each project would be centered around “visibility” and was split into groups based on specific areas of interest. Bharucha’s group collected data on the energy efficiency of lighting in Lafayette’s buildings.
“I think that participating in this project really affirmed those notions that I want to work in some sort of environmental, social and governance role in the future, particularly within consulting,” Bharucha said. “I thought that the class really helped segue into a professional career for me.”
Similar sentiments were shared by Mia Day ‘24. Her group made a visual display demonstrating Lafayette’s current waste stream breakdown compared to Lafayette’s Climate Action Plan.
“I think the opportunity to sort through the raw data for the capstone project, consolidating it and making calculations to make it more digestible and accessible to all Lafayette community members and presenting it in a visually appealing and attention-grabbing manner has helped me gain these kinds of skills that I will use in the future,” Day said.
