"I focused on drawing while in the Post-Bac Program during 2000-2001. This time of intense studio work was invaluable to the progression and development of my work. I began the year focusing on skill/technique and ended with an expressive and thematic body of drawings. The professors and classmates enlarged my understanding of the contemporary arts by exposing me to artists, galleries, institutions and common practices, such as, the Bologna Biennale, their own work and studios, and critical theory.

Individual and group critiques helped me to see my work and the work of others through more objective eyes. I was encouraged to find my own visual “voice” or dialect within my work. The instructors were always ready at hand to offer feedback and were incredibly personable; I will be forever indebted to them for their advice, energy, and attention.

In addition to working with us in the studio, my instructors at SACI also went to great lengths to expose students to Italy’s contemporary and historical arts by taking us on trips: gallery visits, conventions, local artist studio visits, trips to museums and churches, etc." Karina Hean