Q&A: Courtney Mattison '08

Courtney Mattison

Courtney Mattison '08 is a self-determined major in marine biology and ceramic sculpture. Her senior project, titled "Fragile Beauty: An Artistic Exploration of Our Endangered Coral Reef Ecosystems," is currently on display in the Dana Science Building Atrium. Mattison studied and photographed corals, then recreated examples of many species in ceramic. The exhibit also includes marine photographs that Mattison shot in Australia and Costa Rica. The interdisciplinary project is both informative and visually stunning. The exhibit catalog is available for download here. Mattison will give a presentation on Wednesday, April 30, as part of Academic Festival. For more about her work, visit her Web site.

How did you come up with the idea for this project? How much time did you put into it?

Photo Gallery

My high school ceramics professor, Matthew Scheatzle, suggested at one point that I consider creating a "human aquarium." He offered me nothing more than this concept, which I used to develop my idea for an art installation reminiscent of a coral reef. The design evolved many times, becoming more symbolic than realistic as I considered practical elements such as pedestals, lighting, and time constraints. I wanted the exhibit to be both aesthetically and intellectually exciting, focusing on my ceramic creations that were both literally and figuratively inspired by forms that I observed on reef ecosystems and associated organisms.

I created all of the ceramic work in my exhibit over 3 1/2 semesters (18 credit hours) in advanced ceramics and independent studies. I took all of the photographs on the Great Barrier Reef off of northeast Queensland, Australia, where I studied abroad, and on Playa Grande in Costa Rica, where I interned as a leatherback sea turtle biologist-in-training. These two opportunities and the photos I took inspired all of the work in my exhibit.

	Two pieces from the exhibit

What are your other interests or activities?
As you can probably tell from my exhibit, I love scuba and travel. Exploring nature, especially that which is under the sea, is my favorite pastime. I also enjoy traveling to non-tropical locations and discovering different perspectives and lifestyles. I realize as I list my "other" interests that they all relate back to my major, which is cool because I really do study what interests me.

How did you decide to pursue a self-determined major? Any special difficulties?
I became interested in both marine biology and ceramic sculpture during my junior year at San Francisco University High School. By senior year, I had created over 40 ceramic sculptural pieces inspired by marine invertebrates, all of which I auctioned off to raise funds for and AIDS shelter where I did community service. I realized then that I wanted to discover where and how biology and art could creatively intersect, and how I might influence others to see these two fields in a richer, expanded form.

Once at Skidmore, my advisor, Monica Raveret Richter, and the former head of the self-determined major subcommittee, Roy Rotheim, encouraged me to propose a self-determined major in marine biology and ceramic sculpture. This proposal required lots of motivation and planning, with a narrative of my interests and goals for my major, a tentative list of core courses, rationale for each course listed, and even a proposal for my senior project—all by October of my sophomore year. This process challenged me to organize my goals and interests and to make the best of Skidmore's resources. Other than the initial struggle of organizing my thoughts (and one semester of organic chemistry), pursuing my self-determined major was not particularly difficult because it allowed me to investigate what I am passionate about.

I am thrilled that I was able to take the initiative to create my own major. It allowed me to truly explore my interests through an interdisciplinary approach and gain an understanding of the biology and vibrancy of marine life that is greater than the sum of the parts.

As a high school student in California, how did you choose Skidmore?
I knew that I wanted to go to New York from my home in San Francisco to get a fresh perspective and explore another part of the country. After weighing my options, Skidmore seemed like a natural first choice because it offered the best combination of my interests for college: ceramics, biology, horseback riding, and study abroad. In addition to these offerings, I knew that Skidmore would allow me to self-determine my major.

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