Alexandra Remlin

Student

“A lot of students here come from hard backgrounds. But they’re here, looking for something better. They’re learning, and it’s awesome.”

“When I first got to SMC, I was a little freaked by all the tough-looking kids,” admits Alexandra Remlin, who is returning to college to study ceramics. “But everybody I’ve met here is open-minded, and I’m just having a great time now. My fiancé actually studied pottery here 15 years ago with Bruce Tomkinson—who is a phenomenal potter—and we come here to study with him. We’re doing so well, in fact, that we may appear on a new TV shopping network. They’ve got about 20 million viewers,” she adds with a laugh, “so we might just be able to sell a couple of pots.”

Alexandra’s re-entry at SMC has centered around learning very practical skills in the arts. “I’ve spent a lot of years in college and, when I graduated, a lot of good it did me. I ended up working in a publicity office for practically nothing. The only money I’ve made has been in doing freelance things, so I’ve just decided to learn all I can about the arts.” And Alexandra reports that SMC’s art faculty is keenly aware that good artists need to make a good living as well.

“At the art department sale I met the teachers in sculpture, printmaking, and glass blowing. And I’m very impressed with them all,” she says. “People don’t realize how lucky they are to be studying with teachers like these—and at this kind of price. Honestly, my drawing teacher Linda Lopez is probably the best teacher I ever had. But with all the faculty here,” Alexandra continues, “you get an emphasis on developing practical skills. And that equates with making a good living. With the way the world is shaping up—especially in the arts—you’d better have a good set of marketable skills. And I think that, clearly, the idea of SMC is to provide people with an education that enables them to make their way successfully in life.”

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