Seth Apter (GSAS '85) came to the city in 1983, and it changed his life. In this guest blog post, Seth tells us about how his time at NYU almost three decades ago still influences his art today.
It was in 1983 that I moved to NYC to attend NYU. I had
entered a Master’s program in Psychology through the Graduate School of Arts
and Science. As thrilled as I was to further my education and get one step
closer to a career as a Psychologist, I was even more excited to have finally
made it to New York.
The entire city, including the Village, was very different
back in the early 80s than at present. It was much more gritty and much less
Disney. The city was filled with crime, drugs, abandoned buildings, graffiti,
and neighborhoods that you wouldn’t go to in the day – let alone after dark.
But there was also a feeling of endless possibilities, a sense of unfolding creativity,
and an openness to exploration that filled the air.
In my time at NYU, my focus was split between studying and
playing. I spent a lot of time exploring all that the city had to offer. And I
didn’t know it then, but I was absorbing and storing all the creativity that
surrounded me. After I got my Master’s degree from NYU in 1985, I continued my
studies at CUNY and received my PhD in Psychology. It is now almost exactly 30
years later and I am currently a Psychologist in my own private practice.
While there are many different inspirations for my artwork, I believe that there is a direct connection to life in NYC circa the early 1980s. I am a mixed media artist and incorporate found objects that I pick up from the streets of the city in much of my work. There is often a distressed element to the surface of my art and I try to bring in a sense of history to what I create. I truly believe that it was my experiences in NYC while a student at NYU that set the tone for the choices I have made in art, and in life, ever since.
You can learn more about Seth and his artwork at
http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com.
So much interesting and informative blog post you shared with us. Thanks for sharing it. Keep it up.
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