By Mary Jo Penna
You do not have to look far to find talented young people in Transylvania County, and Julia Lusk is one of them. Julia is an art major and rising Senior at Brevard College, recipient of numerous visual arts and academic awards, and a Connestee Falls Student Scholarship Program (CFSSP) award winner.
Julia is an engaging and talented young artist. Her focus is on drawing and painting, with a particular interest in portraiture. Julia was introduced to the arts at a young age. Her mother is a graphic artist and her father is a sculpture and professor at Brevard College. Julia reminisced fondly about time spent in her father’s studio “creating stuff -- it was the thing we did together”, she explained. “I basically grew up around the college, so attending Brevard was just a natural extension of my early exposure and interests.”
Like many students who attended college during the pandemic, Julia and her friends searched for some sense of normalcy. She said, “We threw ourselves into our art”, finding comfort through creativity. Over time, the pandemic permeated facets of her work. She began drawing portraits of individuals alone with their technology, giving a face to the isolation. Julia said that aspects of this theme may carry into her senior show and thesis.
Julia’s work has appeared in a number of college and community shows. She has participated in the Off the Wall show at the Transylvania Arts Council, the Fine Arts Gala, and the Emergence show at the Bascom, a center for visual arts.
“Being in community with other artists enables me to be a better student”, Julia explained. She credits the CFSSP award with affording her the opportunity to stay on campus and participate fully as a college student. And Julia has taken advantage of this opportunity, earning the Highest GPA award Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior years. Julia also resurrected the defunct art club, becoming president and winning Brevard College Club of the year.
Julia plans to pursue a Master’s degree in art after graduating next spring from Brevard College. Although she isn’t certain what direction her graduate work will take her, she is certain about what brings her joy. According to Julia, “The best thing about art is the community and the ways in which art and people intersect.” Another certainty is that others will find joy through Julia’s art.
For more information about the CFSSP and ways to donate securely online, please visit the CFSSP website at www.cfscholarships.org. Your donation will make a difference in the educational opportunities for students in Transylvania County.