Sandra Pomeleo-Fowler ’22

Using only a gif, describe your major.

What talent would you most like to grow and develop in your future work?
One of my favorite parts of the projects I have done is learning peoples’ stories, so I want to become a better interviewer. During my time at Smith, I have had the opportunity to interview many people, including fellow artists. I was struck by the details of their practices that they shared with me, things that we never get to discuss when going about our daily lives. There are some things that you can only learn by asking someone the right questions about their knowledge and life experience.

Did you ever have trouble deciding on a major? What, ultimately, helped you decide?
I knew that I wanted to study art before I decided to come to Smith, so declaring my first major in Studio Art was an easy decision. But I also wanted to study other subjects that could inform my art. As a first-year, I had this collection of subjects I was interested in, including religion, language and politics. I found that anthropology speaks to all of those things, so eventually, it became my second major.

The installations track within the art major introduced me to socially engaged art, something I never imagined doing when I first declared. Having some additional background in anthropology helped me do the research and collaboration that those pieces required. After graduation, I hope to enter the art world, and I will probably use everything that I learned at Smith in some way, both inside and outside of my majors.

There are some things that you can only learn by asking someone the right questions about their knowledge and life experience.

What’s one piece of advice you’d like to share about your time at Smith?
Find people who you trust and can share your everyday experiences with. Smith can be stressful, so it helps to have support and affirmation. When I’ve shared things that I’m going through with my friends, I have found that I’m usually not alone. If you ever feel like you are the only person who didn’t know something, trust me, you aren’t!

What spot will you miss the most?
The Cushing living room! It’s a welcoming space for people inside and outside of the house. A lot of my most treasured Smith memories took place there–planning parties, hosting parties, doing homework and just spending time with friends. Our former housekeeper, Meg Kennedy (who now works in Albright–shout out to Meg!), used to keep a ‘holiday tree’ up for us, with new decorations for each seasonal holiday. I hope that the living room maintains that positive energy in the future.

What’s your all-time (big or small) favorite Smith memory?
Convocation in the fall of 2019! It was my sophomore year, so it was my first time coming to Smith as a returning student. My friends and I got to introduce the incoming first-years to house traditions, which included running to JMG before any other house got there. It’s kind of bittersweet to think about now, since it was one of the last major Smith events before the pandemic, but I don’t think convocation traditions are going anywhere!