It’s difficult to believe that just this past Friday, I was one of the many other featured artists for the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts’ undergraduate thesis exhibition.
The opening reception was a moment that my fellow peers and I celebrated every sacrifice that it’s taken for us to reach this point. Every heartache, uncertainty, insecurity and fear brought us all to where we are now.
My heart is so full of love and gratitude to have met such extraordinarily thoughtful individuals. With open minds, each of them produced one thousand and one different forms of unique, self expression and I sincerely couldn’t be more proud.
It was remarkable to see such a body of diversity sectioned to adorn the campus walls of the Chauncey Stillman , Sill House and Foyer galleries. Each artist had their own artistic fingerprint, marking lengths of research and experimentation, yet most importantly being- self discoveries.
Watching these students grow into the tremendous artists that they are, has been an utter pleasure and great honor in every way possible.
In these last few weeks as a Lyme student, my heart continues to fall heavier at the fact that my systematic pattern of seeing these familiar faces each day, will soon be drawing to a final close.
These students, faculty and staff, have all made such a tremendous impact on my life. At this school, I’ve experienced some of the greatest, and equally as devastating, experiences that I’ve ever had to face thus far. No matter how difficult the obstacles were, support and encouragement was always there.
However, just two weeks before the start of the academic year, the board of governors from our partnered college, The University of New Haven, announced on August 13th 2018, that the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts will cease to offer BFA degree and certificate programs, effective after the final academic year of May, 2019.
For years, the college struggled immensely following its initial accreditation in 1996. Difficult changes, sacrifices and decisions were (and had to have been) made by UNH in order to keep us financially afloat. Despite the announcement coming as such a shock to everyone, all that was permissibly in our power at that point was to keep our strength and to carry on with our artistic pursuits nonetheless.
Thankfully, my graduating class were able to remain unaffected by this drastic change. This coming May, we will all be able to receive our degrees side by side. I couldn’t have been more thankful for such a blessing to come into our lives. Given this opportunity to finish the traditionally based, classical education that I began with, will be a gift that I’ll always cherish.
I’m humbled to have seven of my thesis works currently exhibited in the main Foyer of the campus. Just as my peers had done, I poured all of my heart into this ‘little, big-body-of bodies’, and I couldn’t wait to mount the works onto the very same walls that my mentor and dear friend, Roland Becerra exhibited his paintings on for years.
This private, intimate space that the lobby gave my fellow exhibiting friends and I, what in a sense was perhaps destined to be, our very own “group show”. Deeply, I want to extend my appreciation to all five of my tremendous, encompassing “mini grouped” artists:
To my incredible class of 2019, thank you for your courage, dedication, strength, open mindedness and patience. The genuine brilliance of your creative thinking is outstanding and It has been the greatest pleasure to have studied alongside you all. Although it hurts to dwell on the days we’re soon to part, I couldn’t have been more happy to call you my friends and classmates. I can’t wait to see where your talents will take you. Thank you for giving me a home in this little town of Old Lyme.
For more photos of our work from the show , have a look here:
RochelleTascaArt 
In my head, this read like a valedictory speech. A decent one at that. I can only imagine the bouquet of feelings in the light of being your program’s final graduating class… Congratulations.
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Thank you so much!
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