Visiting artists Ulrike Stoltz and Uta Schneider didn’t let snowstorm Saturn derail their plans for their visit to Columbia. Although the college decided to close all school buildings at 3:00 p.m. on the day the storm hit for safety reasons, Stoltz and Schneider’s lecture was quickly rescheduled to happen the very next day.

The Wednesday event went off without a hitch, and was well attended. The artists spoke about their 27 years of experience as collaborators, including founding the book artists collective Unica T, and their work in book arts.

The following day, Ulrike Stoltz (Professor of typography at Hochschule für Bildende Künste BraunschweigUniversity of Art) and Uta Schneider (freelance designer and lecturer in book design and typography, and previous executive manager for the Stiftung Buchkunst – Book Art Foundation) visited the studios of some of the graduate students in the InterArts Media and Book and Paper programs.

The visits resulted in some lively exchanges. New perspectives were shared on students’ ongoing work, as well as discussions on the pressures of graduate school, and how to balance the graduate school experience with each person’s artistic practice outside the academic environment. “It is crucial to find that synergy while you are in the program between your ongoing practice and the expectations and schedules required in an MFA program,” said Uta.

“Everyone will use the academic studio program to help focus their work. Conversely, the program benefits from each student bringing a great deal into this academic environment,” she continued. “Everyone brings more than they will have time to work with during their time here. It’s important to remind oneself that the program doesn’t get ‘all of you.’ There are many ideas that may have to wait until post-graduate school.”

For more on the artists Ulrike Stoltz and Uta Schneider, click here.