Student Feature: MacKenzie Crable
During the semester, we invite students to share their story. Every one of the RITphoto students have their own experiences because they all come from different places and have different interests. MacKenzie Crable is a fourth year fine art photography student. MacKenzie is from a small town outside Erie, Pennsylvania. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy in 2014 and is in her fifth year at RIT. She has minors in Art History and Psychology. Her interest in photography stems from her father, who taught her all the basics.
Why did you choose Rochester Institute of Technology?
When I was a senior in high school, I applied to and was accepted into RIT’s Mechanical Engineering program and Aerospace option (and secretly because it also had a photography program). I wasn’t planning on being an artist until after my first year of studying Mechanical Engineering. It was at that time I realized engineering wasn’t making me as happy as I thought it would. Rather than having a passion for what I was doing, I felt like I was just there for the sake of being there. I made an appointment in the spring of my freshman year to speak with Willie Osterman, the program director of the fine art photography program about changing my major. I did this because I was always drawn to photography and I have never once regretted switching my major.
What has been your most challenging assignment as a photography student?
I like to challenge myself with every assignment that I’m given, but the most challenging of all was definitely the “Light as a Metaphor” assignment in Photo Arts I. It sounds kind of dumb now that I found this so challenging, but for some reason I just could not wrap my head around the assignment. That assignment really changed the way I look at light and the effect in has on the world around me now.
The Fine Art Photo seniors have started planning our Fine Art BFA Show in March and managing everything for that is quickly surpassing Light as a Metaphor as the most difficult assignment!
A favorite class or teacher story
I have two favorite classes (so far). Contemporary Issues: Photo as Object and Bookbinding.
Contemporary Issues: Photo as Object showed me that photography can be more than just a 2D image and that you can totally cut up all your images if you feel like it. Since that class, I’ve been really interested in collage and physically manipulating my work. Bookbinding is another one of my favs because I like making things by hand (and when the class is over you have so many new books to fill with whatever you want!).
As for a favorite teacher, I’d like to give a shout-out to the lovely Carole Woodlock. She’s always super supportive and her outfits really brighten my day!
What are you plans after School?
I’m not entirely sure of what I want to do after I graduate, but I know I want to get out of Rochester. I’ve been here for almost five years now and I’m itching to travel.
www.instagram.com/mackenzie_crable/
