Thankful for a Strong Ladder
Transfer student Gregory Fawkes is energized by the creative opportunities at RISD that his scholarship has made possible.
Art was an important way for Gregory Fawkes 22 FAV to communicate as a child, and he continues to feel energized when engaging in artistic endeavors. “I am excited by history, transition and analog forms. I love the queer parts of a waterfall that is overflowing and gently consuming the forest’s floor,” he says.
Fawkes, who is from Ashland, Massachusetts, felt the call to study art full-time and transferred to RISD in 2019. “I decided I wanted to come to RISD in order to be more decisive and specific in my practice. But it still was a difficult decision to make as I considered the community that I would lose,” he recalls. “I remember feeling like I had to commit to make a change. I spent most of my first year devoting hours every week to my RISD application.”
“I felt so grateful just to attend my public college in Massachusetts, and private school had always seemed unachievable due to the higher cost,” he says. “Being accepted to RISD with financial aid and having ample opportunity for exciting work-study positions made the transition possible, along with many, many hours of work and incredible support from my family.”
Fawkes is the recipient of the David Rosenberg Memorial Scholarship, established in memory of David Rosenberg 94 FAV for a compassionate student studying film or video who has completed their junior year and is committed to the creative process. “The financial aid that I receive at RISD is a strong ladder and a reward that I am grateful for every day. Members of my family who grew up without the prospect of a higher education have helped me better understand my good fortune of having this opportunity to earn my RISD degree. I truly understand how lucky and blessed I am to get to study art where I do. It is something that is never lost on me.”
However, the transition to RISD was not an easy one, at first. “My biggest surprise when I came to RISD was feeling like an imposter,” he recalls. “I experienced these feelings upon my arrival, and I had to work to remove myself from that negative space.”
Now in his senior year, Fawkes is thriving at RISD and enjoying learning and pursuing his creative calling. “I make films of stop motion animation, live action and video collage. I also take photographs and work in the dark room every day,” he says. “I also am most energized by reading words that challenge formal writing rules and styles in my studies.”
Fawkes is also grateful for support from the Materials Fund. “I shot my junior film on Kodak 16mm film and would have struggled to do so without the Materials Fund. I work several jobs during the year in Providence to cover living expenses and often feel deflated by the idea that I am sacrificing so much of my week that could be spent in the studio. The Materials Fund has given me the opportunity to have more ambition with my choice of materials and to fee free of financial constraints.”
