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Chapman is completing his final semester as a master's student in the fine arts department but if you asked him in second grade, he would have never predicted the path he is traveling.
"I developed my first photo using a pinhole camera. I found it interesting right away, but I didn't immediately think that I would make a career out of it," he said.
In a town rife with political hacks, lawyers and lobbyists, it's not surprising that GW's art department can go relatively unnoticed. But art here flourishes. With institutions lining the blocks of Foggy Bottom and beyond, art majors are able to draw inspiration and have their worked displayed. Like the political science majors, GW's art students utilize Washington institutions to further their education. Opportunities such as this and GW's urban location are both major draws for art students.
"Washington, D.C., as a city, represents American culture, and that includes art," said Sarah Hubbs, a master's student getting her degree in painting. After completing an undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona and taking time off to do showings in Italy, she decided to make the move to the East Coast.
"Washington, D.C. has so much to offer - museums that are free, a strong contemporary presence, and the diversity that comes with living in an urban environment," Hubbs said.
Despite these advantages, GW's art department still flies relatively under the radar, for reasons both in and out of student control. The Dimock Gallery for example, which displays student work in the basement of Lisner Auditorium, is permitted to open only two hours a day - and that's if students volunteer time to run it.
"Sometimes we run into a lot of red tape" Chapman said. He provided several alternative solutions, such as turning the position into a paid work-study job, or increasing student involvement.
