Alumna Profile: Ellie Dent '09
In 2009, Upper School Art Teacher Hilary Briles took a group of students to the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., including then-senior Ellie Dent. Since her start at Indian Creek in Kindergarten, Ellie had visited plenty of museums, but the Hirshhorn was the first contemporary art museum she had ever visited. Ellie says, “At the time, the museum was filled with a retrospective by Louise Bourgeois; her work was representational enough to be relatable, but strange enough to spark intrigue.” This museum visit confirmed something incredible for Ellie: that self-expression could become a career.
After graduating from Indian Creek School (ICS), Ellie headed to Towson University where she earned a BFA in Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking in 2013. At Towson, Ellie was the first BFA student to become a teaching assistant, a role typically filled by graduate students, and it ignited her love of teaching. “Watching students succeed before your eyes is an incredibly gratifying experience.” Ellie’s work at Towson dealt with themes of bodily illness through microscopic patterns based in Biology. “I was passionate about furthering my research, and graduate school allowed for me to continue to make multidisciplinary work through collaboration with scientific imagery and techniques.”
Ellie recently graduated from the University of Georgia (UGA) with her MFA in Painting and Drawing. Alongside her studio practice and research, she taught foundation-level classes at UGA, including Drawing I and Color Theory. She also worked as a preparator at the Georgia Museum of Art. Ellie’s current body of work consists of paintings and sculptures with appropriated hospital materials that confront themes of the body during surgical procedures and the invasive experience of medical examination. Her work has been shown nationally, including an exhibition in Miami Beach during Art Basel 2015, and has been published in Hyperallergic and SciArt Magazine.
Ellie credits ICS with exposing her to a range of subjects that has now created her love for interdisciplinary research. “ICS fueled my curiosity. I tried everything: I played a team sport for the first time; I took AP classes that challenged me; I took up French after learning Spanish throughout Lower and Middle Schools - and then went to France! I wrote poetry. I studied Shakespeare. I learned how to hand-coil ceramics. My artistic career consists of constant grant writing, and Mrs. Mattingly’s AP Language & Composition course (and her love of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style) has never been forgotten. ICS trained me to have a constant desire to keep learning.” She sums up her time at ICS saying, “We questioned everything, we argued, we researched, we found solutions, and we laughed a lot.”
To those who wish to take up a career in the Fine Arts, Ellie says, “Being an artist is incredibly difficult and often undervalued, but the best advice I have is to be selfishly and unapologetically your own biggest fan!”
Back
After graduating from Indian Creek School (ICS), Ellie headed to Towson University where she earned a BFA in Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking in 2013. At Towson, Ellie was the first BFA student to become a teaching assistant, a role typically filled by graduate students, and it ignited her love of teaching. “Watching students succeed before your eyes is an incredibly gratifying experience.” Ellie’s work at Towson dealt with themes of bodily illness through microscopic patterns based in Biology. “I was passionate about furthering my research, and graduate school allowed for me to continue to make multidisciplinary work through collaboration with scientific imagery and techniques.”
Ellie recently graduated from the University of Georgia (UGA) with her MFA in Painting and Drawing. Alongside her studio practice and research, she taught foundation-level classes at UGA, including Drawing I and Color Theory. She also worked as a preparator at the Georgia Museum of Art. Ellie’s current body of work consists of paintings and sculptures with appropriated hospital materials that confront themes of the body during surgical procedures and the invasive experience of medical examination. Her work has been shown nationally, including an exhibition in Miami Beach during Art Basel 2015, and has been published in Hyperallergic and SciArt Magazine.
Ellie credits ICS with exposing her to a range of subjects that has now created her love for interdisciplinary research. “ICS fueled my curiosity. I tried everything: I played a team sport for the first time; I took AP classes that challenged me; I took up French after learning Spanish throughout Lower and Middle Schools - and then went to France! I wrote poetry. I studied Shakespeare. I learned how to hand-coil ceramics. My artistic career consists of constant grant writing, and Mrs. Mattingly’s AP Language & Composition course (and her love of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style) has never been forgotten. ICS trained me to have a constant desire to keep learning.” She sums up her time at ICS saying, “We questioned everything, we argued, we researched, we found solutions, and we laughed a lot.”
To those who wish to take up a career in the Fine Arts, Ellie says, “Being an artist is incredibly difficult and often undervalued, but the best advice I have is to be selfishly and unapologetically your own biggest fan!”
Indian Creek School
Indian Creek school is a co-educational, college preparatory independent school, located in Crownsville, Maryland. Students in Pre-K3 through grade 12 receive a vibrant educational experience based on excellent academics steeped in strong student-teacher connections.
