Camtastic Newsletter March 2026
CAM Graduate Students Partner with the Saint Louis Art Museum
By Shruti Rao
For the second year in a row, graduate students from the Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Media Arts partnered with the Saint Louis Art Museum for a day of creative engagement and public programming.
Building on last year’s successful artist presentations at the museum, MFA students Diazha Berry, Saba Raissian and Shruti Rao returned to develop an educational module centered on the art and practive of collage. The program was facilitated by Associate Professor Robert Spahr in collaboration with Mary Claire Pavlick, Museum Program Coordinator at SLAM.
Designed for high school students, college students and lifelong learners, the workshop invited participants to explore collage as both an artistic technique and a way of seeing. The original plan included a large group format with gallery visits, artist talks and hands-on making. However, due to a strike taking place the same day, attendance was lower than expected. The team quickly adapted, reshaping the session into a more intimate and flexible experience.
The afternoon began with introductions and a brief overview of collage, followed by an immersive experience practicing the craft. Participants worked with magazines, paper, and mixed materials, using thematic prompts to spark ideas and introduce creative constraints. The group then moved through the galleries, highlighting selected works through the lens of collage, unpacking ideas of fragmentation, assemblage, juxtaposition and material transformation, before returning to complete and reflect on their own pieces.
In addition to facilitating the workshop, each MFA student shared their individual artistic practice and personal relationship to collage, connecting museum works to their own approaches to image-making, storytelling and material experimentation.
Despite the unexpected challenges of the day, the program became a meaningful space for conversation, reflection and collective making. The continued partnership between SIU and the Saint Louis Art Museum reflects a shared commitment to experiential learning, public engagement, and expanding access to contemporary art practices.
It was a day shaped by adaptability, collaboration, and the simple but powerful act of making together.