Former One Stone learner Elise Malterre on art school, activism and street food
Elise Malterre graduated from One Stone in the spring of 2019 with years of experience in Two Birds, our in-house creative agency, and an acceptance letter to Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York City. Elise had grown accustomed to risk-taking during her time at One Stone, but moving across the country and enrolling in one of the world’s most renowned art schools felt like a big leap into the unknown. Now well into her first semester, Elise shares with us some of the unique experiences and opportunities she’s experiencing in the Big Apple.
Elise Malterre sits in front of the work she’s created so far during her first semester at Parsons School of Design. Most of the two dimensional pieces behind her were created in her Drawing and Imaging class, including the work on the right, which is a self-portrait that was warped using Adobe Photoshop, then painted. The pieces on the bed beside her were created in a 3D design class called Space and Materiality that teaches students about the basics of different materials and tools.
About four months ago, I moved to the biggest city in the country to study Integrated Design and Environmental Studies at Parsons School of Design at The New School. As excited as I was for college, I didn’t want to put my life on hold for four or five years to be in a complete bubble of school. One Stone encouraged me to work in the real world, and I didn’t want to lose that. Going to a school like Parsons, with New York City as our campus, seemed like the perfect opportunity to reframe the college experience to still exist within the real world.
Elise and one of her roommates, Caroline Klodell, at the NYC Climate Strike on September 20, 2019.
Although my time is occupied mainly by school, I still live in a city that is bursting at the seams with opportunity. I have joined groups like the Extinction Rebellion, a global environmental movement, and participated in incredible events, like the Climate Strike on September 20th, which brought over 250,000 protestors to Lower Manhattan...amazing!! Not to mention all the art, music, and things to do in this city that have kept me busy. I feel like a tourist going to all of the stereotypical New York stops, but hey, some are really cool!
Coming from a school without grades or traditionally structured courses, I didn’t know how I would adjust back into a more conventional system, even at a university known for being different and unconventional. I find that my whole idea of school is different than before going to One Stone in that I am not as grade obsessed. Instead, I am motivated by creating work that I enjoy and take pride in. Luckily for me, I go to a school that has allowed me to do that to some extent. Although nowhere close to my experience at One Stone, I am still able to take risks and experiment within my structured classes. I am trying new things to find my style as an artist, and defining what it is that I am truly passionate about. My technical skills and the way I think about art and design has completely changed, and I am pretty stoked about some of the work I have made! I am especially proud of my photo collection of food that has been dropped in the streets...it's riveting.
Until about a year ago, I never thought I would end up in art school. One of the biggest influences on my confidence to pursue design in college was my experience at Two Birds, and the coaches and students that helped me along the way. I joined Two Birds in my sophomore year at One Stone, and it quickly became my passion and where I spent most of my nights. Going from a complete novice, to Co-Managing Director, to Account Executive gave me experience in the world of design and business that I am eternally grateful for. I designed and helped to run a creative agency at age 16 and 17 with very little prior experience, which empowered me to jump in to new situations. If it wasn’t for my early days at Two Birds, with coaches and students sitting in front of Adobe Illustrator with me for hours as I tried to create a logo, I really don’t think I would have gone down the path that led me to design school.
From the posts I see on Instagram and the updates I get from friends and coaches, I am so excited for Two Birds to continue growing and blossoming as new waves of designers and creatives join. I am proud to have been a part of Two Birds, for the design work I did, and for encouraging other students to take on new leadership roles. It is crazy to see how much One Stone has changed in just a few months. Part of me is envious of the exciting new things that are happening, but I am proud to have been in the trailblazing class that built the foundation for the lab school to build on. Mostly, I’m just excited to see how much more change is going to happen in the coming years.
–Elise Malterre, One Stone graduate
Our thanks to Elise for sharing her college experiences with us! To learn more about Elise’s experience in Two Birds, including how she perfected the art of the awkward email, read her April 2018 blog post, Don’t Wait – Experience the Real World, Right Now.
