Elle Stephenson, a studio art BFA, is in her last year at Oregon State University, working towards her career as a gallery curator and artist. Elle has eagerly engaged with Corvallis, Oregon community while at OSU. Volunteering as the Truckenbrod Gallery and working as Gallery Assistant at the Patricia Reser Center for the Creative Arts, Stephenson attributes a vast fulfillment in the wider Corvallis arts community to the mentorship and support of peers and community members. With plans for a year in San Francisco after graduation, Elle will further her education in pursuit of a master’s program.

Working with the audience to create an art experience, Elle plays with perception and allows her work to grow as it’s received in new ways by her audience. By separating her intention for the work from its outcome, a collaboration begins, and an alternative reception is celebrated in co-creation with her audience. Stephenson also criticizes a modern disassociation from spirituality. No need to “Find God” in the traditional sense, but Elle asks us to challenge our relationship to belief and supplement the human need for spirituality in a new way. Your spiritual belief may be in human connection or art. There are many approaches to fulfilling our need for awe and rapture — Elle Stephenson hopes to find them and make them accessible through their work.