My name is Rob Hall, and I am a sophomore studying Design at Washington University in St. Louis’ Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art.

Rob Hall (Design ’21), left, helped coordinate and curate the 2018 Creator’s Gallery at the Skandalaris Center. In the background are custom dresses by Susan Terrill  (MAT ’70) and a tapestry by Marilyn Emerson Holtzer (AB ’60, AM ’63, PhD ’66). Photo by Brandon Wilburn

As a freshman last year, I was hired by the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship to help coordinate programs that focus on creativity. I am a Detroit native, where I organized many arts- and music-based events prior to attending Washington University. So I was more-than excited for the opportunity to bring my passion for creativity to the Skandalaris Center.

One of the events I help coordinate is the Creator’s Gallery, and we just wrapped up our second annual installment of it. The exhibition ran from November 16th to the 18th, and began with a reception at which over 75 guests celebrated the opening. On display were oil paintings, international photography sets, 3D-printed engineering prototypes, videography, and more. The opening reception also featured live performances, including a script reading, vocal performance, and an essay reading.

The 2nd annual Creator’s Gallery showcased the work of 30 exhibitors spanning 10 different mediums. Photo by Brandon Wilburn

This year’s Creator’s Gallery was a compelling presentation of the dynamic talents possessed by the Washington University community. It featured the work of 30 creators from across the university, represented all levels (undergraduates, graduates, alumni, and faculty), and spanned 10 mediums.

The gallery began as a way both to connect creative individuals at Washington University and to display a variety of creative work. As an art student myself, I’m proud that the Skandalaris Center not only focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship, but also creativity.

“Creativity is a necessary step towards innovation and entrepreneurship,” remarked II Luscri, the Managing Director of the Skandalaris Center, “The Creator’s Gallery provides a key opportunity for our community to celebrate creative behaviors and bring more people into the Skandalaris ecosystem.”

Entrepreneurship cannot exist without creativity. The underlying ideas that build a company, project, or organization do not come from thinking stagnantly or finding comfort in complacency. Furthermore, creativity is inherently entrepreneurial. The courage required to step forward and create something from nothing is prevalent in both large startups and painters. Thus, the Creator’s Gallery illustrates just how much creativity and entrepreneurship are intertwined.

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What sets the Creator’s Gallery apart from more traditional art exhibitions is its interdisciplinary nature. Since the Skandalaris Center has an interdisciplinary focus, we encourage the submission of any creative work, including but not limited to: poetry, painting, photography, engineering, live performance, videography, fiction writing, theatrical performance and more. Additionally, recognizing that creativity is not bounded by age or background, we allow any current student, staff member, faculty member, or alumnus to submit their work.

“The submission numbers prove the demand for such an interdisciplinary exhibition,” explained Shauna Williams, Brand and Communications Manager at the Skandalaris Center and staff coordinator of this year’s gallery. “Due to space constraints, we had to be very selective this year and accepted only half of those who submitted.”

We are always looking ahead and are already thinking about what future Creator’s Galleries will look like. Can we display even more work? Can we feature even more performers? However it may transform over the years, I’m proud to be a part of a team providing a platform that elevates creativity.

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2018 Exhibitors

Anthony Bartley, Biology ’20
Daphne Benzaquen, MBA ’17
Sanjeevani Bhavsar, Biology and Classics (Latin) ’21
Lisa Chen, Architecture ’22
Donovan Duggins, Drama and Educational Studies ’20
Alex Evets, Communication Design ’22
Oluwakemi Faniyi, Biomedical Engineering ’20
Evan Gates, Film and Media Studies ’19
Gina Grafos, MFA Visual Art ’09
Beata Grant, Professor of Chinese and Religious Studies
A’Daja Harris, English ’22
Marilyn Emerson Holtzer, AB Mathematics ’60, AM Chemistry ’63, PhD Chemistry ’66
Nadia Irvin, Leadership and Strategic Management ’20
Meenakshi Jha, MFA Visual Arts and Performance ’19
Aidan Kelley, Computer Science ’22
Annie Kern, Architecture ’21
Chiyu Liao, MA Comparative Literature ’23
Daelen Morris, African and African American Studies ’20
Maia Nagle, Psychology ’21
Nathan Reed, MA Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering ’19
Thomas Smith, Biology and Psychology ’75
ZeCora Smith, Communication Design and African & African-American Studies ’19
Paula Stevenson, MFA in Visual Arts ’19
Susan Terrill, MAT French and Education ’70
Terrence Tsou, Biology ’19
Grace Westercamp, Psychology ’20
Tedd Wiessner, MA Chemistry ’22
Lily Xu, Biomedical Engineering ’20
Guorun Yang, Architecture ’22
Ziyi Zhang, Fine art and Philosophy ’21