During his time at Whitman, Tyler Calkin-Low ’09 thrived thanks to the many creative opportunities available to him. Now, as a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR)—where he teaches digital media, creative coding, and game design—he often reflects on how his undergraduate experiences paved the way for his career in higher education. The enthusiasm for art he found at Whitman continues to shape his current work, which has taken him to various locations worldwide.
Whitman prepared me for my current role in teaching Bachelor’s and Master’s of Fine Arts students, bringing criticality and contemporary art discourse into undergraduate classes.
Tyler’s Pathway
AUG 2005 | Came to Whitman from Northern California wanting to pursue a career in art.
2005 | Fencing Club Member
2006 | Illustration Editor of the Student Newspaper: Now known as The Wire, Calkin-Low was able to play with and learn about illustration in relation to fine art while collaborating with other student artists.
2007 | Interned at the Seattle Asian Art Museum: With help from the Whitman Internship Grant, Calkin-Low assisted in organizing the museum's Chinese snuff bottle collection along with aiding them in their graphic design needs.
2008 | Study Abroad in Florence, Italy: Attending the Studio Arts College International, one of Whitman’s partner institutions, was one of Calkin-Low's most influential experiences during college. Courses ranging from Renaissance art history to stone carving expanded his understanding of three-dimensional space and materiality.
2009 | Abshire Research Scholar Award: A financial stipend earned through a professor’s nomination to assist in academic research in the Humanities throughout the academic year.
2009 | Art Major New York Trip: In the annual senior year tradition, professors accompany students to New York City to examine art in many different realms and environments.
2009 | Louis B. Perry Student Art Award
MAY 2009 | Graduated with a B.A. in Art and a minor in English
2011 | Earned a Master’s in Fine Art at the California Institute of the Arts: In pursuing this degree, he also graduated with a supplemental concentration in Integrated Media.
2018 | Joined the Department of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno as faculty
“After the transformational education I received at Whitman, I enrolled in a Master’s program at CalArts and spent the next several years making work in Los Angeles.”
Calkin-Low acknowledges how the work he did at Whitman had a lasting impact on his career following graduation. “Being hired at UNR is in large part thanks to the conceptual rigor of my teaching and art practice—something I first learned at Whitman.”
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