When Marc Holland, sculptor and director of MassArt’s Studio Foundation Program, enrolled at MassArt in 1995, he thought he was embarking on a journey that would lead to teaching university-level photography. But he didn’t understand just how transformational his MassArt journey would be. 

“I knew when I got to MassArt that it was my place—everything felt right about it,” he said. “At 30 years old, I was married, I knew my direction in life. I knew I wanted to teach no matter what, and I thought photography was the thing.”

But that plan shifted when Marc took a woodworking class in honor of his late father. Three weeks into the course, his professor, Rick Brown said something that set his education on a new trajectory. 

“He asked me ‘You’ve been thinking with your hands before your head your whole life, haven’t you?’” Marc recalls. “He said ‘If you can put something in your hands first, instead of trying to think through it first, it makes a whole lot more sense, doesn’t it?’ And he was right. I declared a double major that afternoon. And I fell in love with all things 3D.” 

After finishing his MassArt education with dual degrees in sculpture and photography, Marc went on to complete graduate programs in sculpture and visual art. When he returned to MassArt to teach his first class as an adjunct in 2003, Rick Brown, the woodworking professor who changed the course of his education, offered Marc some teaching advice that’s stayed with him. 

“He told me the hardest thing is that we’re always teaching for 10 years from now—the things you really want students to know, in their heads and in their hearts, take 10 years to sink in,” Marc says. “There are things like cutting, sure, that stick in the moment—but the things you’re teaching them about themselves, you have to have faith that they will understand, in time.” Marc says that hearing from past students about those moments when everything clicks into place is one of the most rewarding aspects of his job.

Another thing he loves about teaching is helping students understand how the skills they gain at MassArt lead to limitless possibilities in terms of the impact they can have on the world—sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

Artist, MassArt trustee, and innovation consultant Kelly Sherman wields her creativity and curiosity to find the next big idea in organizational strategy.

People who wind up at art school often feel they want to make something that doesn’t yet exist. That’s how it was for me. Sometimes I feel like a kind of seer. The challenge is to understand what I’m seeing. The art studio is especially designed for this, as is art school. It’s full of others who are similar and educators who understand and nurture us. It’s a place to learn skills and techniques but that’s not really the point. Art school helps you explore your inner itch and challenge yourself to broaden your view. Ultimately it helps you make sense of what to do with the talent or trait that seems to set you apart from others.

I chose to major in sculpture for the freedom it offered. The opportunity to experiment with different materials led me to blow glass, weld metal, carve wood, spin yarn, and make films. Time outside of class was just as rich. I joined my English teacher’s neighborhood poetry group. I worked with professional artists and curators in the galleries. I swapped books with my physics teacher. I actually enjoyed physics! Every day felt exciting and fun. My time at MassArt was full of play, expansion, and creative growth. I felt empowered and surrounded by people who had faith in me.