William Zeng

Degree: MFA in Art

Expected Graduation Date: June 2023

Previous Degree: BA in Studio Art and BA in Economics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Painting and Drawing, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, IL

I’m From: San Francisco, CA

Why I Came to the UO and How I Chose My Major
I chose to earn my MFA from the University of Oregon’s College of Design because of my interest in working with the faculty in the program. I believe my research interests and ways of working align with many in the arts community. The thing I like most about the College of Design so far is how welcoming everyone has been. I feel that many have made an active efforts to reach out and connect to our cohort.

Deciding to earn a Master’s in Fine Arts came from the compulsion to be an artist. For myself, the arts feels like one of the places where the most interesting and rigorous questions are being asked. I was really drawn to the diversity of what an artistic practice can look like and what kinds of conversations it wants to engage with.

Unique Qualities I Bring to My Studies
I was always attracted to visual mediums as ways of communicating like illustration, design, and animation. For most of my life, I have been drawing, on and off, as a way of engaging visual culture. When I entered my undergraduate studies, I learned more about printmaking, photography, and painting. Developing those skills pulled me into a studio practice and into using art as a way of mediating the world around me.

My Influential Professors
Having just started at University of Oregon, the jury is still out on which professors will have an impact on me and my work. Prior to University of Oregon, I have had professors that opened my eyes to the larger arts field and to what was possible. I am hoping to find a teacher at University of Oregon that I can look towards as a mentor beyond my three years as a graduate student.

My Extracurricular Activities
Having started my program recently and joined in the midst of a global health crisis, I have not yet had the chance to join any student organizations yet. However, I am looking forward to joining the community that runs the Urban Farm on campus. I believe that gardens are an important part of overall wellness and food accessibility in urban environments.

My Greatest Learning Experience at UO
My greatest learning experience thus far has been through a meeting with one of the faculty discussing work that I have been developing and our goals over the course of the term. They had keen insights into the work, was a font of resources, and catalyzed needed critical discourse.

After Graduation
My greatest hopes are to become an educator myself. I want to be able to share everything that I’ve cultivated with more people. I want to sustain a practice making art and create spaces to show work and build community. I want to continue learning and challenging myself where ever I find myself in the world.

Your Gift
The Joe and Alone Fischer Scholarship is important to me because it provides resources to further my practice. The funds will be important in giving me more time and energy in the studio rather than trying to find money for day to day expenses elsewhere. The scholarship will also be used for the actual material involved with my art making, buying woods, paint, glues, electronics, and so forth.

I would like to express gratitude to the donors that make the Joe and Alone Fischer Scholarship possible. The money being distributed by the program is making a real difference in what is possible for students in the Art Department at University of Oregon. Thank you!