Serena Allen-Szatkowski arrived on campus in 2020 as an undeclared major. Four years later, she graduated with professional art experience under her belt, a piece of art on display with the City of Boise and plans to continue her creative work after Boise State.
How did she do it? A mix of artistic talent and support from the School of the Arts, which cultivates new models of interdisciplinary innovation, entrepreneurial initiative and collaborative community engagement to prepare artists to thrive.
For Serena, it started with a creative drive that she couldn’t ignore.
“When I was doing assignments [during COVID], I always went back to doodling in my notes for stress relief,” Serena said. “So when we came back to campus in 2021, I was like ‘I’m gonna take some art classes’. And I just decided that was the right path for me.”
When Serena chose to major in art, she joined a community dedicated to developing her creative talents and giving her the professional skills to make it as a professional artist. Boise State’s diverse arts faculty—specializing in everything from painting and sculpture to graphic design and metalsmithing—helped build her confidence and hone her creative vision.
The culmination of Serena’s time in the School of the Arts came in 2024, when she began a journey that would land one of her sculptures on display in downtown Boise. Serena enrolled in Associate Professor Lily Lee’s ART 334 course, where students practice advanced sculpture techniques while working to earn a real art commission.
Serena’s class had the opportunity to work with the City of Boise. “The City has a system to request proposals from artists,” Lee explained. “And they set one up just for students. So they go through the exact same process that a professional artist would.”
For Serena, that process led to a two-year contract that would display her artwork—a coyote scrap metal sculpture called Reclaimed Majesty—in front of the Modern Hotel. She went through the approval process with the City of Boise like any professional artist. At the same time, she pursued her own creative vision within the parameters the City set.
“The project was based on ‘recycle and reuse’,” Serena said. “So I went with scrap metal materials. I wanted to showcase the Boise area and one thing that sparked out as ‘Boise’ was a coyote. I wanted to take the beauty of nature and also the rustic kind of look found in metals.”
This commitment to creative and professional artist development is the School of the Arts’ unique offering to students. “When I was a student, [professional development] wasn’t a big focus,” Lee said, recalling her time as an undergraduate at the University of Washington. “But in our department, we’re looking at how to best prepare students. I think it’s extremely important for students to learn how to have their creative practice be self-supporting.”
That commitment prepares students for the future. It’s given Serena the skills she needs to continue her artistic journey. “Right now I’m looking at a master’s degree program,” she said. “I’m also looking around for artist residency programs and putting out as much art as I can.”
“Having the public art on my resume definitely supports any adventure I want to do next. Boise State offers so many different gallery calls for artists, so you get to put things on your resume which helps when you’re looking for new opportunities.”