Where Are They Now: Emma Steinkraus
Visual artist Emma Steinkraus discovered the possibility of a life in the arts at Interlochen, and now she’s living it.
Emma Steinkraus, Boating Party, 2023, oil and acrylic on canvas, 48h x 72w
When Emma Steinkraus (IAC 99-03, IAA 03-05) left her home in Fayetteville, Ark., to attend Interlochen Arts Camp–and later Interlochen Arts Academy–she found a community where art was taken seriously and where people believed that pursuing a career in the arts was possible. She credits her time at Interlochen with providing her not only with the technical skills needed to pursue her passion as a painter, but also relationships with mentors, teachers, and friends that continue to sustain her. She continued her studies at Williams College and the University of Iowa and attended residencies at the Studios at MASS MoCA, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Ox-Bow, the Wassaic Project, and the Blue Mountain Center, among many others.
Now an artist and educator at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Va., she makes colorful, fantastical paintings and installations about gender, myth-making, and the more-than-human world. Her work has appeared in exhibitions in the United States, Germany, and China and is represented by 1969 Gallery in New York, where she had her first solo exhibition in 2023.
The arts allow you to connect with other people in a way that prizes authenticity and self-expression, where you’re not having to hide parts of yourself or be buttoned up all the time. You can bring your full self to the table–that’s really valuable to me.