Mae Ryan, Class of 2009
Major: Architectural Design
Student Groups: Editor of Intermission
Overseas: Florence
Website: www.maeryan.com
Favorite thing about Stanford: The quad— Fredrick Olmstead is the man
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A Chat with Mae Ryan
Stanford Student Arts: Why did you decide to come to Stanford?
Mae Ryan: The weather… have you ever experienced a Boston winter?
SSA: Why is Stanford a special place to be as an artist/creator/organizer?
MR: Stanford has been really generous with arts funding—I've already worked on three photo projects I never would have been able to do without Stanford’s support.
SSA: What are you most passionate about?
MR: Meeting interesting people, experiencing new places, enjoying the moment
SSA: How does this play a role in your life at Stanford?
MR: Working on Intermission this year has been a really cool opportunity to connect with other creative people on campus and create a new arts and entertainment outlet. I’ve gotten to take photos of events I never would have known existed – visiting professional ballerina Cynthia Gregory, the STREB rehearsal, where gymnasts and dancers combined for cir du soliel gravity defying moves etc.
SSA: How did you get involved in your various activities/groups outside of academics?
MR: Freshman year I was wandering aimlessly around the activities fair and noticed the Stanford Daily photography sign up sheet. I knew I wasn't going to major in Studio Art so The Daily seemed like a natural way to keep up with photography. Through Junior year I worked as a desk editor there and then went on board with my wonderful co-editor, Kelsey Mesher, to recreate Intermission.
SSA: Describe what motivates or inspires you to do the work you are doing in the arts at Stanford.
MR: The best part of photography (at least in my opinion) is that it gives you a chance to show others how you experience the world. I love framing things in new ways and it's been really great to see how students at Stanford react to my work.
SSA: Describe a project or experience that you’ve had as a student that made a big impact on your Stanford experience.
MR: Sophomore year I got a Chappell Lougee Grant to interview and document the lives of second generation Shambhala Buddhists. Both of my parents converted to Buddhism before I was born so I grew up with words like materialism, suffering, reincarnation and meditation always floating around. I hadn't connected with other dharma brats (as we're sometimes affectionately called) so the grant gave me the opportunity to travel to New York , NY and Boulder, CO, two big hubs for Shambhala Buddhism in the states, and talk with other Buddhists my age. The project gave me the opportunity to understand the unique predicament of growing up Buddhist in America.
SSA: What funding sources did you use?
MR: Chappell Lougee did me wonders.
SSA: What resources were most helpful/useful to you in your project(s)?
MR: I did the whole project using black and white film, which can get pretty costly. Also I never would have had the money to just get up and go to Boulder or live in New York.
SSA: What was the most challenging aspect of the project?
MR: Forming a cohesive project was actually a bit more challenging than I originally thought. Talking with people and understanding their relationship with Buddhism was engaging, but every person's background was so unique that it was hard to convey the complexity of their experience only through photographs.
SSA: Describe any creative solutions to problems you encountered?
MR: I decided to start recording all of my conversations with my fellow Dharma Brats. I’m actually still working on getting through all 20 hours of recordings, but hopefully I’ll be able to convey how Buddhism has shaped each of their lives –something that didn’t truly come across in the photographs.
SSA: How was it rewarding?
MR: For as long as I can remember I’ve always had to introduce myself to people in the Buddhist community as the daughter of Frank and Susan Ryan, so it was refreshing to finally connect with the community on a new level.
SSA: What did you learn/what are you most proud of as a result of this experience?
MR: Ok this is a pretty mundane life lesson, but I really learned first hand that things never seem to come together as easily as you would like. Coordinating everything was slightly more complicated than I first imagined, but I’m really proud of the result.
SSA: What are some things you’ve done during summers that are of particular interest?
MR: The summer after freshmen year I interned with a few photographers in the Boston area. I got a lot of exposure to different fields of photography—namely lifestyle, photojournalism, architecture and food. The food photography internship was pretty crazy. I got to help as the food stylists went through hundreds of hamburger buns to find the appropriate seed distribution and color. That summer I also worked with a photographer who freelanced for Esquire. Some highlights included photographing Ferraris, riding in the back of a Bentley and tailgating for a Patriots game with a mini cooper. I also worked with a movie set photographer and got to go on the set of a movie directed by Fred Durst (bet you haven't thought about Limp Bizkit in a while) and watch some cool stunts. This past summer I interned at MA Architects in New York and also worked on a new photography project of the city.
SSA: How have your academic studies related or not-related to your activities in the arts?
MR: Studying architecture has allowed me to get involved in new areas in the arts. This year I have the opportunity to design the layout of a Cantor Arts Exhibit that will showcase Stanford Professor Artists. I've also been doing a lot more physics and math related work, which has been a nice counterpoint to the freedom of design.
SSA: Tell us a little bit about how you’ve balance your artistic interests with your academics.
MR: I've really only been able to balance academics with photography because of the arts grants. Living in New York is expensive enough so without the money from Stanford I never would have completed my most recent project. I also just got back from traveling in Israel and Egypt and am looking forward to putting together my next project.
SSA: What do you dream about doing after Stanford?
MR: Right now I could go a few different directions, but I would love to travel the world and take photographs. Recently I've also become more interested in making sustainable architecture more of a reality so I could go down that path too. Starving artist sounds fun too and maybe more realistic in the current job market. We shall see....
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