Art Lives on through Scholarship
By Libby Cudmore
Jellyfish float above a cityscape. A cartoon whale drifts through an underwater village. This is how Victoria Spina ’24, sees the world.
And last year, as part of her Junior Review, she shared that view — with the help of an animated swarm of jellyfish and a cheerful whale.
Spina, an art and business major with an anthropology minor, admits she couldn’t have done it without the generosity of the Helen P. Rowan P’84 Scholarship For the Arts, which she received in her junior and senior years.
Established in 2012 by former Trustee Marcus R. Rowan ’84, the scholarship honors his mother, who was an expert artist with a specialty in the Art of the Painted Finish, which uses contemporary finishing materials to simulate precious materials, such as marble or ivory, on furniture and woodcraft.
“My mother was my greatest teacher and an inspiration surrounded by art,” said Rowan. “We traveled extensively, and she made these trips educational by making sure we learned about art, history and culture. Touring museums and galleries, watching opera and classical music made a tremendous impression. What better way to honor her than to make this scholarship in her name?”
And that scholarship — $14,206 in 2022-23 and $15,856 in 2023-24 — opened the way for Spina to receive that same great artistic education.
