Photography, 2005

For Kelly, studying photography means more than spending hours in the darkroom—it’s about spending time with people.

AIB’s state-of-the-art facilities help Kelly and other artists find their vision. “I spend hundreds of hours in the color lab,” she says. “It’s an incredible lab, and a chance to really connect with other students and talk about photography and life. The photo labs, computer labs, library—they’re all an important part of AIB.”

Kelly works at Gallery South, AIB’s student-run photography gallery, as well as the larger AIB main gallery. Working with other artists and curating shows sparked a newfound interest and possible career path. “I’m really excited about curating art, and I’m thinking about continuing to study it at the graduate level,” she says. “AIB gave me the freedom to stretch out and explore new interests—from art history to video to curating fine art.”