“To My Favorite Place”

A day student from Tolland, Connecticut, Megan Swanson is a senior teaching assistant (TA) for Mrs. Graham’s graphic design course who recently published a blog revealing her digitally inspired book about Suffield Academy.

While the book recognizes several familiar places and events that make the Suffield Academy campus a home—including suffsets on Bell Hill, Fuller Hall’s famed cupula, Holcomb’s living vegetation wall, Tiger roars echoing Holmes Field and Kinne Court, yoga in the Balance Barn, climbing in the SOLO Barn, and friends gathering in Landis Student Union—Megan dedicates her work to the many lasting memories made at what she calls her favorite place. “May the lessons learned and the bonds formed here last a lifetime,” she scribes in the foreword.

“I created this book as a project for my graphic design class last spring,” she explains. “There were a few technical guidelines for the assignment, but we had free rein as to what the book was about. I wanted it to be like a dictionary of all the places on campus and what makes them so special. Suffield Academy is a second home for a lot of people, and I really wanted my images and words to convey that. Seeing it go from an idea, to sketches, and then to a final draft was really fulfilling.”

Detailing her development as an artist, interest in her digital craft, and enthusiasm as a teaching assistant Megan notes, “Before taking graphic design I never really considered myself an artist. I like digital art because once you learn the tools and programs, you can take your laptop and make art anywhere. It gives me an outlet to be creative while also calling to use my organization and appreciation for color. No matter where my next steps take me, I am confident that art and graphic design will always be part of my journey. The skills I learned in my art classes at Suffield are valuable and will be utilized for years to come.”

Visual Arts Co-Chair and Graphic Design teacher Jenny Graham commented on Megan’s successful role as TA and the influence of visual arts at Suffield: “Megan has been a great assistant who has helped immensely in both our remote and in-person classes. I can always rely on her to provide technical and conceptual help to our students. I am looking forward to her developing and teaching a lesson of her own this year. Additionally, I am thrilled to be sharing this course with the community because the students create amazing work and learn valuable skills in all fields.”

You may view Megan’s complete book and additional blog posts here.