“Certain Women” Captures Female Experiences in Small Town Montana

Directed by Kelly Reichardt and released this October, “Certain Women” pensively explores certain distinctively female experiences by presenting snippets of the lives of three women (played by Laura Dern, Michelle Williams and Kristen Stuart) living in the same, small town of Livingston, Montana. The film is set in the cloudy, washed-out, yellow-grey atmosphere of wintertime in Livingston, and its mostly silent score and slow pace makes it a largely visual, meditative film. Reichardt continuousl

Chloe Tausk ’18 Uses Amherst Women’s Hair to Create Socially Engaged Art

You may have seen intirguing flyers in your bathroom or a post from Chloe Tausk on Facebook requesting your hair. It is an unusual request but it is all in the name of art. Tausk ‘18 explained the purpose behind her project and her hopes for its effect. Q: How would you best describe this project? A: I’m creating a socially engaged art project by collecting pieces of women’s hair and making them into art prints. I consider each print as an abstract portrait of each participant. To do this, I di

Installation Offers Commentary on Amherst’s Gendered Spaces

Camila Dominguez ’18 exhibited her art project “Pin Up” in Alumni Gym on September 30. The project was for her advanced art seminar on public art and social practice. She placed pictures of current female Amherst students over pictures of male athletic teams, and her installation remained in the gym for about a week, prompting lively discussion between athletes and non-athletes alike. A talented artist and art major, Dominguez’s work has already left its mark at Amherst, and she will surely cont

Exploring Karl Knausgaard: Simple, Honest and Powerful Narration

This summer I had the pleasure of discovering the author Karl Ove Knausgaard, a 48-year-old Norwegian who made enormous waves in the literary world for his inimitable six-volume, 3,600-page autobiographical novel titled “My Struggle.” The novel documents Knausgaard’s entire life, from the smallest details of making coffee in the morning, to the overwhelming difficulties of dealing with his father’s death. For fans of Knausgaard who are probably finishing up the series by now, this is old news. T

Thesis Spotlight: Annika Nygren ’16 Explores “Hook-up Culture”

Annika Nygren ’16 was inspired to write her senior thesis on romance and intimacy on college campuses after studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. She often refers to her thesis as an exploration of “hookup culture” and its complex effects. I had the fortunate opportunity to sit down with Nygren and discuss her fascinating research and writing. Q: How would you describe your thesis? A: My thesis is a collection of short stories and essays that explore romance and intimacy, or the lack thereof, on c

Rising Artist Smino to Perform in Hitchcock Dormitory Saturday Night

It’s unfortunately clear that a vibrant music scene doesn’t exist in the mainstream social fabric of Amherst College. In my experience, when concerts happen on campus, very few people know about them and attend them. And on Saturday nights, the social dorms tend to radiate the same ten pop songs. Certainly, people have schoolwork to do, jobs to work and higher priorities than participating in the creation of a more sophisticated musical culture. However, when the opportunity arises, why not spen

Artist Spotlight: Sarah Jordan Creates Explorative Documentary

Q: How would you describe your project? A: As an art major, I’m able to make my senior thesis in any medium. I’ve chosen to make a film that will be a 25-minute documentary about face blindness. Prosopagnosia, or face blindness, is the inability to recognize faces. My motivation for this project emerges from my sister, who has face blindness. Ever since my sister was diagnosed, we have been trying to understand what face blindness means. My sister doesn’t know what it’s like to be face blind, be

Thesis Spotlight: Khalil Flemming ’16 Presents “Equal Weight”

Khalil Flemming ’16 will be presenting his senior thesis, an original, multimedia comedy called “Equal Weight,” this weekend. Flemming, a theater and dance major, is also well known on campus for his memorable performances in Mr. Gad’s House of Improv. “Equal Weight” invites viewers into the mind of the protagonist, Zeke, as he navigates his relationships and listens to the voices in his head. The Amherst Student sat down with Flemming to learn more about the production. Q: How would you best

A Summer Well Spent: Lerato Teffo ’18 Shares Her Experience

When students return to Amherst in the fall, the default conversation starter is always “Hey! How was your summer?” Usually these conversations are short: “It was good, how was yours?” we’ll respond. Rarely do we get to have in-depth conversations with our peers about what they actually did during their time away from campus. This is a shame, because many students, like Lerato Teffo ’18, spend their summers doing important and interesting work. To find out more about one student’s transformativ