By Millie Huang
When asked to pick someone who has been incredibly dedicated to art his or her whole life, Claire Yu, the beloved co-director of Arts Mag, comes to mind. A profoundly exceptional grad artist and student, Claire has played an integral role in Arts Mag and Collingwood’s art program since grade eight.
Born in Shenyang, Claire moved to Canada when she was ten years old. Growing up in an extended family tree that includes more than twenty architects and civil engineers, she has always been instilled with knowledge about art and architecture from a very young age. Starting from doing art with basic materials in her childhood, Claire recalls that art helped her escape from stress, and was an outlet for many of her emotions as she was growing up.
Aside from her interest in art, Claire is also very intelligent in her academic studies, finding herself drawn to the STEM fields. Her artistic philosophy is deeply entrenched in this scientific connection, and one can often find her deftly combining her artistic imagination with scientific logic and mind mapping. This scientific interest is also why she values architecture: it is the perfect craft for her, combining both the technicality of engineering and the creativity of art.
When asked to pick someone who has been incredibly dedicated to art his or her whole life, Claire Yu, the beloved co-director of Arts Mag, comes to mind. A profoundly exceptional grad artist and student, Claire has played an integral role in Arts Mag and Collingwood’s art program since grade eight.
Born in Shenyang, Claire moved to Canada when she was ten years old. Growing up in an extended family tree that includes more than twenty architects and civil engineers, she has always been instilled with knowledge about art and architecture from a very young age. Starting from doing art with basic materials in her childhood, Claire recalls that art helped her escape from stress, and was an outlet for many of her emotions as she was growing up.
Aside from her interest in art, Claire is also very intelligent in her academic studies, finding herself drawn to the STEM fields. Her artistic philosophy is deeply entrenched in this scientific connection, and one can often find her deftly combining her artistic imagination with scientific logic and mind mapping. This scientific interest is also why she values architecture: it is the perfect craft for her, combining both the technicality of engineering and the creativity of art.
Simplicity is central to Claire’s philosophy, and it is in this aspect that Claire prefers to avoid creating overstated architectural pieces and is instead inspired by Japanese Architect Kengo Kuma’s “humble and natural” approach. Kuma is known for using Japanese carpentry in his buildings, famous for the technique of elegantly joining beams together without using nails. This philosophy of “joinery creates infinity” is one that Claire always keeps in mind when her architectural projects are in process.
Furthermore, Claire respects the uncertainty and slow transformation that art can undergo. In her words, “from my architectural projects, I liberate my mind from the constraints of site and program and create my projects starting with basic geometric shapes, slowly making refinements. From experience, I think that it is not necessary for everything to be planned—in fact, it’s sometimes preferred—for an architect to start a project without knowing the end result.”
Although Claire has used many different mediums, coloured pencils, ink, and acrylic have always appealed to her. She is also skilled at building 3-D models. Digitally, she models with Rhinoceros and Illustrator and physically – although occasionally using museum board – she expresses her preference of cardboard because it is “plain and displays my design well, so people can see my ideas — not just my choice of material.”
Furthermore, Claire respects the uncertainty and slow transformation that art can undergo. In her words, “from my architectural projects, I liberate my mind from the constraints of site and program and create my projects starting with basic geometric shapes, slowly making refinements. From experience, I think that it is not necessary for everything to be planned—in fact, it’s sometimes preferred—for an architect to start a project without knowing the end result.”
Although Claire has used many different mediums, coloured pencils, ink, and acrylic have always appealed to her. She is also skilled at building 3-D models. Digitally, she models with Rhinoceros and Illustrator and physically – although occasionally using museum board – she expresses her preference of cardboard because it is “plain and displays my design well, so people can see my ideas — not just my choice of material.”
Despite being a busy member of the Collingwood art scene, Claire also finds time to devote herself to art in the local community. A volunteer at the Silk Purse art gallery since grade nine, she often helps growing artists from Collingwood be showcased there. She has also had her own exhibition last January and has another coming up in May, certain to be filled with amazing works.
Concerning the future, Claire will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in the upcoming fall, heavily leaning towards majoring in architecture. In higher education, she hopes to explore the beauty of engineering through architecture and make her designs become a reality.
Arts Mag would not be the same without Claire, who has been a responsible, caring, and steadfast leader. Although we will undoubtedly miss her when she is gone, we wish Claire the best of luck in her future endeavors— because there is no one more deserving of success.
Concerning the future, Claire will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in the upcoming fall, heavily leaning towards majoring in architecture. In higher education, she hopes to explore the beauty of engineering through architecture and make her designs become a reality.
Arts Mag would not be the same without Claire, who has been a responsible, caring, and steadfast leader. Although we will undoubtedly miss her when she is gone, we wish Claire the best of luck in her future endeavors— because there is no one more deserving of success.
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