VCU news

By Joan Tupponce

A childhood curiosity – the behind-the-scenes components of film and television – brought Delaney Slavik to Virginia Commonwealth University, where she has crafted a personalized course of study through the School of the Arts.

“I have always been intrigued by the process of how things are made and how you get from point A to point B,” said Slavik, a senior majoring in kinetic imaging with a minor in sound design.

Growing up in McLean in Northern Virginia, Slavik divided her time between athletics and art. She took swimming lessons and played soccer, and in elementary school, she began playing travel lacrosse and travel field hockey.

“I was an artistic athlete,” Slavik said, noting how she explored her art interests – everything from glass blowing to painting – as a complement to her passion for on-field excitement, competition and team camaraderie.

“I like the reaction of others to my finished work, and I like the ability to take raw materials and turn them into finished products,” she said of her creative pursuits. “I feel that [sports and art] tie together by the fact that both show that hard work and dedication can, in the end, produce a winning product.”

During high school, Slavik’s classes in web design helped accelerate her interest in the coding side of kinetic imaging, a field that includes video, animation and emerging media.

She arrived at VCU with plans to be a graphic design major, but she switched to kinetic imaging in her freshman year in the Art Foundation program, which exposes students to a variety of mediums in art and design. Slavik discovered she was more interested in 3D design that supports sound and motion than 2D graphic design.

“Through the Art Foundation, I was able to learn more about each degree path, get a better picture of kinetic imaging and find that it aligned more with what I wanted to do in my career,” Slavik said.

“There’s really no limit to what you can do,” she said of kinetic imaging and its creative opportunities. “I like the coding and sound side the most because it is art meets science.”

Since freshman year, Slavik has been working with VCU senior academic coach Sara Rafuse, Ed.D., who describes Slavik as having a “real go-getter mentality.”

“She is consistently asking, ‘What else can I be doing at VCU along with this major?’” Rafuse said. “She is a fierce advocate for herself and what she wanted out of her education. She always wants to know why things are the way they are.”

In addition to crafting a degree that blends her interests and talent, Slavik has held three internships that propelled her artistic explorations. She served as a marketing and operations intern with Glen Echo Park in Maryland and as a marketing intern with VCU Athletics, and she provided graphic design support as an intern for Mission Technologies, a division of HII in the Washington  area.

“With my internships, I have had the opportunity to try different industries and see how they utilize art,” Slavik said. “I got a chance to figure out which paths I wanted to take with my art and find the best fit for me.”

She has also earned a certificate through the VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation, with a focus on venture creation.

“I learned about creating and marketing my own business venture and product development,” Slavik said. “As an artist, it can be challenging to get your work out there, but I now have the knowledge to succeed.”

She had high praise for Andrew Indelicato, who teaches user interface and user experience classes at the da Vinci Center and the Center for Creative Economy: “He has been a great resource for post-college information and has provided a ton of resources in the ux/ui field that have helped me to improve as an artist.”

The size and reputation of VCUarts initially drew Slavik to the university, and “I also liked the atmosphere of being in the city and all that Richmond offers,” she said – especially proximity to the Altria Theater, where she regularly attends performances. Ultimately, being at VCU has allowed her to be the artist she wants to be.

“I have been able to craft my time here to reflect me and my vision of art,” Slavik said, “versus leading me on a pre-described path designed by someone who doesn’t know me.”