Michael Eustace ’18 has dedicated a lot of his time to music, so he never had a chance to take an art class at Kent until this year. Since he had taken architecture-related courses when he was younger and has always been interested in the subject, he decided to take AP 3D Design Portfolio course.

Though he first experienced the art program at Kent in his senior year, Eustace tells us that the course was one of the reasons why he chose Kent in the first place. Taught by Ms. Brody, this year-long course contains three sections (quality, concentration, breadth) and requires students to create 20 models. This term, Eustace is working on his concentration, a self-directed and sustained investigation of an architectural idea or concept.

The art program at Kent provides students with various art supplies and allows them to order the necessary materials they need, thus enabling them to freely express their ideas through the medium of their choice. Michael’s project in this course is to build conceptual models of structures that blend in with the surrounding environment. “I’ve always loved architecture and nature, and I’ve always been passionate about preserving our environment,” says Eustace. “I think buildings that blend in with nature are pretty amazing, so I drew inspiration from all these things to come up with my concentration.”

Most of his models are simple, often minimalist, with the intent of making them fit in with their surrounding environment. In his models, Eustace incorporates trees, grasses, and other elements of nature to show how well the structure blends in. His teacher Ms. Brody comments, “Michael is a superlative student. His sophisticated models are the embodiment of elegance and refinement of form. Michael is meticulous and his probing and discerning mind is reflected well in his beautifully designed and poetically crafted structures.”

Eustace expresses his deep gratitude towards the opportunities Kent provides him to express himself and explore his passions in many different, creative ways.