Fine Arts Trailblazer
Award-winning student becomes Rutgers–Camden’s first BFA recipient
By Christina Lynn | May 7, 2024
In 2023, Rutgers University–Camden launched its BFA program with three concentrations, including studio art and expanded media. Tracy Tse CCAS’24 realized she had already taken many of the required classes in the Department of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts and sought more time to build her portfolio. She stayed an additional year to complete the more intensive BFA.
Now, as the first graduate of the program, Tse sees herself as a reflection of the increased career possibilities in art for Rutgers–Camden undergraduates.
“Some people look down on art because they don't quite understand how the art world works,” Tse said. “If you’re going to be a 'starving artist,' why bother? I'm kind of the gateway for people to learn who artists really are and what we can do professionally.”
As an art major at Camden County College, Tse often visited her sister, who attended Rutgers–Camden. She observed the Campus Quad’s hustle and bustle during free period as students got together and socialized. Seeing the Senior Thesis Show at the Stedman Gallery, Tse knew instantly she wanted to be there.
“When I saw the seniors’ works, I wanted to be part of this art community,” Tse said. “I fell in love with Rutgers.”
The first-generation student transferred to the College of Arts and Sciences and quickly excelled in art courses and minors in art history and digital studies. Tse attained a 4.0 cumulative GPA and was recently inducted into the Athenaeum Honor Society.
Tse, who views herself as a textile artist, first learned how to sew on an industrial sewing machine in her family’s tailor shop. “It was super fast. I didn't want to step on the pedals,” she recalled. “I started just using my hands.” By middle school, she was advanced enough on the machine to sew her own Halloween costume. Through high school, she helped her grandparents with hemming, sewing, and other alteration needs for the business.
Tse's extensive experience as a seamstress and affinity for textiles found their way into her academic work. At last year’s Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (CURCA), she presented an art history project in which she recreated three-dimensional outfits from two-dimensional paintings. Intrigued by the red plastic string she observed wrapped around produce in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, Tse weaved the material, called plarn, into wall art and wearables.
“Some people look down on art because they don't quite understand how the art world works. If you’re going to be a 'starving artist,' why bother? I'm kind of the gateway for people to learn who artists really are and what we can do professionally.”
In another work, which Tse calls “Weaving Code,” art converges with science. She received a Chancellor's Research Grant, exploring how to incorporate binary and Morse code into her art. She learned how to use a loom and how to code, a nod to her digital studies minor. Art historians believe the oldest computer may be from a loom or a knitting machine; punch cards would go through the machine, revealing which shaft to open up. That piece of history inspired her to weave words and texts into her work.
The Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts took notice of Tse’s talent and awarded her with the Stedman Gallery Purchase Prize. This honor, given to a graduating student in the Senior Thesis Exhibition, includes a cash prize and the inclusion of one of the student’s pieces in the center’s permanent collection of over 700 works of art. “We are excited to own Tracy's works, which demonstrate the potential for fiber art to be used conceptually,” said Jake Foster, gallery and public programs coordinator.
Tse, now thinking of graduate school and seeking artist residencies, is ever mindful of the tools she gained in her BFA journey. In one course, she learned how to craft an artist statement, build a website, and set up work for galleries, skills that will be essential to her journey as an alumna. “It was so helpful to learn the business side of being an artist,” she said. “This opens up a lot of doors for me.”
To view Tracy Tse's portfolio, click here.
Design: Douglas Shelton
Photography: Christina Lynn
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