Clara Jo ’08

Clara Jo grew up in Wyckoff, New Jersey. She and her brother were born in the United States, after their parents emigrated here from Korea. As a high school student, Jo carefully researched colleges, and learned about Bard’s strong program in photography. “I knew I wanted to go in that direction,” she says. “I also admired the liberal arts education that Bard offered, and the variety of subjects open to all students here.”

Another draw was Bard’s Excellence in Equal Cost Program (EEC). Through EEC, public high school seniors whose cumulative grade point average is among the top 10 in their graduating class may be selected to attend Bard for what it would cost them to attend an appropriate four-year public college or university in their home state. EEC scholars must maintain a 3.3 grade point average, complete 28 credits each academic year, and remain in good standing. Jo attended Bard through the EEC Program.

Taking Introduction to Photography her first semester confirmed Jo’s commitment to the field. And her other courses have informed her photographic work, she says, including anthropology, another strong interest; courses in studio and integrated arts and art history; literature; and science, specifically Light and Color, (physics) and Sex and Gender (biology).

Jo’s Senior Project consists of an installation of videos, simultaneously thoughtful and playful, that involve simple interactive devices she has constructed. “I’m interested in how human beings communicate with each other and with the environment,” she says. To that end, she hooked up light dimmers to a two-way mirror, so that when two people stand at opposite ends of it, their faces can become a composite, depending on the brightness of the light. Another video follows Jo through an Oregon woods as she touches a wire to a tree or a branch—and it buzzes. A third video is centered around a battery and common table utensils, which, when connected by people, result in light and sound.