Pacific Index

Senior art major, Hannah Reddick, discusses her time at Pacific, her capstone, and contempt for AI 

   “It’s like breathing for me, like I can’t not create art,” expresses art major senior, Hannah Reddick. While she started her time at Pacific University with the intent of studying biology, she quickly realized that her call to art was much stronger than that of science. Reddick notes that, “I have always been interested in the way that art and biology intersect, particularly zoology or the study of animals. Before I became an art major, I was considering being a biology major and going into ornithology, which is the study of birds.” Though biology is only her minor now, that education greatly informs the work of her capstone project.

   “My senior project is a celebration of six species of American birds. That is endangered or threatened,” Reddick explains, though the birds are not rendered in a typical fashion. Each of the six species of birds is being adapted in the fashion of the traditional tattoo art style. When asked why, she states that the reason she chose that style was, “I think it’s really cool, but also because I think thematically it kind of lines up with this idea of the way that increasing human populations and commodification affect this art form…And also the way those same things are affecting bird populations and their ability to thrive.” The stylistic choice of the traditional tattoo originated in America just like the endangered birds she is representing.

   While Reddick’s capstone has a concentrated focus on ornithology, her interest goes far deeper than just art. “I love bird watching, which is probably not a surprise,” she states, adding that she frequents the Oregon Zoo. “I’m a member… so sometimes… it’ll be a random, like, Thursday and I’ll be like, you know what? I need to go to the zoo today.”  

   As we discussed her capstone project, the subject of AI generated art came up. While AI has been growing in usage across every college campus in America, Reddick finds it to be more harmful than positive. “I think art is a human expression at the end of the day… And it’s kind of our way of expressing our most inner selves into a physical form… I think that’s so special [and] I don’t think a computer can really replicate that,” she expresses, pointing out that AI especially can’t replicate the process. “…You lose the process in AI generation, but when I’m creating art from scratch, whether it’s digital, or printmaking, or painting, I’m working with the tools and the medium and spending hours creating something. And that’s not something that I regret or something that I dislike, that’s something that I love,” Reddick makes clear. 

   When students, artists, writers and creatives produce work, part of the joy of creation is the process. When AI is involved, that sense of innovation and satisfaction that comes from forming something that came from your own experiences, interests, and creativity is diminished. “I feel like it has too much of a threat to things like privacy and the environment and our ability to think creatively,” concludes Reddick.