Through her passion for art, community engagement, and cultural awareness, Angelica Millán, a 2013 Hatter graduate, exemplifies Stetson University’s core values of personal growth, global citizenship and intellectual development.

Millán, pictured left, was mentored by Katya Kudryavtseva, Ph.D., assistant professor of art history at Stetson University. 

“Dr. Kudryavtseva taught me more about art and life than I expected,” said Millan. “Her classes improved my abilities to understand and discuss theories and movements of art. Yet, she also took a role that went beyond teaching art history. Through her support, I learned my potential to create work that carried a personal narrative while also having a modern, social and global context. Having Katya as a professor influenced me to have a richer experience through art. Not to mention the moral support that she provided throughout my time at Stetson.”

“Being a contemporary artist is a very difficult career path to say the least,” said Kudryavtseva. “Only the ones who have this profound desire, the need to communicate their experiences to the audience, have a chance to succeed. Angelica certainly has the imagination, talent, technical skills and immense discipline to make it as an artist.”

Personal Growth

Millán embodies Stetson’s value of Personal Growth in a unique way. She has passionate interest in issues of immigration and feminism in the Hispanic culture. Her goal is to address these concepts and inspire others to express themselves both politically and artistically.

“Evolution, experience and identity have been common themes in my work for many years. One of the most significant experiences I’ve had that has marked a before and after in terms of personal growth was immigrating to the United States at the age of twelve. While growing to be culturally versatile was a challenge itself, it has been very rewarding; having this awareness of my identity allows me to relate and communicate with a wider group of people, which is truly a gift,” said Millán. “Being self-aware has allowed me to understand my environment and myself a lot more, and to explore my identity as an artist as well.”

Millán wishes to travel to and reside in remote indigenous areas in South America and around the world to learn about their textile culture. She plans to create an art series using these textiles and techniques with the goal of exhibiting her work in galleries and donating part of the proceeds back to help develop these local communities.

Global Citizenship

Millán identifies with Stetson’s core value of Global Citizenship in perhaps one of the most challenging ways. Leaving her home country of Colombia and moving to the United States at the age of twelve, Millán was forced adapt to a foreign culture. She began to do so by communicating through art, something she continues to do skillfully, now as a career.

“Culture shock does not being to describe my first school experience here in the United States; I walked into sixth grade science class full of blonde and blue-eyed kids who stared at me as if I were an alien (pun intended). This episode opened a creativity to express myself artistically since I could not verbally. In time, I learned the connections that art creates within cultures as I made friendships through exchange of doodles on paper. I felt most comfortable expressing myself artistically while learning to express myself verbally,” said Millán. “Looking back, this experience was the foundation of my current artistic pursuit and professional goal, which is opening an art organization for underprivileged children.” 

Intellectual Development

Millán exemplifies Intellectual Development through her strong creativity and commitment to social engagement. She was part of Stetson’s Bonner program, through which she worked with community partners in the area to address community issues through service.

“Having been part of the Bonner program at Stetson opened many opportunities for me. My first volunteering experience involved teaching English to an immigrant community in De Leon Springs, where I felt directly connected to individuals who have experienced the hardships of being undocumented. It was through this experience that I became more passionate about immigration issues and marginalized groups,” said Millán. “I also had the opportunity to volunteer as a Student Education Intern at the Museum of Art in DeLand, which allowed me to further my community engagement by organizing art activities for underprivileged children. These experiences have opened my eyes to many issues that affect our community, and have strengthened my passion for empowering others.”

Thanks to these experiences, Millán became familiar with the work behind running a gallery, and upon graduation, she had the opportunity to exhibit at the Art League of Daytona Beach for the “Fiesta de las Artes” during Hispanic Appreciation Month. Millán’s plans for the future involve applying to graduate art programs in Europe and to exhibit her art in galleries around the world.

Millán’s “Eclosion” (above, right) was bought by Stetson University upon her graduation and is now part of the university’s permanent student collection. It is on display in Sampson Hall, second floor.

by Michael van Oppen