Coleman Center opens career door for former student

Samantha Sheehan caught the “shutter bug” early – she’s been hooked on photography since grade five. In high school, Samantha set her sights on a photography career, but the school didn’t have a photography program, so Samantha turned to the Museum’s Coleman Center for Creative Studies for help.

“It was one of the only places on the island where students my age could get together to learn about photography and use professional equipment. I needed a photography portfolio for college. I wouldn’t have had any way to do that without the Coleman Center,” remembers Samantha.

This spring, Samantha graduated from Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science in Photography. In June, this Coleman Center alumna returns to the Newport Art Museum to inspire children and teens in our summer camp program and to teach an evening photography course for adults.

“The Coleman Center was a great resource for me. It’s an important resource for the entire community,” says Samantha. 

The Museum’s school was a stepping stone for Samantha in high school and is once more helping her pursue her goals. “I want to get an MFA and be a professor. I’m hoping to teach photography, so the Coleman Center is a great place for me right now. I’m happy going back to teach there. It opened a door for me to a profession in art. Now I’ll be opening a door for other people.”