Ted & Nune
Fit for the Professional Artist
Finding Purchase
Ted Andresian and his partner, Nune Karamyan, were looking to further develop their business skills as they embarked on opening their studio space in Hastings on Hudson, NY. While they knew that they could look up things that they needed during the process, they felt drawn to a graduate program that would help to keep their business learning on track for the studio opening.
“There were several reasons why we chose Purchase. I wasn’t really interested in the MBA programs that were in the area here… they were more focused on finance and real, hard business and that wasn’t what I was interested in. Seeing that the program at Purchase was specifically geared toward Entrepreneurship in the Arts- that’s what pulled me in.”
Nune then added, “For anyone who is an entrepreneur and in their career, it is more convenient to have an online, part time program so at the same time they can do their job.”
Learning on the Road
The pair shared that their most memorable experiences in the program have been less than conventional. Being that the program is online, they were able to continue their coursework remotely while traveling across the country to shoot more material for the studio.
“We spent six weeks on the road, photographing along the way, but taking our classes in the hotel rooms, sitting in the parking lot- even driving a couple of times!”
Even while they were on the move, the team felt connected to faculty that were able to take the time to meet with them individually and discuss concerns they had related to their coursework, as well as the studio space.
“I would say that it was very interesting how the professors were able to reach out to both of us even through the Zoom platform- it is incredible how you can have that personal connection.”
As artists, they feel that the program is catered to working professionals in the art world and is a great benefit to fellow artists of any discipline. They encouraged artists of all disciplines to engage with this program as it better allowed them to monetize what they love and continue to do it on a broader scale.
Looking Forward
Ted and Nune have compiled their series on Armenian Monasteries in their book, Stone and Candle. The initial pieces focus on monasteries in Armenia whereas their future works will focus on monasteries in eastern Turkey, where many Armenians were driven from following the Armenian genocide in World War I.
Ted and Nune both discussed the contrast in the monasteries as being more celebrated in their first Armenian series, completed in early 2020, but having a more haunted quality for the photos in eastern Turkey.
“The monasteries {in Turkey} are not only neglected but they have been actively disembodied in some ways- they’ve been blown up or stones have been removed and used for villages, holes have been dug in the altar spaces- graves dug up by people looking for gold. It is a very sobering experience to understand the level of effort that went into driving these people from their land.”
Aside from the monastery series, the pair have a number of ongoing projects they hope to feature in the studio moving forward including pieces from their road trip, New York City and a ‘crawl space’ series developed during COVID when traveling was a bit more limited.
“It was a combination of a still and a video… there were videos with a bit of laughter and chatter which was unexpected in going down to the hole in the ground to the crawl space to have an isolated space in the house. It had a little bit of a therapeutic effect on us.”
They hope to recreate the crawl space effect for a future exhibition at the studio to allow everyone to experience their artistic process for the series. Their goal is to incorporate the studio into the downtown experience in Hastings on Hudson to allow the community further opportunity and involvement with the arts.
Advice for Future Students?
Ted and Nune encourage all artists to focus on expanding their knowledge to further their artistic endeavors- and of course, pay the bills.
“Monetize your artistic skills! To be able to do what you enjoy you need to be able to pay your bills. Learn finances and how to monetize yourself!”
“It’s also about the other things we’re learning in the class- learn how to communicate what your work does. Learn how to create that content- learn as much of the technology as you can.”
We look forward to their final thesis and the lasting impact they are sure to have on the program and the Hastings on Hudson community.
*Quotes edited for grammar and clarity.