A new school year means new installations in the LSU Sculpture Park. This fresh crop of artwork is created by the students of the University’s intermediate sculpture class. Among these students is art sophomore Suzannah Burke. 
Burke is double majoring in painting and drawing and sculpture. While she has an interest in almost every aspect of the art world, sculpting is Burke’s passion. 
“I fell in love with it when I took my first 3-D design class,” Burke said. “I loved woodworking and welding, having those power tools in my hands. I felt like the most powerful woman in the world.”
Located near the Studio Arts and Design buildings, the Sculpture Park consists of eight sculpture pieces. Burke’s piece is not easily missed. It’s a tangled, chaotic coil of wire wrapped by thicker, swooping metal panels.
She applied to the sculpture program after the second semester of her freshman year. Once accepted, Burke signed up for intermediate sculpting. One class assignment was to create a work of art that reflected something intimate, and she began working on the piece that stands in the Sculpture Park today. 
“The assignment was a personal narrative … I don’t have much life experience or stories to go off of,” Burke said. “So I really just start with trying to illustrate what’s going on in my head.”
Burke is a huge fan of welding and sculpture, but she doesn’t plan to stop there. She’s taking printmaking and ceramics this semester, and in the future, she plans to learn as much as possible to pursue a career in the art world. 
However, Burke said she has no desire to become an art teacher because she finds it too mundane. Her  dream job would be to work as a freelance artist, designing sculptures for hotels and parks. 
“Honestly, I wish I could major in everything,” Burke said. “Painting and drawing is subject to change. That was just my starting point I think.”
Burke gets a lot of her inspiration from her grandfather, who is also an artist. Known as a printmaker, he taught at LSU for many years and founded the Baton Rouge Gallery.
 As a young, budding artist, Burke said one of the hardest things is getting her name out there. In a world where everything is focused around social media, she said it’s tough for her to create her own online presence.
“I swear I was born in the wrong century,” Burke said. “I’ve tried to make a blog for my art multiple times, but I just struggle with it a lot.”
While pen and ink are her forte, Burke said she can feel a little clueless when it comes to technology. She said she realizes she needs to work on pushing herself out of her comfort zone and into her future. 
You can reach Sadie McDade on Twitter @sadiemcdadie.