Laura Tabbut, MFA ’16
Residence: Warrenville, Illinois
Profession: Art teacher, photographer
Medium: Mixed media
Artist’s Transformation: As Laura Tabbut’s career began shifting toward art-making, she sought an MFA program that would add new dimension and creative knowledge to her existing master’s degree in English. “APU’s low-residency format provides incredible flexibility, and it meant I didn’t have to give up the teaching job I love, plus the program’s Christian influence struck just the right balance for me,” she said. With guidance from her faculty-mentors, Tabbut started integrating significant life struggles as emergent themes within her work, including the experience of undergoing multiple surgeries during her time as an MFA scholar. “I draw upon medical science and surgical techniques to inform my process and unravel the natural order of things,” she explains. “I’m interested in conversations and how listening and silence are part of every exchange. Sometimes, what is not said is the more important thing.”
