He is the student director of the Lockhart and Lederer Galleries, plays club volleyball, is president of Amnesty International, and writes inventive haikus for The Lamron. With what seems like a fairly busy schedule, Jared Chamberlain couldn't be more laid back. He lives by the motto "don't worry about it" and carries himself with an air of blitheness that inspires all he meets to adopt the same confidently blasé attitude that colors his personality.
Chamberlain, a junior art history major with minors in business and philosophy, was born and raised in Sherrill, the smallest city in New York State. He chose Geneseo because it was "the best school for the best price" with the added bonus of being "relatively close to Rochester, so it's easy to go to a bigger city and do things if you want," said Chamberlain.
As student director of the Lockhart and Lederer Galleries, Chamberlain has a number of responsibilities that are training him for his dream job. The bulk of his responsibilities include setting up the artwork within the galleries. This is more intensive than one might imagine, as there are many aspects that have to be considered, including where in the gallery to install each piece, considering which pieces to place next to each other, and the actual work of preparing the walls and putting the artwork in place. Another challenge, Chamberlain said, is dealing with the schedules with which artwork arrives at the galleries. Artists' work sometimes does not arrive until the day of the show, he said.
As a member of the Lockhart Gallery Board, Chamberlain also has the opportunity to help make decisions as to which artists have their work displayed in the galleries. "I really want to own an art gallery some day, or work in a museum. The galleries here just give me a chance to do what I love."
Chamberlain received the job last year after attending a group interview. "I was the only guy at the interview, but I guess I had some new ideas and they liked my approach," he said. "It was by chance that I heard about the opportunity," he continued. "I was reading an e-mail sent out to all art history majors and learned about the opening. I just decided to apply and see if anything would happen. Somehow, I wound up with the job."
In addition to his work with the art galleries, Chamberlain plays on the club volleyball team, which is ranked 12th in the nation among Division II club teams. The team has previously participated in tournaments in Louisville and in April will head to Salt Lake City to participate in a tournament with 300 other teams from Division I, II and III.
Chamberlain also regularly contributes movie reviews to The Lamron in the form of haikus. "The idea to do this was sort of a joint thing between [Arts and Entertainment Editor Mike Reiff] and I," he said.
Though it may appear that Chamberlain's life seems to exclude anything but diligent work, it's easy to see from his very appearance that stress for him is rare. "I like to hang out with friends, go out - normal stuff," he said. "I also play sports often and watch a lot of movies," he added.
Among other things, completing his education and getting a good job after school are equally important to Chamberlain. "I really like art history a lot. I don't just want to know it for grades. I really want to learn it," he said.
Chamberlain claims he is in no rush to plan for the future. "I just want to continue my job as student director and maybe get an internship in Rochester at some point. After graduation, I'll probably just try to get a job. If not, graduate school is an option," he said. As for his fellow classmates, Chamberlain imparts the following advice: "Have fun, don't stress yourself out... you only live once!"