Abigail McNavage  
Degree: BFA, painting with entrepreneurial studies (Honors program) 
College: Tyler School of Art and Architecture  
Hometown: Perkasie, Pennsylvania  

Why I chose Temple: As a painter, I always knew it would be important to know how to market myself.  So when I learned that Temple had a painting with entrepreneurial studies major, and that it presented the opportunity to take painting classes as a focus but also business classes on the side, I really appreciated that. When I was touring colleges, a lot of colleges were focused strictly on the arts. Also, I was applying to college right when Covid was happening, so it was hard to tour. But Temple made it easy. I also liked coming into the city. It’s not too far from my hometown. I was excited by the change in environment.  

Transformative Temple moment: Lauren Whearty’s painting class pushed me to think outside of the box with materials. She pushed me to challenge how I create imagery, which led me to develop more of my own style. I started thinking more about why I’m making what I’m making, and that really resonated with me. I really grew from the mentorship at Temple. Lots of people were willing to give different perspectives. It opened me up to talking to people and getting out of my comfort zone to put myself in new environments that I might not be totally familiar with.  

What’s next: I want to start my own mural business. I have been doing murals on the side throughout undergrad, mostly over winter and summer break. It excites me because it gives me the opportunity to do something on a large scale and also people appreciate having something unique added to their space. When I do outdoor murals, I like being able to talk to members of the community. People walk by and ask me what I’m up to. With those opportunities, I get to share my love for art. People are always expressing gratitude for adding art to public spaces. I also like doing childhood spaces. I’ve done a storybook-themed mural for a child’s bedroom and also a Harry Potter-themed mural. The clients told me how much they transformed the space. It makes me feel good because I spent a lot of time playing in my room growing up, so those childhood spaces mean a lot to me. I like how I can use my skill set to transform the environments of other people.  

Follow Abigail on Instagram at @abbymcsavageart.