Most Choate students have either seen Anika Zetterberg’s ’16 drawings hung in various places around campus or have engaged in lively debates with Zetterberg in class. However, not many have seen the deep and raw passion that Zetterberg unleashes on her sketchpad. A devoted artist since middle school, Zetterberg has brought unique dedication and love to the Visual Arts Concentration studio since her arrival at Choate as a new sophomore. “Art is a way for me to relax,” she explained.
Zetterberg’s curiosity and love for art was sparked at a young age: her grandmother was a painter. “When I first saw her paintings,” Zetterberg recalled, “I knew that I wanted to do something similar. My grandmother lived so far away; art was my way to connect with her.” Caitlin Chiocchio ’16, a Visual Arts Concentration peer whom Anika met in second grade at The Foote School, noted that she has always known Zetterberg is creative, and was not particularly surprised when she decided to pursue the arts.
Upon arriving at Choate, Zetterberg, who is currently only one of four Visual Arts Concentration seniors, took her sophomore year to, in her words, “figure things out and get accustomed to a new campus and way of thinking” before she dove into her specialized program. Her talent had been noticed by Ms. Kalya Yannatos, Director of Arts, before she officially joined the program. “I remember seeing her in a core concepts class up on the third floor before I really knew who she was,” Ms. Yannatos reflected. “I could really see her artistic soul at play…I remember thinking, ‘Well, there is a girl that this program would serve.’” Grace Tully ’16 expressed her admiration for her classmate, noting that Zetterberg approaches her work “with grace, skill, and commitment.”
Though Zetterberg enjoys drawing anything and everything that she sees, she most enjoys drawing people. In one of her most fascinating explorations, Zetterberg acquired X-rays of people’s hands from her father, who is a radiologist, and, based on their skeletal structure, composed the hands in their complete form. “I was essentially working from the inside out; it was quite strange but also quite interesting,” she recalled.
Zetterberg’s consistent dedication does not go unnoticed. Ms. Yannatos stressed that she is inspired daily by “Anika’s intense commitment and her willingness to work through hard times and trust that when she is in the dark, there is light at the end of the tunnel. During these types moments in the artistic process, you can feel so stuck, but she has the dedication to push through and make it out.”
Deemed “the mother hen of the Visual Arts Concentration Students” by Mr. Robert Mellon, her fall term artistic adviser, Zetterberg has become a true leader in the Arts Concentration community. Ms. Yannatos, in turn, noted her leadership skills, viewing her as “a team player and leader.” Mr. Mellon also joked, “It’s pretty neat that Anika is the one who brings snacks.”
As for outside the classroom, Chiocchio admires “the positive energy that Anika brings to class and her ability to make everyone laugh” and Tully notes that Zetterberg is “always the first person to offer help.” Despite not being in any clubs, Zetterberg often lends her artistic hand to her club leader friends by creating posters and visuals for their clubs, and is currently drawing cartoons for The Choate News.
Zetterberg, a truly friendly and sunny person, lends her profound and deep side to to her art, with evident results. Ms. Yannatos shared that “her work isn’t light and fluffy,” though Zetterberg certainly is.
