Around campus, Jason Surdukowski '02 is best known as president of the Representative Assembly, Bates' student government. Yet his literary and artistic talents are fast bringing him greater recognition. In addition to writing poetry and art criticism for the student newspaper, Sudukowski is a playwright. Last year, the Bates theater department chose his play, "Rhapsody," as the winner of its Millennium Playwriting contest. He is also an up-and-coming artist: in January, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport selected two of his pieces for display in its upcoming exhibit, "The Next Generation."

A studio art and political science double major from Concord, N.H., Surdukowski's artistic expression often reflects his political concerns. "My art is one kind of activism for me," said Surdukowski. "Art is a power, a bully-pulpit, a concentrated and strong discourse." When he won a Humanity and Action Foundation Fellowship to study the Holocaust and human rights in Holland last summer, Surdukowski immediately knew that his required outreach project would be artistic. "Art is the way I can most concretely reach people," he explained.

During fall semester, Surdukowski displayed in Chase Gallery the collection of paintings, sketches and collages he composed in response to human rights issues raised by his study and travel. "The message is difficult and the images can be uncomfortable," Surdukowski said. "But I wanted people to talk, to think critically about the implications of a government's actions. I wanted them to think about themselves."