.Bill Fisher
Dear SGC Members,
I urge all members to read the following and consider sending an email to
swearerr@newschool.edu with your thoughts on the matter
Beware the sound of distant drums... Thank you,
Bill Fisher
wwfisher@bellsouth.net
Posted at http://www.mtsu.edu/~art/printmaking/wwwboard/wwwboard.htmlby
Julia Vakser on March 26, 2000 at 15:13:56:
I am a senior at Parsons School of Design in NYC. I have studied printmaking for over 3 years now. The new dean of our school is permanently closing down the printshop to expand the cafeteria. The students are outraged and shocked.We seek for art community's help to prevent this disastrous plan. Please help us to stop him. Send e-mail to the Dean: swearerr@newschool.edu
And a CC for me: julia@vakser.com
If you have any question, please don't hesitate to contact me.
I thank you in advance
and a follow-up:
The faculty and students had numerous dialogs with the Dean last week concerning The Printshop. To our full surprise he revised his decision last Wednesday. He postponed the renovation, the Printshop will stay open during the next academic year.
Although the decision was made in our favor we are greatly concern of what would happen to our Shop the following year. During our meeting with a dean, he proposed an idea of an "imaging center" which would have digital printing. However, he did not mention anything about traditional etching, lithography, woodcut, etc.
We decided to form an association which would carry a dialog with a dean through out year. We are worried that a similar act could happen ,rather in a more quite and careful way
For the next year the problem is resolved. However, it really leaves us worried of the future.
Thank you for your concern. I will consider the membership at SGC. The more excess I have to various Printmaking communities across the United States, the better it is for our community here.
Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Julia Vakser
http://billfisher.dreamhost.com
Art Department Directory
Posted by Omri Behr on April 06, 2000 at 11:54:22:
In Reply to: Re: the printshop is closing posted by bill on March 31, 2000 at 19:32:22:
: :The parsons situation is no joke. It is absolutely genuine and serious, even though
the Dean has backed down for now. It is perfectly clear from various sources that this is
just a strategic retreat. He wants to get rid of hands on printmaking and replace it
ENTIREly with digital. Nothing wrong with digital as part of an art program. The Dean is
about to use all sorts of administrative "salami" techniques to divide and
hopefully conquer. The only chance we have with this is to make a NATIONAL Scandal of
this. Flood the deans office and the administration with protest and in particular write
to the Trustees. They havent a clue of the real plan.
Thanks to you all (Trustee list will be posted on SGC list file)
Omri Behr
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 12:35:37 -0400
From: "omri m behr" <eee@electroetch.com>
Subject: Survival of hands on Printmaking
I dont know how many of the members of this site are in academia. But there is "the
sound of distant drums" . With virtually no notice and with great secrecy, Dean H,
Randolph Swearer of Parsons school of design in NYC tried to shut done the print
department simply by expanding the cafeteria into it. Fortunately the news leaked out, and
there was a massive protest. The Dean backed down FOR NOW. It is clear that he intends to
do away with all HANDS ON printmaking, ie litho, etching and silkscreen and replace it
with digital art. While digital art certainly has its place (and it is already at Parsons)
displacing traditional methods because the print shop is not a profit center is highly
damaging to the teaching of art. We need a flood of countrywide protest stressing the
importance of HANDS ON printmaking. A student has already posted this matter on the SGC
list serve. If any of you have access to any wide ranging and appropriate lists, please
forward this message as widely as possibl
Original public notification :Posted at http://www.mtsu.edu/~art/printmaking/wwwboard/wwwboard.htmlbyJulia
Vakser on March 26, 2000 at 15:13:5
Please send views by snail mail to :
Sen Bob Kerry
(President Elect of New School University)
US Senate Washington DC
Dean H. Randolph Swearer
Parsons School of Desigh
66 5th Ave
New York NY 10011
Administrative addresses for CC's, if you care to show your concern:
swearerr@newschool.edu
schaffec@newschool.edu
levitti@newschool.edu
bourgeon@newschool.edu
geldofk@newschool.edu
kirkingc@newschool.edu
monahank@newschool.edu
Any or all of the trustees set forth in the attach file
Thanks for you concern. You will be helping to preserve one of the oldest and best
academic print shops in the US (Stanley Hayter brought Atelier 17 here during the War)
Omri M. Behr
ElectroEtch Enterprises LLC