Letter from student. Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 15:28:55 EDT

Dear Mr. Swearer,

My name is Peter Zheng and i'm a CD major(junior) at Parsons. I just learned of the fact that you have decided to close down to print shop. Therefore, i'm writing this letter to you, to ask you please don't do that.

I have taken a mixed media printmaking class last year and are currently taking the silkscreeing and computer class right now. To me they are classes that allows me to take a step back from doing all my work on the computer all day and just design and be creative with my hands. They not only help me relax and just enjoy the art making process but also allow us to print our work onto different services such as wood, plastic, fabric, etc. These are something that cannot be accomplished without the print shop, if you take it away from us then all CD work would be the same, all printed onto a piece of paper.

For those of us who take printmaking class, it is also a way to distinguish ourselves from others by combining the printmaking process along with graphic design. They have produced many good work for my homework assignment and those students who saw my work all wanted to take printmaking class because they are greatly intrigued by what printmaking have to offer to the CD students. Also, they faculty are so great to us in helping us do our work, working around different print process to get what we want with our projects.

It is also, a special place for us because it offers a sense of community where other classes sometimes lack. Because, printmaking is such a enjoyable way to do art that we take it as a way to relax from tons of workload in our department.

I also, have plans to do promotional t-shirt during the summer but if the shop is closed, i along with many other students won't be able to make art in our free time. As you see, printmaking is about enjoying the process as well as making art. Therefore, i plead to you, Mr. Swearer please don't close the printshop. It is a great tradition and i hope future students can enjoy it as much as many of us do now.

truly yours,

Peter Zheng CD Major(Junior)

From: "miriam k" <mir3000@hotmail.com>

To: Ilana Levitt, Kristin Kelley, Lesley Cadman, Philip Scaturro, Randy Swearer

CC: William Phipps

Subject: printshop

Dear Dean Swearer,

Attatched please find a copy of the letter I have sent to the University Trustees today. I took the liberty of voicing some of my concerns regarding the Printshop and the proposed renovation. Sincerely,

Miriam Kessler

Trustees.rtf Attachment of William Phipps3/22/00

Dear Trustee,

My name is Miriam Kessler and I am currently a junior in the BA/BFA program at Eugene Lang College and Parsons School of Design. This program has allowed me the flexibility to take a variety of classes taught by the diverse staff of these two excellent schools. One class which stands out as particularly memorable was the six-hour printmaking class that I took last semester.

My introduction to the Parsons Printshop opened my eyes to exciting new paths for my work. I quickly developed a profound appreciation for this space because of its exceptionally dedicated faculty, and because of its uniqueness as a place where students of all departments to work and learn through the traditional media of silkscreen, etching, and lithography.

I truly regret the necessity of writing a complaint after three wonderful years as a student at the New School University.

On this past Thursday, Dean Swearer of Parsons announced to the staff of the Printshop that it would close this May, for an indefinite amount of time.

I did not learn of this news until Friday, the day before Spring break. Like many students who have come to love our Printshop, I reacted to this information as one might react due to the death of a friend.

I canceled my plans for the break in order to do everything possible to reverse Dean Swearer s decision. I started Friday afternoon by composing a letter to the Dean voicing my concerns.

Dean Swearer issued a memorandum to the students of Parsons today, probably in response to the letters he has received in these past few days from angry students, bewildered parents, and other concerned individuals.

He writes that a grand plan exists for the improvement of the cosmetic image of the school, and for more efficient use of space. According to this plan, during the next three semesters the school will have no printshop, since the space it currently occupies has been designated as a new student lounge.

After reading the explanation issued by the Dean to students, I am convinced that he has not fully understood the implications of his proposed course of action. Anyone who has the power to make a decision as important as this one should not do it without first considering the opinions of those whom he will affect most. Many tuition-paying students would feel the effect of this decision deeply. And no lounge or cafeteria space could possibly be as valuable as the Printshop to the artists and designers who have come to Parsons.

It is the responsibility of dedicated students to convince every trustee, every administrator, and every other person of influence that the Parsons Printshop cannot be dispensed with in the manner proposed by Dean Swearer.

Repeatedly stressed in the curricula of all Parsons departments is the importance of historical study. From the Foundation year on, students are required to learn not just Art History, but how to use their knowledge of their artistic and cultural heritage in their work. I have come to see the invalubility of this lesson, and I now realize that it is one of the ideas which sets Parsons apart, and gives its graduates something that they can use to achieve success in any artistic field.

Printmaking is a technique that has existed globally for millennia. It is unbelievably rich in cultural history and traditions. Many great artists who are considered to be iconic figures today worked in prints. (For example: Rembrandt, Kollwitz, Warhol.) And many great schools of art are completely based on print media. (For example: the Japanese woodcuts and the posters of the Belle Epoch.)

Every department of an art school has at least some basis in print media. Naturally it follows that printmaking is a fundamentally important part of the curriculum of a school like Parsons which has a philosophy so dependent on teaching historical knowledge.

The dedication of Parsons students to continuing the rich tradition of printmaking can be seen on the roster sheets of filled up printmaking classes from this semester, and by the bustling atmosphere of the Printshop on any given day. People from every department of the school value the fourth floor s Printshop.

It is an amazing resource, a space where many diverse and wonderful works of art are created. If you paid a visit to the recent senior show of the Parsons Illustration department, you might have noticed that many of the finest works on display bore testament to this. (If you missed that show, this coming week the Communication Design senior show will also prove the value of hand-printed work.)

In my first letter to Dean Swearer I asserted that the conversion of our Printshop into a student lounge/cafeteria space would be a serious mistake. Perhaps the monetary benefit of this proposed development is better for the school s budget that the constant expenditure that the Printshop necessitates. But to cut off such an important part of the school, even for one year, as the Dean is now proposing, would be an offense to the ethos of the school, and to the students who spend so much of their money to come here.

Dean Swearer must realize that although it is a worthy proposal to improve the physical image of the school, to do so at the expense of educational value is self-defeating.

As a Trustee of the school, you have power over H. Randolph Swearer. Please do not let him make the grave error he has proposed. Help us convince him that Parsons needs an updated, larger space in which to uphold its rich tradition of printmaking, and that no one can afford to lose this invaluable part of the Parsons experience.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely Miriam Kessler

From: "miriam k" <mir3000@hotmail.com>

To: saveprintshop@hotmail.com

Subject: Bill: More Clarifications

Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 09:22:16 PDT

Hi, Bill

Thanks for your input about my letter to the administrators. I totally understand your concern about my comment on the faculty. I apologize for not being more clear. The teachers and staff I was referring to in my letter come from all divisions, (and offices) of Parsons.

The truth is, I have not encountered a single teacher at this school who does not support the students on this matter, at least at the level of opinion. I will, of course, not start naming names, but there are some employees of Parsons School of Design who have gone out of their way to help me, and to help the other students in their present struggle.

These people are not directly affiliated with the Printshop staff. I should not have to point out the gratitude which the other students and I feel toward the Printshop staff, for supporting us, and (most importantly) for giving us something so wonderful to fight for.

In my letter, I was trying to express thanks to the teachers who have permitted students representing the Printshop to speak in their classes. I was also hoping that it would be read by some of the staff to whom I feel personally indebted.

It occurs to me that you might not have seen the information to which my letter was a direct response. On Friday, the 14th, a memo was sent from the office of the Dean to the various chairs, on the subject of students visiting classes and speaking about the Printshop. Although I did not obtain a copy, certain ideas presented in this message seemed particularly troublesome to me, such that it warranted a response.

One of these ideas was that the information which students are circulating when they visit the classrooms is incorrect.

The other was that faculty should be advised not to permit students to visit their classes to discuss issues involving the Printshop. (Although these are not quotes verbatim, these were obviously points which the author of the letter was trying toexpress.)

My letter was meant to expose the faulty logic behind the letter from the Deans office. In doing so, I had to thank the faculty of the school, because in general they have been more than willing to offer advice and moral support to the student effort.

I hope that it does not still appear to you that my letter was referring mainly to the faculty of the Printshop, because this was not my intent. -

Miriam

P.S. I completely agree that the students should only push for their rights: maintaining normal class schedules for the coming semesters.

From: "miriam k" <mir3000@hotmail.com>

The first cc. that I got of this letter was sent to the following: Ed Noriega, Gregory Lovinski, Barbara Nessim, Roger Shepherd, Marie Essex, Randy Swearer, William Bevington, Wid Chapman, Ann Ledy, Mary Coburn, Pamela Klein, Peter M Wheelwright.

The second cc was To: Ed Noriega, Gregory Lovinski, Barbara Nessim, Roger Shepherd, Marie Essex, William Bevington, Wid Chapman, Ann Ledy, Mary Coburn, Pamela Klein, Peter M Wheelwright, NEW SCHOOL.GWIA."swearer"

Subject: Student Activity: Some Clarifications

Dear Parsons Administrators,

On the afternoon of March 29th we all celebrated the anouncement that our Printshop would remain open through the Spring '01 semester. The students were given heart by this promise, as well as by the promise that they would have a part in the planning process regarding the future of printmaking at Parsons.

Almost three weeks have now passed and students have yet received no word from the Deans office on how this planning process will include them.

Silence on the part of the Deans' office breeds confusion among the students, who remain very anxious about their future.

When a small group of students met with the Dean in an emergency meeting two days after Spring Break, he apologized for miscommunicating information to the student body.It is imperative that we all work to break this pattern of faulty communication.

All students enrolled here share a fundamental interest, other than a sizeable financial investment in the school. They all desire a place in the community of art and design. They chose to come to Parsons based on the belief that this school would help them build connections into that world.

Since the Printshop crisis, students have realized that Parsons needs some improvements in the area of internal connections. At the current time, there is no interdepartmental organization to foster communication between the students.

The only effective way for students to reach out is through the classrooms. The dedicated faculty of Parsons are to be commended for their support of the student mobilization around the Printshop. These individuals have lent an invaluable hand to the students: being mentors for them, and believing in their effort. The teachers and staff of Parsons have helped to instill the values which students are now working to protect.

The office of the Dean has been quick to pronounce that the information being circulated over the fledgling student communication network is incorrect. However, there has not been an attempt at communication with the students to provide them with more accurate information. The nature of the information which students are now spreading is apparently not understood by the Deans' office. What the students are now responding to is the pattern of silence and exclusion which consistently plagues their attempted communication with the Dean. In order to prevent future crises, and to safeguard the interests of the Parsons art and design community, we must work to immediately establish an effective and meaningful dialog between the student body and the administration. At the same time, the student body must be permitted to establish an intracommunication network. When these groups can express themselves to one another in an organized manner, this institution will be able to achieve and improve much more, much more efficiently.

Sincerely,

Miriam Kessler, Class of 2002