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Student Letter: Nick
It was under no special circumstance that I swaggered into Professor Senft's‚ "Art and Self" class in January 2000 at Pratt Institute. I, a junior fine arts major, arrived fashionably late, took my seat, and surveyed the scene, prepared to do my time in another requisite and surely painful ‚ "education" class. The class was comprised almost entirely of girls in the absolute girliest sense of the word. There was a single Hershey's kiss on my desk. I was instructed to place the candy in my mouth, close my eyes, and allow it to melt.
Next, I was to write a short impression of the physical sensations and the
associative thoughts conjured by such a process. Immediately my suspicion
transformed into fear.
"What's going on here?" I thought. "Are we going to do yoga
or talk about inner children?" Well, I was almost right. We, meaning
the class, were about to delve into our personal histories through writing
and performance. And, fittingly, our first assignment involved a narrative
concerning a childhood memory.
Although I was more than hesitant to confront my unnervingly happy childhood, I admit to being intrigued by Ms. Senft's confidence in the classroom and an underlying intent that I could not yet identify. I gave it my best efforts and fell well short of the suggested length while not even approaching any coherent narrative form. To say the least, I did not expect it to be warmly received, but Ms. Senft surprised me. She not only recognized my effort, but my intended form (prose poem), and correctly identified my literary and philosophical influences (Baudelaire, Joyce, Nietzche).
Throughout that semester, Professor Senft effectively disarmed me. With each
passing week my self-imposed emotional barriers crumbled, not entirely, but
certainly enough.I grew to appreciate my classmates, seeing the sincerity,
integrity, and real emotional bravery in their work. As for me, I had met
my match. Ms. Senft lured me into conversations about my personal interests
and research. She offered an academic perspective that I had been craving.
She summarized my influences, suggested ways to further my theoretical and
literary exploration, and, most importantly, helped me begin to merge my academic
and visual interests.
Currently, I teach emotionally disturbed children and I will shortly begin
my graduate studies. In both endeavors my brief period of study with Professor
Senft has been a vital influence. Almost daily I adapt her pedagogical techniques
to my students. Furthermore, I am now ready to continue my education because,
as if by her subtle design, I am capable of combining intensely personal analysis
with conceptual and visual research.