July 1998 CAA News
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1 People of the Eye z As I recall it, he said, 'I haven't seen fit At this moment, a former student CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 to do much for Harvard as yet, but I en~ and his wife walked up. Our fifteen ~ liked that fine arts report, and, if you minutes had passed remarkably swiftly. ,-,.(j) was 'Fine Arts at Harvard.' would be willing, I'll give the funds to Lane was off to lunch with old friends, (ti..., "The key recommendation, at least build the facility recommended.' waving a farewell to me as he went, and in my judgment, was that a facility for 0...,., "Pusey was more than pleasantly I was a few minutes late to my meeting teaching painting and sculpture should surprised and was about to accept the at the Clark. 5"- be built and it should be contiguous to (j) proposal when Carpenter interjected. -John W. Hyland, Jr. the Fogg itself. Brown agreed whole 'But you'll have to agree to one condi () CAA Treasurer 0 heartedly that we needed a studio arts ~ tion that I put on my gift. I choose the ~ emphasis and facility. We even included (j) architect.' O<l a picture in the report of a joint foyer "Pusey was immediately concerned (j) between the two buildings so that studio that Carpenter's choice of architect 2; artists and art historians would inter would not be acceptable to the Board of ,-,. mingle. The enemy, we believed, was Overseers. So he asked Carpenter if he Correction S en>- the whole gang of art historians who had a candidate for the job. (J> 0 were in love with words rather than "'Yes I do,' he said. 'Le Corbusier.' n objects. I felt we needed what I liked to The bio of 2000 annual conference theme I ~. "So," said Faison with a twinkle in ,-,. chair Ellen Levy, which appeared in the ~. call 'people of the eye' instead of just his eye, "our proposal to elevate studio '" "Annual Conference 2000: Call for 'people of the mind.' So, the report, art at Harvard not only got accepted, it § Session Proposals" (May CAA News, nicely bound and with our recommen wound up getting Harvard the only page 4-6), should read: "As guest editor dation, went to Nathan Pusey, President Corbusier building in the United of Contemporary Art and the Genetic Code 0-< of Harvard, and from him to the art States." People of ~ (Levy with Berta M. Sichel, Art Journal, world at large. "I would say that you were Spring 1996), Levy fostered an interdis @ "No sooner had the report reached extremely busy promoting the cause of (j) ciplinary dialogue." the hands of Harvard alumni than the Eye N artists at a critical time," I suggested. He ,w Pusey received a telephone call from a only smiled and said, "You do what you man named Carpenter from St. Louis. can." Z ~ S u CAA Treasurer John Hyland recently spoke ...,(j) ( ·,ith his former professor Lane Faison, Irojessar emeritus at Williams College and "" '--< eleventh president of CAA (1952-53). ~ ~ '-<: ..... 'D 'D 5 0) he metallic red, two-year-old Taurus pulled into the parking lot slowly and stopped. After a College Art Association T 275 Seventh Avenue "!Jrief delay, the door at the driver's side New York, New York 10001 swung open, and I saw a face twist around and look to the back of the car. With some difficulty the body followed Board of Directors the face and Lane Faison stepped out. "Oh," he said spotting me. "I see it John R. Clarke, President must be Clark Art Board meeting time. A limited number of Untitled, mixed-media constructions by Sam Gilliam, are still avail Michl Hami, Vice-President I'm just dropping off a letter I wrote this able. Proceeds benefit CAA's Professional Development Program for Artists and Art Ellen T. Baird, Secretary Historians. $1,000; $1,750 for nonmembers. Contact: Katie Hollander, 2121691-1051, ext. JoIm W. Hyland,Jr., Treasurer morning. They-or rather you-seem to 206; [email protected]. Jeffrey P. Cunard, Counsel be planning to charge an admission fee at the Clark. I attended the open meeting Susan Ball, Executive Director recollections about the College Art yesterday and heard some very good Association." Catherine Asher Patricia Leighten ideas, so I wanted Conforti to have my Annual Lane's right eyebrow rose, and he Holly Block Joe Lewis thoughts." Marilyn R. Brown Arturo Lindsay tipped his head back slightly to look at Conference 2000, Whitney Davis Richard Martin Though he was planning to drop the me. New York: Date Change letter off with Director Michael Joe Deal Yong Soon Min "CAA? Why I haven't been to one of Conforti's assistant, Lane had carefully Vishakha Desai J olm Hallmark Neff their meetings for years. But, I've got Bailey Doogan Beatrice Rehl olaced a new holographic stamp on the / fifteen minutes until friends meet me The dates for the 88th Annual Con Shifra M. Goldman Bruce Robertson ( .nvelope. "Well," he replied when he here to go to lunch. Grab that bench and ference, to be held in New York in Nancy Friese Node Sato saw me looking at the stamp, "maybe Joanna Frueh I'll tell you what I remember. Let's see, I February 2000, have been changed. Jeffrey Chipps Smith they can save some money by reusing the Linda C. Hults Alan Wallach 'retired in 1976 from teaching at Williams The new dates are February 23-26, stamp." Then he smiled good-naturedly. Christine Kondoleon and I think the last CAA board meeting I 2000. Please make a note of the I broke in on his train of thought, change on your calendar! "I'd be interested in hearing your CONTINuED ON PAGE 2 People of the Eye make a fuss over you." "That's right. I was elected on promote and be receptive to the creative undertake this job with him?" Contents CO~DFROMPAGEI "Going back to your history with January 26, 1952, and I served for three artist. My appreciation for artists was "Welt we first met in London. I had CAA, you said you were at Princeton, years. CAA was a lot smaller in those brought horne to me when I was arrived on June I, 1945, just as the war attended must have been 1965 or so. but I thought you had gone to Volume 23, Number 4 days." teaching at Yale (1932~36). Elliott ended. I was a part of the OSS, a small July 1998 That's more than thirty years ago, you Harvard." "I know," I replied, "I checked the O'Hara, who was renowned for his three-man group called the Art Looting know." "I was at Harvard for one year, records. As you were elected president, technical skills in watercolor, took a Investigation Unit (ALIU). We were "I understand. But l'd like some of earning my M.A. I took a remarkable the membership had just passed 2,000 group of us outside near the art charged with finding out what Hitler, 1 People of the Eye the history of your involvement that course under Arthur Pope, in which we and the total budget for the year was building and gave us five minutes to Goering, and Goebbels, among others, must go back much further. When did spent some class sessions learning by $32,000. I did notice that you began mix paints and five minutes to paint a had done with the artthat they had you first join?" making value charts, color wheels, and I holding Executive Committee meetings pichrre. That was an intense five stolen. We interviewed anyone we could New Book Review Faison was quiet for a moment, remember specifically, copying a Editor for Art Bulletin in Williamstown." minutes, I can tell you. We were later find, and we studied whatever docu thinking of events long since past. "Oh, Botticelli line drawing. I used more 4 CAANews "Well, why not? I was president, asked to spend one and a half hours in mentation we could get our hands on. It let me see. I was a graduate student at eraser than pencil. But that was one of wasn't I?" the studio doing the same picture, using was in London that I was introduced to Princeton for two busy years beginning my first exposures to the complexity of "What did you consider was the every effort to make it perfect and not Brown, who was a part of the Monu in the fan of 1930. I wrote a paper for creating art rather than studying it. I issue facing CAA that you cared most being under the pressure of time, either. ments, Fine Arts, and Archives outfit. It 5 Advocacy Charles Morey on a Gothic processional was fascinated, but I found Harvard a about?" I was amazed that everyone of us had also had an acronym, the MFA & A, but, cross in the Vatican that was published bit'chilly' and decided to work on my On this point Lane responded done a better job in our quick response in short, they were called the Venus under his (and my) name in the Art Ph.D. at Princeton. I had met Professor quickly and with nO hesitation. "I to the subject than we had with all the Fixers. Their job was to scour Western Bulletin. Because of this article, I joined Frank Mather from Princeton at a believed that the practicing artists were time in the world to paint. I learned Europe, find the great works of art, and 6 Annual Conference Update CAA at the annual conference.