Recently my colleague and now friend, the esteemed Rob Southworth and I were locked in glittery pre-holiday party banter. Wine in hand we recollected early childhood groundbreaking inspirations in art and in education. My story had to do with a black and white poster featuring a shirtless Paul Newman as Cool Hand Luke.
The Summer of 1967 I was 10 and my parents let me have my own vacation room in an old Inn facing the sea on the coast of Maine. We went to a film about this sexy anti hero loner and it really turned me on. I asked Mom to buy me this racy poster for my fabulous private room with a view. Being the most inspired person ever, she grabbed the rolled up prize without a moments hesitation and put it in our basket. I also bought christmas lights, collected sea treasure, wrote thoughts about Cool Hand Luke and installed my first very serious art experience on an antique dresser.
What happened next was by chance. The next morning I was drawing in my window rocking chair when two high school aged girls came in to tidy up my room. They froze and really gasped. One of them reached out slow motion style and moved toward the installation almost touching Luke but finding some sort of reverence with the hoopla around him. That was it. I was hooked on the artistic experience. I re-arranged that installation every night and waited for the new responses every day. News spread around the Inn and I actually had several adult requests to visit the shrine to Cool Hand Luke! My Mom helped me to schedule a viewing during cocktail hour and in retrospect I realize that was my first real art opening with cocktails and snacks.
I think this story best describes my inspired connection to art and to art in education to this day. I keep re-arranging, adding glitter as well as depth in an effort to make inspiration our most revered asset in this field.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Rob Southworth // Jan 8, 2008 at 9:55 am
What a fantastic start to this blog! I feel the energy pouring out of your arts-infused brain-box. I see the evidence of your learning in and through the arts. I can tell by your story of Cool-Hand Luke that you are aware of the power of art and that you have harnessed that power to help others see differently. I know that I have had these same experiences, and to give you one grounded example for me, it was in theatre.
When I first saw Jesus Christ Superstar, at age ten or so, I watched the show and I watched myself—I became meta-cognitive—and realized that I would never be the same. The power of theatre moved me out of an ego-dominant place to a community of artists place I know define and update on a daily basis. This place is the center of my soul that is connected to all the other souls, from which I perceive, think, talk and act. If I want to change how I think, I first have to go out of myself and connect with others sot that I act differently, then change my talk, which makes me think new thoughts and that finally helps me perceive in new ways. There is a forward and backwards directionality to my arts-infused brain-box and the care and feeding of that process is the tolerance, patience and finally some kind of beautiful clarity with which I tend to my organizing self.
The question I ask myself, is also the quetion I ask others, “What evidence do you have for your learning?” And the answer that comes back from the hopeful universe is to watch your self more closely, observe the world, struggle with the great work, have the great conversation, learn and progress. The signs of learning are the evidence of our lives. Arts on!
2 Robert Ross // Jan 8, 2008 at 10:11 am
Your blog post is as inspiring and informative as
your program.
3 Kristin Brenneman Eno // Jan 8, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I LOVE to hear that your early childhood experiences still inform your art and education endeavors!! That is so powerful and makes total sense when I think about your work as an artist and Director of Ed. I am always hoping to better access my own memories of childhood…and look to the children to help me do so. Thanks for also directing me that way!
4 Gen Berretta // Jan 8, 2008 at 4:31 pm
As a writing teacher, in particular I love how you wrote:
“I keep re-arranging, adding glitter as well as depth, in an effort to make inspiration our most revered asset in this field.”
As an educator, the most difficult task and the part that makes teaching so exciting, is the glitter and re-arranging, and the ever evolving indepth understanding of our craft, that arranged joyfully, will inspire generations to come. I also think that you hit it on the head–audience. We all need an audience to fuel us. We do not write to walls. We do not create for walls. We create for connection. The audience inspired you, and you interested and engaged the audience. The girls came back, you gave them more; more people came, and you gave them different; you gave them heart and soul and they, by their interest, gave you wings. But let’s not ever forget your “cool” mom who started it all by handing you: Cool Hand Luke. I love the story. Inspiration is where it all begins.
5 Phil // Jan 8, 2008 at 5:58 pm
From Hawley’s blog, I was inspired to contact my favorite teacher, my 9th grade English teacher. She’s still teaching (over 26 years later!) so I was able to Google her email address. I told her that I had felt honored as a learner and welcome as a thinker. I felt like she related to us as people, not just students. She also had a wonderful sense of humor, including the ability to laugh at herself, and anyone who knows me, knows how much I value humor.
6 Geneve // Jan 9, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Hawley, I want to be more then short and sweet here, but suffice it to say this; as always, you cast a unique light on being an artist and a teacher, infusing these endeavors that we all have a part in with enchantment, clarity, and meaning.
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