Dinner with Dr. Lowery Stokes Simms

Compass Students Thonah Ep and Johnston Thach where invited to dinner
with MassArt's 2010 Honorary Degree recipient Dr. Lowery Stokes Simms.
Thonah and Johnston were chosen because of their leadership potential
and their strong academic record.

Lowery Stokes Sims has had a long and influential career as a curator. She is currently a curator at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. From 2000-2007 Sims was executive director then president of The Studio Museum in Harlem and served as Adjunct Curator for the Permanent Collection. Sims was on the education and curatorial staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1972-1999. A specialist in modern and contemporary art she is known for her particular expertise in the work of African, Latino, Native and Asian American artists. She has published extensively and her research on the work of the Afro-Cuban Chinese Surrealist artist Wifredo Lam was published by the University of Texas Press in 2002.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and her good humor!

Compass Retreat 2010 - A STRONG CLEAR VISION

RETREAT: May 2010
CANONICUS CAMP, EXETER, RHODE ISLAND
THEME: A Strong Clear Vision

The theme of the retreat was inspired by the documentary of the same name about the artist Maya Lin. The film chronicles her early career success and struggles particularly in reference to the Viet Nam Memorial in Washington DC.

We had a lively discussion followed by each student showing their work.
Faculty guided discussions relating to: expectations in different department majors, integrating passion for art making and career choices and critique on completed projects from the year.

It was wonderful to see the growth, introspection and potential of these great students.

We also bid farewell to a Faculty Mentor, Nettrice Gaskins.
Nettrice will be pursuing a PHD at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA
in Digital Media Arts. She is an inspiration to so many students and colleagues. She will be missed!

Canonicus Camp Exeter, Rhode Island