Letter from Anthony Caro to Interim President Joseph Iseman pertaining to Bennington Summers

Date

1976-04-16

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Publisher

Bennington College

Abstract

Dear Mr. Iseman, I remember Paul Feeley in 1964 or 5 asking the Art Division of which he was chairman if we would think out some ways in which the Visual Arts program at Bennington could be enlarged and extended. I felt - and I still feel - that Bennington had a role to play in the opening up and flowering of modernist sculpture, and I wrote the outline of a scheme, stillborn in fact, whereby the facilities and energies available at the College could become available to up-and-coming sculptors all over the world. I am delighted therefore that this year a similar but far better, far enlarged idea, the Bennington Summers, appears to be coming to fruition. Living outside the USA and far from Bennington, I am always amazed at the Bennington phenomenon, a college that has at its call, within its faculty, or just outside its walls the most shining talents around in so many artistic fields. It is an exceptional situation; but perhaps not enough appreciated at the College where emphasis now resides more in education than in research and advancement of a subject. But now the proposal is to cash in on some of these assets and make them available to those who are hungry for experiment within a discipline. The Summers will certainly reflect well on Bennington's reputation abroad as well as in USA, its faculty stimulated and its students encouraged. Probably the most exciting aspect of the scheme is the fact that artists will be working at the limits of their knowledge and experience, and hopefully breaking new ground by working with others and working in areas in which they have no familiarity. This makes everyone equal partners in workshop situations, and I do not doubt that the exchanges between the less and the more experienced will be equal. This note is simply to indicate one ex-faculty member's complete support of the venture. I wish it all success, by which will be enhanced Bennington's already strong position as a center for what is most alive in the arts. Yours Sincerely, Anthony Caro"

Description

Keywords

Caro, Anthony, 1924-2013, Sculpture, Bennington Faculty, Bennington Summers

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