On November 21st, Mr Telemaque and Mr. ADEkoje had the privilege of accompanying several VA and Theater students to New York City. World-renowned painter, Julian Schnabel, whose place in visual art (and film) history is firmly fixed, invited them for a tour of his studio. “I know what you're thinking: Pretty cool, huh? You're right, but more than you know,” said Mr.Telemaque of the visit.
They met a truly warm, passionate man who opened himself up to VA and Theater students for 2 hours! They saw a lot of his current work, in which he talked about the specifics of his process and inspirations. He brought them through his "house" (a 6 floor, self-designed palazzo - no kidding) where, “we witnessed some of the most visionary artwork I have ever seen, including his first broken plate painting”, said Mr.Telemaque. He spoke to us as if we were old friends, detailing some very personal issues he is now dealing with. All in all, they saw a real creative genius, who has been doing it for close to 30 years and is nowhere near being done. But more than that, they glimpsed the child inside Schnabel, full of vulnerabilities, trying to figure it out in his work. In describing the general feeling of the visit, Mr.Telemaque said, “Anyone who knows me, knows I don't go too much for the fluffy talk, but, in the moment, I really felt like something truly special was happening. It was one of those instances we all need, to affirm why we make artwork. We made a great friend that day.”
Please ask any of the VA or Theater students (mostly seniors) for more details and/or personal reactions to the visit. Check out a few photos from their exciting day!
On Thursday December 4th, the Junior VA class traveled to Cambridge to visit with world renowned painter/printmaker, Michael Mazur. He showed us his newest work and gave us a tour of his studio. Students were able to see the tools he uses to create his work, as well as get a hands on look at his process of printmaking. It was a very exciting afternoon! Ask any Junior VA student for more details about the very special visit they had.
