In October, students in Jesse Pasca’s Art History class attended the Cataclysm: The 1972 Diane Arbus Retrospective Revisited at David Zwirner Gallery. They began by asking questions about beauty and how it is valued by different cultures, beginning with Greek pedimental sculpture and John Copeland, and leading to a lively debate about the work of Diane Arbus. “The 50-year retrospective of the momentous 1972 exhibit at MoMA was a fortuitous opportunity to examine Arbus’s controversial work,” Jesse observes.
At David Zwirner Gallery, students were able to pose the same questions they had been debating among themselves to the curator. Jesse comments, “Students discovered they had identified the key elements of controversy around Arbus’ work.” Blair Parker, Head of US, who joined the class comments, “It was exciting to see students in action. One student whom I had observed sitting quietly through a number of classes in other subjects led a debate of sorts with the curator about Arbus’ work. It was a reminder that with our help as teachers and advisors, students find their niche and opportunity to shine.”
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