About Grinnell
Posted by: Lesley Wright
June 8, 2011 - 2:13pm
In May 2011, Grinnell College students were involved in a wide range of exhibitions, both as the makers of the art on view and as the curators of the exhibitions. These experiences provide an excellent complement to the learning that goes on in the classroom: learning that focuses on the history, theory and challenges of museums, as well as the history, theory, techniques and conceptual underpinnings of the creation of works of art. For their exhibitions, students had to make decisions... Read More...
Posted by: Raynard S. Kington
March 4, 2011 - 12:07pm
In a series of meetings I have had last year with the larger Grinnell family — including open office hours, lunches with faculty and administrators, and conversations with students — the single most popular question has been some variation of “What is the College doing about environmental and sustainability issues?”
There are several reasons for such a high interest: Sustainability is consistent with the College’s long history of social responsibility. Environmental responsibility saves the... Read More...
Posted by: Lesley Wright
February 11, 2011 - 11:27am
State Rep. Scott Raecker, a Grinnell alumnus, has introduced a bill in the Iowa Legislature to sell a painting, Jackson Pollock's "Mural," owned by the University of Iowa Museum of Art in order to create a fund to pay for scholarships for art students. For more on the original story see:
http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-pollock-painting-bill-021011,0,5431588.story
Here is the letter I sent to Representative Raecker explaining why I think this is a terrible idea.
Dear Representative Raecker,... Read More...
Posted by: Lesley Wright
January 27, 2011 - 11:51am
Once upon a time, communicating took a great deal of work. Paper was made by hand, writing was done with a handmade pen and handmade ink, and every word was handwritten. Printing presses allowed for multiple copies, but early type was hand carved, hand-set and the pages of text were pulled by hand. Nowadays in our so-called paperless society, children learn to print then go straight to “keyboarding.” Cursive writing is becoming a lost art—will we have to have special classes in creating a... Read More...
Posted by: Raynard S. Kington
January 21, 2011 - 11:29am
The more times change, the more times demand — and reward — thoughtful innovation. Here are some thoughts on three innovative new steps we’re taking to better position the College for the future.
Defining our identity in new ways
On Nov. 29, we announced the creation of the new Grinnell College Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize. Following that announcement, some people have asked me why the College is undertaking an expensive new initiative now, in such challenging financial times. That’... Read More...
Posted by: Raynard S. Kington
January 21, 2011 - 11:24am
Since we are still just beginning to know one another and to work together, I think it’s only fair that you have some idea of what I value when making decisions. At an all-campus meeting on Sept. 20, I shared my belief in: Fairness. Fairness is my guiding decision-making principle. And really, it’s a social justice issue. What we’ve worked for and continue to work for in this country is not so much this Supreme Court decision or that constitutional amendment. At our core, we simply want... Read More...
Posted by: Raynard S. Kington
January 21, 2011 - 11:17am
I’ve pinned a bumper sticker on the bulletin board over my desk in Nollen house that says “Choose Civility.” I posted it (a gift from two members of the Grinnell family!) to remind myself and others that civility is a choice. It is an especially important choice to make in a community of passionate activists like ours where we at times discuss divisive issues and ideas. Experience has taught me that the natural course of communities who discuss such subjects without a conscious effort to be... Read More...
Posted by: Raynard S. Kington
January 21, 2011 - 11:13am
I want to do everything I can to ensure good communication on campus. My first choice is always to meet and talk with you all in person, with time for some questions on your part and some listening on my part. But I realize 1) we can’t always do that, and 2) not everyone will be able to attend such events when we do. So from time to time I’ll share information I think you need to know and ideas I believe are worth thinking about. I welcome your comments — although I can’t respond to them... Read More...
Posted by: Lesley Wright
January 18, 2011 - 3:23pm
Art Looking Life in the Eye
South African artist Diane Victor has traveled to the frozen fields of Iowa to complete drawings for her exhibition Of Fables and Folly, which opens here at the Faulconer on Friday, January 28. She is currently working on oversize drawings, made of smoke from candles, of South African prisoners—people whose lives are as ephemeral in the grand scheme of social power as the smoke that depicts them. These portraits are haunting, but bearable. Her prints on view in the... Read More...
September 10, 2010 - 8:47pm
This week has been a flurry of activity at the Faulconer Gallery. Our summer exhibition came down on Monday, and the first of them shipped out Tuesday. By Friday, all four of the new exhibitions were on their way to completion. The walls had been repositioned and prepped. Artists were hard at work on creating site specific installations. Art was retrieved from storage and readied for hanging.
Meanwhile, Dan Strong, our associate director, alarmed by the news reports of potential qur’an (Koran)... Read More...
