S.O.S. The Good Ship VCFA is now without a captain !


On March 16th, 2010 VCFA announced that Jessica Lutz, Co-Founder and Director of the MFA in Visual Art program, is no longer on staff.

This event serves as a distress call to take collective action NOW.

Let our collective voices speak loud and clear. Hold the administration accountable for keeping the VCFA legacy alive!



Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Mission Statement Petition

Make your voice heard inside and outside of College Hall ! Sign the petition that requests the administration to be true to their commitment to the program. Click on the link above to go to the
MFA-V Mission Statement Petition, and sign your name with email address and list your affiliation to the program.

Let the administration know that you care about the future of the program !

7 comments:

  1. The concurrent re-writing of VCFA's mission statement (or as-of-yet unrevealed lack thereof) with the disappearance of Jessica Lutz at the helm is greatly alarming to myself, and many, many other VCFA alumni. If we can't have an upfront explanation of exactly what's going on, you might at least consider pre-posting the new statement. After all, it is we alumni who will be recommending future VCFA students to the program - how can we wholeheartedly do so when turmoil and non-disclosure are our only current perception of the program?

    With hopes that you will post the mission statement and open it to the craftsmanship of so many who have benefited from such excellent and open-minded educations,
    I am,
    Krisanne Baker Summer Class of 2008 Alumna

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  2. Sarah Phinnean GaudetteApril 9, 2010 at 2:06 AM

    As a current student at VCFA I want to be assured that this student-centered program I have come to love and trust will remain unchanged. Please write a formal mission statement that shows your intentions for the program.

    I am,
    Sarah Phinnean Gaudette Class of 2010

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  3. I have been trying to follow the postings related to the recent events at Vermont College. It seems a little confusing, mostly because of the silence. To me, any time people are not willing to speak openly, there's a reason. I am very concerned as an alumni of Vermont College who holds my degree in high esteem. The education I was guided to based on the education philosophy of the college is rare and solidly grounded. I am very concerned about how and why Jessica is no longer part of the college but more importantly the silence surrounding her disappearance. At the same time, we all know a mission statement is only as good as the intention and performance of that mission. The actual enactment of the mission statement is now of great concern as well.
    written by Barbara Yontz
    class of 2002
    Associate Professor St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, NY

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  4. Leah Zwart Hackett, alum Feb 08
    Being far away from the campus of VCFA has always been my situation. Without the structure and consistent idealogy that founded and flowed through the MFA-VA program, I would not have made it through. I would not have had the life changing experiences that fuel my teching and creating. It is imperative that the college, which may have to go in new directions, maintain the pedagogy that inspires us all. Please be true to the vision of all those that founded this program and all of us that have managed to maneuver through the process to come ouyt as better artists and creators.

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  5. As a graduate of the VCFA program I want to stress the importance of how my life and work has been changed forever by its methods and direction. I too am confused and alarmed by the silence concerning Jessica’s departure, someone whose clear direction and professionalism was a signature of the program. While many things change over time, some things need to be carefully protected from this inevitable shifting of sand, and one of these things is the mission of the VCFA program. I too want to add my voice to the request to have the founding pedagogy incorporated into a governing mission statement for the MFA-V program, in collaboration with the faculty, to be published by the first day of the next residency.
    I am,
    Kristi Ryba Winter Class of 2006

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  6. This is an intimate program and the relationship of students, faculty, and the administration is key. I am very concerned that Jessica is no longer the director. The lack of transparency in how and why this all occurred leaves a vacuum of uncertainty. A mission statement could help remedy this.

    Molly Heron, class 2011

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  7. Thank you Craig and Barbara for bringing this to my attention. Otherwise, how would we (alumni) know to be so outraged? Silence speaks of deception and to attach any of this kind of language to the Program at Vermont College is completely against the heart of that Program. Vermont College is the faculty, the administration, the students and the alumni and it is this formula that comprises the incredible pedagogy that changed the way I think. I'm shocked by what I've been reading and can't comprehend the nondisclosure going on at my Graduate Program...the one I have continuously sent prospects, the one I have praised for it's uniqueness to standard systems, and the one that managed to somehow construct a place where people share openly and earnestly. I stand behind the Faculty and Jessica and support all efforts to keep the founding pedagogical spirit of Vermont College.
    Kristi Hargrove
    Class of 2004
    Assistant Professor of Fine Art
    Watkins College of Art, Design & Film
    Nashville, TN

    ReplyDelete