Lately, I've been feeling like hell. Honestly. There's just no other way to put it. Just the local news, the world news, man-made disasters like the gas prices, other natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes. Just everywhere I look , I see pain -- it's just been damn depressing. But everyday, I still look for something inspirational. Some days are harder than others, and that can be depressing in itself, looking for grass growing in the cracks of the sidewalks; but in a way, the lack of something simply put and beautiful makes finding that something inspirational so much more valuable.
I just got this in an email and found Fred's Faculty Greeting so extremely refreshing, I'm posting it here without permission, but I bet he wouldn't mind. Enjoy!
Welcome New Alums – the Class of 2008!
The 58th Memphis College of Art commencement on the lawn was held on Saturday‚ May 10‚ 2008. At this ceremony‚ we celebrated the conferral of 46 Bachelor of Fine Arts and 5 Master of Fine Arts degrees. We also conferred our very first Master of Arts in Art Education degree. The commencement address was delivered by our very own Coleman Coker‚ MFA 1994‚ Studio Arts. Coleman is an internationally prominent architect and founder/principal of buildingstudio‚ currently headquartered in New Orleans. He received the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome and a Loeb Fellowship in Advanced Environmental Studies from Harvard University. He has held the E. Fay Jones Chair in Architecture at the University of Arkansas and is currently the Favrot Chair at Tulane University School of Architecture.
This year‚ the Faculty Greeting was delivered by Fred Burton‚ Professor‚ Fine Arts. Fred’s captivating greeting was delivered with passion and heart and deserves to be shared.
The Faculty Greeting:
Hello. I'm (pause) Johnny Cash …
Just testing … I’ve always wanted to say that.
My name is Fred Burton. I’ve been teaching at MCA since 1987‚ and I’m a professor of Drawing. I would very much like to welcome all of you:
President Nesin
Vice President Strickland
Honored guests
The Board of Trustees
Distinguished faculty
Our wonderful staff
And most especially . . . the 2008 graduates‚ their families and friends.
It’s an honor to share this moment as you move on from MCA out into the wide‚ wide world.
Now‚ every semester I pin quotes onto the walls of my classroom for inspiration‚ and there is one quotation in particular that I think about most often. It’s by Osho‚ an Indian philosopher. He said‚ “Knowledge is not information‚ it's transformation.” Of course that’s true‚ because I know that our graduates view the world very differently now than when they first entered MCA. So‚ in order to prod that process along a bit‚ and with a quiet nod of thanks to the late American Indian painter Fritz Scholder for his words of inspiration‚ here are a few things for our graduates to ponder:
From now on:
You are your own movie.
You are not finding yourself‚ you are creating yourself.
So live with intention‚ and have faith in yourself.
Continue to learn.
Set lofty goals‚ and have heroes because they will show you what is possible.
Live a creative life because the world needs that now more than ever.
Your art is now your passport to the entire world‚ so try to live in as many places as you can. Go to Barcelona‚ Berlin‚ Florence‚ Paris‚ Vienna‚ and beyond because travel will enrich your soul.
Live with beauty: with flowers‚ music‚ books‚ paintings and sculpture.
And now that you know how it’s done‚ keep a record of your time.
Also‚ look for the unknown‚ for it is all around you. Read well. Listen and speak well. Know your country‚ know the world‚ know your history‚ and know yourself.
Take care of yourself physically‚ mentally and spiritually. Be good to those around you. You owe it to yourself.
And do everything with passion. Give all that you can.
Remember‚ life is short‚ and art is long.
I want to pass on some final advice from Peter Schjeldahl‚ an art critic who currently writes for New Yorker Magazine. These are his Ten Commandments for Artists:
“Work‚ work‚ work‚ work‚ work‚
Work‚ work‚ work‚ work . . . Don't whine.”
Thank you very much.
Professor Fred Burton
May 2008
I just got this in an email and found Fred's Faculty Greeting so extremely refreshing, I'm posting it here without permission, but I bet he wouldn't mind. Enjoy!
Welcome New Alums – the Class of 2008!
The 58th Memphis College of Art commencement on the lawn was held on Saturday‚ May 10‚ 2008. At this ceremony‚ we celebrated the conferral of 46 Bachelor of Fine Arts and 5 Master of Fine Arts degrees. We also conferred our very first Master of Arts in Art Education degree. The commencement address was delivered by our very own Coleman Coker‚ MFA 1994‚ Studio Arts. Coleman is an internationally prominent architect and founder/principal of buildingstudio‚ currently headquartered in New Orleans. He received the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome and a Loeb Fellowship in Advanced Environmental Studies from Harvard University. He has held the E. Fay Jones Chair in Architecture at the University of Arkansas and is currently the Favrot Chair at Tulane University School of Architecture.
This year‚ the Faculty Greeting was delivered by Fred Burton‚ Professor‚ Fine Arts. Fred’s captivating greeting was delivered with passion and heart and deserves to be shared.
The Faculty Greeting:
Hello. I'm (pause) Johnny Cash …
Just testing … I’ve always wanted to say that.
My name is Fred Burton. I’ve been teaching at MCA since 1987‚ and I’m a professor of Drawing. I would very much like to welcome all of you:
President Nesin
Vice President Strickland
Honored guests
The Board of Trustees
Distinguished faculty
Our wonderful staff
And most especially . . . the 2008 graduates‚ their families and friends.
It’s an honor to share this moment as you move on from MCA out into the wide‚ wide world.
Now‚ every semester I pin quotes onto the walls of my classroom for inspiration‚ and there is one quotation in particular that I think about most often. It’s by Osho‚ an Indian philosopher. He said‚ “Knowledge is not information‚ it's transformation.” Of course that’s true‚ because I know that our graduates view the world very differently now than when they first entered MCA. So‚ in order to prod that process along a bit‚ and with a quiet nod of thanks to the late American Indian painter Fritz Scholder for his words of inspiration‚ here are a few things for our graduates to ponder:
From now on:
You are your own movie.
You are not finding yourself‚ you are creating yourself.
So live with intention‚ and have faith in yourself.
Continue to learn.
Set lofty goals‚ and have heroes because they will show you what is possible.
Live a creative life because the world needs that now more than ever.
Your art is now your passport to the entire world‚ so try to live in as many places as you can. Go to Barcelona‚ Berlin‚ Florence‚ Paris‚ Vienna‚ and beyond because travel will enrich your soul.
Live with beauty: with flowers‚ music‚ books‚ paintings and sculpture.
And now that you know how it’s done‚ keep a record of your time.
Also‚ look for the unknown‚ for it is all around you. Read well. Listen and speak well. Know your country‚ know the world‚ know your history‚ and know yourself.
Take care of yourself physically‚ mentally and spiritually. Be good to those around you. You owe it to yourself.
And do everything with passion. Give all that you can.
Remember‚ life is short‚ and art is long.
I want to pass on some final advice from Peter Schjeldahl‚ an art critic who currently writes for New Yorker Magazine. These are his Ten Commandments for Artists:
“Work‚ work‚ work‚ work‚ work‚
Work‚ work‚ work‚ work . . . Don't whine.”
Thank you very much.
Professor Fred Burton
May 2008
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