Lise's Lens: November 2, 2023
This week I am enjoying recent work by Visual Art Teacher Anne Rearick, contemplating the complicated relationship between hope and despair, and taking in an art exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum.
WHAT I’M READING
- I am reading Le Cheval de Monsieur Peillon by Rémi Coignet and our very own Anne Rearick of the Visual Arts Department. In this book, we not only get to enjoy and appreciate Anne as a photographer (she’s amazing!) but through the interview format of this collection, we are also treated to insights on how she looks at her subjects, her choices of who she photographs, when she does, what she likes and dislikes. And, to my great joy, it’s all in French! Bravo, Anne! Je suis fier de toi (I’m proud of you!). Note: The second half of the book has the English version of the interview for those who need it! This is but one of three books Anne has published this year. The others are Heartland, Terre de Coeur, and You Will Look to the Mountains, which features photographs from Eastern Kentucky.
WHAT I’M THINKING/TALKING ABOUT
- For the last three or four years, I’ve been a subscriber to the On Being Project with Krista Tippett. This past weekend, I clicked on this most recent edition of “The Pause” newsletter, and I am so happy I did. Just this short reading did me so much good. The topic was the immensity of our despair and hope. As Tippett states, “The suffering in our world is so immense, and so volatile,” but she goes on to explain how even when she is feeling lost in despair, she is still somehow able to maintain hope at the same time.
WHAT I'M WATCHING/LISTENING TO
- I am admiring the work of multidisciplinary artist Gio Swaby! I came to her work through Nailah Randall-Bellinger of the CSW Dance Department. We’re all very busy here at CSW, and I often lament that I am not able to connect with colleagues outside of work as often as I would like, and so I was thrilled to make time this past weekend to join Nailah on a visit to the Peabody Essex Museum. Wow. If you have never been, hurry up and get there. We specifically went to see Swaby’s “Fresh Up” exhibition, and it was marvelous.
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
I love this photo of Abe ’26 interacting with one of our student visitors from Japan during a Spanish class last week. What a delight it was to engage in this fun and informative cultural exchange!
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.