Art Teacher Suspended for Recommending Figure Drawing
In December Middletown, New York art teacher Pete Panse was suspended for recommending that some of his advanced students take a figure drawing class that included nude models, on the grounds that mentioning such a thing constituted a potentially sexually unfomfortable situation for some students or their parents. Since January I have been assisting Mr. Panse in his efforts to fight this procedure and we are making good headway so far. You can read all about the case, learn how you can help, and sign an electronic petition at http://www.artrenewal.org/articles/2006/peter_panse/case1.asp. Please help any way you can!
For additional Information:
See the Geraldo At Large Segments on this case: http://www.geraldoatlarge.com/video-archive.php?searchText=nude&do=1
Newspaper Articles: http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2006/01/14/news-dcpanse-01-14.html
Click Here to Sign the Online Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Reinstate_Pete_Panse/
For additional Information:
See the Geraldo At Large Segments on this case: http://www.geraldoatlarge.com/video-archive.php?searchText=nude&do=1
Newspaper Articles: http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2006/01/14/news-dcpanse-01-14.html
Click Here to Sign the Online Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Reinstate_Pete_Panse/
6 Comments:
I hope you win this. This country is obsessed with the "evils" of nudity and sex. Good luck!
By Maenad, at 6:57 AM
I always have to laugh at the stupidity of people. As far as I can tell, these days there is a panic and fear in the air of what 'might' happen, of who 'might' get hurt. It's less so in this country (Australia) but it is still there. Just last week there was a news story doing the rounds of a school in some suburb in England, changing the words to 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' to 'Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep' simply because it 'may' have been seen as possibly racist. The trouble with trying to cater things and situations so that no-one gets hurt, or that the possibility of anyone getting hurt is taken away even when it makes no sense, it is left so bland and boringly nonsensical that no-one is pleased or interested in whatever the situation or thing was initially supposed to be. I hope the teacher is re-instated. The nude is an important part of art history that cannot be ignored or shuffled away simply because it 'may' offend some people.
By Anonymous, at 12:59 AM
This nutty school board should be on its knees asking Mr Panse to stay on as its art teacher.
Figure drawing is the basis of art. Look at the anatomical studies by Michelangelo and Leonardo. Look at Thorvaldsen's statues. Look at the Vatican!
Mr Panse has Coxsoft Art's full support. I've signed the online petition (under my own name) and will today write a blog on the subject. Check it out tomorrow at http://coxsoft.blogspot.com/ I hope it helps.
By Coxsoft Art, at 4:57 AM
I think he is a brilliant teacher ,however there is need for wisdom.The students can learn to draw fully cloth models and nude models at college or university.I would let them know about the advantages of nudity in art studies but I will not do it in secondary or high school. Like I said , he was right but there are subtle ways to deal with these issues nowadays.
By Anonymous, at 1:25 AM
I'm not sure what you mean by "wisdom" and "subtlety" here. Why is it wise to not tell kids the truth about such things? Should we allow people with sex constantly on their minds to sensor what ordinary people think and say?
The fact is that these students have a better shot at scholarships if they take figure drawing courses.
The fact is that there's nothing sexual or morally wrong about such courses (assuming that they are run properly, and nobody is even alleging that they aren't in this case).
And the fact is that the idiots who see perversion behind every tree are the ones with something wrong with them and that's who ought to lose their job if they can't keep their obsessive mentalities from interfering with their duties in running a school that's supposed to be educating kids and preparing them for life.
Why should a few sex-obsessed fools be allowed to intimidate teachers (and if it is indeed a matter of sexual abuse, anyone else too) into avoiding telling kids the truth and providing the best information? It is not "wise" to allow fools to make you join in their foolery.
--Brian
By Brian Yoder, at 10:54 AM
The entertainment industry has more or less attached a semipermanent "dirty" sign to nudity and sex, as evidenced by its almost exclusively lewd portrayal of them both in its countless degenerate works. Two generations now lay drugged to the gills via a clever mix of chemical and cultural poisoning, and Hollyork is currently working on making the third one into a mass of dope-smoking perverts by eighth grade. Heck, I've seen "men" in their TWENTIES who cannot walk through a gallery of Classical European art without snickering like a bunch of excriment-flinging monkeys, so its no suprise that some other people are going to feel uncomfortable drawing nudes. Hollyork has dumbed its host societies down to no end, to the point that we now treat certian areas of high art either as a joke or something filthy, depending on our disposition. On top of that, this country is so feminized that if anyone farts, its a major concern, and thus we have rigorous political correctness, especially in educational insititutions. As someone once said, "People who are easily offended really offend me."
By Kalafan, at 6:23 AM
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