Yes. Wow is right. I was the first to express sympathy, and anger that a
film showing to a class could have been an issue. But perhaps that was a
false narrative?
I do not need to take sides here, just note that there are often two
sides, and we should not have jumped to conclusions from one story, even
if from an artist we respect. We know that sometimes, experimental
filmmakers can, um, be difficult. I would like to think that art schools
should accommodate some degree of difficulty from their artists, but
there are also limits.
There was a time decades ago when I was unemployed, broke, and
spiraling downward. A filmmaker who I greatly respect (and I know many
on this list also do) wanted to me apply for an untenured, full-time
position as department chair in the university where he taught. As he
described it, the other members of the film department, all tenured, had
been fighting to the point where they were no longer speaking to each
other. The chair job involved talking about diverse issues with all four
of them and then making decisions. I knew and respected the work of two
of the other three. But the very fact of this situation, and the search
for a chair with this particular job description, boggles the mind, and
I felt a stunning lack of respect for the person they were seeking to
hire, whose continued employment as untentured faculty would depend upon
their votes. I suspected that after a few years of this I would have
been forced to retire to the rubber room -- and might never have emerged.
Most of us have passionate beliefs about aesthetic and related matters.
It takes temperance and skill to argue them from the full depths of our
passions while still letting the people we are arguing with feel
acknowledged and respected. I know that at this I have often failed.
Fred Camper
Chicago
On 4/11/2018 8:54 PM, Jon Behrens wrote:
wow
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 11, 2018, at 4:28 PM, Ed Halter <h...@edhalter.com> wrote:
Hey Frameworks
Felt I should share this announcement that was forwarded to me from the Massart
faculty.
------------
TO THE MASSART COMMUNITY:
The faculty and staff of the Film/Video department demand that Professor Saul
Levine stop his
lies about recent events at Mass Art and his cyber-bullying against his
colleagues.
It is because of Professor Levine’s very public attacks and misrepresentations
that we feel
obliged to correct his version of the complaints against him.
He has bullied his colleagues and created an abusive working environment over
many years.
He has derailed and destroyed important discussions about urgent departmental
and curricular
issues.
This is NOT an issue of academic freedom. No one at Mass Art made any effort to
censor or
punish Professor Levine for screening his film or any other film he has shown
over the years.
No one forced him to retire.The decision to retire is entirely Professor
Levine’s.
We recognize Professor Levine as a brilliant artist and programmer and are
thankful for his
contributions to the department and to Massart.It is extremely painful to see
his toxic rant
against the department, besmearing the College and insulting us by name while
claiming
himself as the victim.
As artists, teachers and mentors, it is our responsibility to stand up when we
are bullied and to
treat each other with respect. It is also our duty to foster an open,
respectful, and collegial
environment for our students.
Soon-Mi Yoo, Chair
Ericka Beckman, Professor
Gretchen Skogerson, Professor
Joe Briganti, Studio Manager, Video Area
Kim Keown, Studio Manager, Film Area
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FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com
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