Posts tagged field work term

Drama professor Kirk Jackson shares his recent and upcoming work outside of the classroom.

All Bennington faculty members are teacher-practitioners, meaning they also do work and/or research in the areas that they teach. Just like the students with Field Work Term, these experiences add so much to the vibrancy of this place and its relationship to the rest of the world.

Stay tuned for more short videos documenting these stories in the coming weeks!

- Ezra, Michael, Sarah, Evan, Alan, & Michaela

FWT friends.

This past Field Work Term, while at Transom.org, I made a dear friend who was working on converting his epic 11 month walk across the United States into an hour long radio piece. He whittled over 85 hours of audio into what are some of the most beautiful and human moments I’ve ever heard. There are excerpts posted here on cowbird. Check out the full story here.

- jason ‘13

benningtoncollege: Students have submitted photos of their Field Work Term experiences. Check out the slideshow.

benningtoncollege:

Students have submitted photos of their Field Work Term experiences. Check out the slideshow.

hi! so i've been accepted, and i'm really feeling bennington a whole lot (it's pretty much my dream school), but there's only one problem - i'm from the deep south (middle georgia) and vermont is SO cold. i can't stand snow! do you have any perspective on the weather and how to cope? because i'm genuinely afraid of those vermont winters! — Asked by Anonymous

Howdy,

As an Alabamian, I feel compelled to assuage your fears of the Vermont snow.

A couple of things to know. 1.) Field Work Term means that you get to leave Vermont for the worst of the winter. 2.) The efficiency of the snow-plowing that occurs here is incredible. 3.) It does get pretty cold, but it also gets surprisingly hot here by May.

With added love from Jesse (from South Carolina).

- jason ‘13

This Field Work Term I split my time between two community-based theater groups, the Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD) and the San Francisco Mime Troupe (SFMT). As a senior, these were amazing case studies in my exploration of political and grassroots theaters, theaters with methodologies directly related to the expansion of participatory democracy. I’ll leave it to you lovely readers to explore their websites and dig into the details of these remarkable organizations, but basically: the LAPD makes performances in Skid Row, reversing a lot of the stereotypes and stigmas associated with “the homeless capital of America.” The SFMT is legendary for its infusion of radical politics and physical/musical comedy, doing free shows in the parks of SF since 1959. During the winter, when I was there, they were working on their annual Youth Theater Project, where high school students from all over the Bay Area get together to write and perform a play based on burning political or social issues they think are important.

It was really amazing to seek out exactly the kind of work I’ve focused my studies around, and to get a sense of what the work is like from day to day. Some questions remain, intensified by first-hand contact with these groups. Most importantly, does this activist application of theater constitute art? Does it have intrinsic aesthetic value, or does it lie more in the realm of art therapy (in the case of LAPD) and political protest (with the SFMT)? And if it does not count as art, does that matter? I saw more process than performance at each place, which was extremely helpful to my goal of doing my own work in this field, but left me wondering how or if the work transcends the group of participants. I’m loving my last term here, but I’m also so excited to go and do more of this community-based theater work when I graduate in June!

Ezra ‘13

thank you, i am aware that "broke hearts, broke the law, and talked to crazy people" kid is a current Bennington student. i was wondering what's his name, if I get lucky enough to meet him and ask him questions about his FWT. It sounded interesting, like there was more behind what he was revealing. — Asked by Anonymous

Hey, dude. Our apologies for the mix-up. Unfortunately I’m not sure how appropriate it really is to give out students’ names and contact info when they aren’t officially affiliated with Admissions. It can invite fan mail and stalkers (not really but kindasorta) and we don’t want to subject anyone to that when they haven’t explicitly signed up for it. We can’t help it if our non-Admissions student body is so interesting/attractive/suave/studly that they invite e-solicitation from strangers.

But honestly, there’s only ~700 of us here on a given day. Chances are actually pretty good that you might run into one (or more) of the students from that video if you were to drop by campus for a visit sometime this spring. So, I’m sorry I can’t give out anyone’s name in particular, but I can guarantee you would find plenty of Bennington students who are more than willing to talk about their FWT experiences (law-abiding and, perhaps, not) if you find yourself in a position to be able to just strike up a conversation sometime. Hope this helps.

-Evan ‘13

One of the perks of doing your Field Work Term in radio is that you spend a lot of time hanging out with interesting people in an effort to record them. Sometimes, they even show you how to melt some glass after the interview.

- jason ‘13

celene:

You read all about FWT- but hear it from the students themselves. The BFP asks: What did you do this winter, in 5 seconds or less?

Please please please try not to sugar coat your answers but I've been reading the Bennington Free Press online and basically every recent article in some way mentions that Bennington is falling apart whether because of the retiring staff or by the more-of-a-burden FWT. I know it's easy to complain about things because it bonds people or whatever but should these complaints by students pose a valid concern for those of us joining the Bennington community in the fall? What are your takes on it? — Asked by Anonymous

I think students here hold the school to an incredibly high standard and thus have some strong opinions. Personally, I think the language that the school is ‘falling apart’ is melodramatic, but not everyone would agree with me. These posts, I think, speak more to the seriousness of our students than they do to the state of the school. Bennington will always be going through changes because we are always trying to get the school as close as possible to the values that drive it. In a sense, if you join our community, you should be concerned: Bennington students get involved and engage in discussions about these issues. But you shouldn’t be worried.

As for FWT, I would say you are getting a pretty fair portrayal between this blog and some of the articles on the BFP. We all make judgement calls regarding money going into FWT — balancing realism and idealism is a real world lesson, too.

-Alan ‘15

Also, I think it’s important to note that these “burden FWT” articles aren’t reflecting any change in the nature of FWT. Not everyone has 4 amazing FWTs. In fact, I don’t know if anyone has ever had 4 straight FWTs that met every one of his/her expectations. However (and I think that we only realize this after FWT is over), we can always learn something about ourselves and our aspirations during an internship, even if the internship is not great, or even awful.

And I will happily second Alan’s point about “falling apart” being an overstatement. Yes, President Liz Coleman is leaving, but she is staying on for the next 2 years as Director of CAPA, and will definitely continue to have input re: Bennington’s direction well into the future. Apparently, she’s apartment-hunting in North Bennington, but that might just be a rumor. Also, we have no idea what the Office of Student Life will be like without Eva.
As long as Bennington College is full of students, faculty and staff who are invested in nurturing and following the values and ethos of this institution, it will not fall apart.

-Eric ‘13

A link to another current student’s response can be found here.

Meet Simon.  Simon is a betta fish that Crossett Library is caring for while his owner is on Field Work Term.  For the past few years, during FWT at least one or two students has asked us to take care of their betta fish while they’re gone.  We’ve happily done so, taking care of (and then ownership over) Dorothy last year, and Maximillion the year before.  But fish aren’t all we’re good at! We also house a variety of plant life in our window arboretum.  (Technically arboretum is a collection of trees, but I’m not entirely sure what is growing upstairs, so we’ll use it.)  Thankfully, I’m not in charge of, and have been specifically prohibited from having interaction with, the collection of flora upstairs.  This ensures they will remain well-cared for and alive throughout FWT. Just wanted to set the record straight for any incoming students who may be concerned about the risks of high-altitude/low-pressure on their tiny little friends.  Crossett Library can be their home away from home :-)(This post was sent to us by Jared from Crossett Library)

Meet Simon.  Simon is a betta fish that Crossett Library is caring for while his owner is on Field Work Term.  For the past few years, during FWT at least one or two students has asked us to take care of their betta fish while they’re gone.  We’ve happily done so, taking care of (and then ownership over) Dorothy last year, and Maximillion the year before.  

But fish aren’t all we’re good at! We also house a variety of plant life in our window arboretum.  (Technically arboretum is a collection of trees, but I’m not entirely sure what is growing upstairs, so we’ll use it.)  Thankfully, I’m not in charge of, and have been specifically prohibited from having interaction with, the collection of flora upstairs.  This ensures they will remain well-cared for and alive throughout FWT.

Just wanted to set the record straight for any incoming students who may be concerned about the risks of high-altitude/low-pressure on their tiny little friends.  Crossett Library can be their home away from home :-)

(This post was sent to us by Jared from Crossett Library)

Hey Everyone! I am currently in the midst of administrative work and event planning for my FWT in Atlanta, Georgia. I am working with a Tribal Fusion dance company. Feel free to check out more here!

Weather you are busy in the office or busy filling out applications, I hope everyone is doing well. I just wanted to share my friend’s video about her first term at Bennington. We met because she was on the Canoe Pre-Orientation trip I led this Fall, but we continued our friendship beyond that. 

I am so happy she captured the funny moments of what I like to call “Behind the Scenes” of Bennington. When we are not knee deep in projects and reading, we also like to goof off and have fun. I saw a lot of my first term in her video as well. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

With love from the south,

Alana 

Greetings from Alaska! I am currently working with a woodworker, Bob, in Sterling, AK which is on the beautiful Kenai Peninsula. My days are mostly spent in the shop peeling logs, grinding them down, sanding, and glueing the pieces together. So far we have made 7 night tables, two coffee tables, 4 chairs, and are working on two handrails. 

Most of Bob’s work is with log furniture, which is very popular around here, but he also does some cool stuff with burls and weirdly curved wood. We have one piece in the shop where a branch grows of of the trunk and then 6 inches later grows back into the trunk making a perfect handle. It’s is pretty darn cool what nature can do. 

Yesterday we took a break from the shop, bundled up, and went to harvest wood. All the wood we cut down was dead so that we could work with it right away (instead of waiting 2ish years for it to dry). We hitched a sled onto the snowmachine and off we went. I concluded after chopping them down and hitching them to the snowmachine that trees look a lot bigger on the ground. 

Beyond work Bob and his wife Judy have been taking me all over to explore. We have done a lot of snowshoeing behind the house and in the mountains, which are just stunning. I get to watch the sun rise and set every day from the wood shop and a good amount of the time there is snow falling and moose and bald eagles are everywhere. I have also been able to swim in the pool in the nearby town of Soldotna.  It’s fair to say I’m pretty happy. 

Just yesterday as I was flying across a snow covered swamp on the back of the snowmachine I was thinking how lucky I was to go to school that allows me to do this, to have experiences like this. The thought was then cut short as we sped up and I tightened my grip in the snowmachine and wondered if the two pairs of wool socks I had on were enough.  

-Glennis

Hello! I am very interested in Bennington, but studying abroad has for at least a semester, if not a year, has always been one of my goals. Although Bennington doesn't have its own study abroad program, do many students actually take advantage of the option of studying abroad through another school's program? If so, do scholarships from Bennington transfer for this? Also, how does this work with the FWT? Thanks in advance! — Asked by Anonymous

Absolutely! I think it’s safe to say that people who want to go abroad generally do go abroad. I just sat down for a quick chat with Kate and Kendra from Academic Services and they told me that between 30 and 40 students generally study abroad per year, which is prettyyy impressive given how small our school is. Of course, studying abroad has to fit into your Plan and overall inform your education in some fantabulous way. For example, if you’re a potter, going to China to study the world’s oldest pottery is totally feasible. And as a Spanish student, my heading to Latin America or Spain to study the language (AND EAT ALL THE FOOD) makes total sense. But since you do need to have written your Plan before you can jet off somewhere, the absolute earliest you can study abroad is the second term of your sophomore year, though it’s really preferable to do it in your junior year. The logistics will be heavily discussed with your academic advisor, your Plan committee, and Academic Services though, so it’s not all on you to figure everything out! They’ve got your back. 

As far as funding your study abroad (dun dun dun)… When you study abroad, you’re on a “leave of absence” and are technically not a Bennington student for the time you’re away. Therefore, your financial aid that you normally receive from the college can’t be applied to whatever program you go with. However, your Study Abroad Advisor will do everything possible to help you find scholarships and grants to apply for, and federal aid can also be used for studying abroad, which reaaaaally helps cut down on costs.

Field Work Term is waived for students that are studying abroad. But if you really want to get out of the house or flesh out your resume, you can do it anyway over the summer or even stay abroad during FWT itself to complete an internship. (Woah. Think about it. How awesome would it be to take fall classes in Colombia and then herd llamas in Peru for FWT?!) But anyway. It’s awesome that you’re thinking this far ahead about stuff. DREAM BIG. You can find a general overview of studying abroad here, but if you have any questions or just wanna talk wanderlust, feel free to hit me up at anushkag@bennington.edu. We can even shop for backpacks and boots and make a pretend itinerary. Y’know. Just for funsies. :)

- Anushka

Recently, I was re-watching the live show from This American Life broadcast last spring. One of the more moving pieces for me was this essay/dance by David Rakoff, who spoke about the cancer that would take his life a few short months after this performance. I brought this up at dinner just the other night and was shocked to learn that a friend of mine had completed a Field Work Term with Monica Bill Barnes who choreographed David’s dance (she’s also featured in a lot of other parts of the show). It was a nice moment. As if I was somehow closer to this moment that already meant so much to me. This is a recurring experience of mine at Bennington. That is, discovering just how cool your friends really are.

- jason

Hey! So I'm filling out my supplement and in the short answer questions I just address Field Work Term as FWT to save on my precious 250 characters. Admissions will understand that, right? Or should I cut back somewhere else? — Asked by Anonymous

Go for it, that’s how we all refer to it! Happy writing.

~ Holly, ‘13