Posts tagged history
There are hundreds of beautiful photos of Bennington throughout history but I think the pictures of the school in it’s earliest form are particularly beautiful and haunting. These are some of my favorite photos of the school from the 1930’s and 40’s. Particularly interesting is the 1940’s war farm, pictured last.
-Riley ‘13
That sounds great! You can see the Fall ‘13 (and some of the Spring ‘14) curriculum here.
You’d have to get a little more specific before I could give you any book recommendations. Although this is a great one: The Story of Mankind by Henrik van Loon (see an excerpt from the preface below).
Our professors tend to be pretty busy, especially at this point in the term (we’re in finals), so you might not get a response as soon as you’d like. You might have better luck after June 1st.
- David ‘13
Unfortunately, he’ll be leaving us in the fall. He was only signed for a one-year contract pending Carol Pal’s return. No word yet on where he’s going, but I’ve slipped him this “watch” so we can keep track of his movements:
- David ‘13
A short clip of visiting history professor Stephen Higa demonstrating a Medieval chant in The Lens during his history class “Medieval Virginity,” which is one of the best classes I’ve ever taken. And not just because Stephen has the voice of an angel.
Chant by female composer and consecrated virgin Hildegard von Bingen (b.1098-d.1179).
-Leah ‘13
You have to take a chance; in that respect, Bennington is very much like the real world. It’s more than just bulling your way into a course, it’s forcibly extending yourself — taking that chance.
Doug Cumming, class of ‘74. Published in the 1976-1978 curriculum.
<3 Riley
Not very much is handed to you here but there is a lot for the asking.
Michael Pollan, class of ‘77 on Bennington. Published in the 1976-1978 curriculum.
<3 Riley
“To be President of Bennington College one needs the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of a saint and the tenacity of Jaws.”
Things have been a little slow in the office lately so I’ve been brushing up on my Bennington history. This morning I read through “Benningway: A student’s guide to Bennington College, 1978-1980”. It was quite an entertaining read and full of beautiful pictures like this one:
I can’t help thinking, “those were the days” when I read things like, “Each house has its own pet regulations – some are no pets, some have limited numbers of
None the less I had seen something that night which overawed me. It was all in the day’s work - an exhausted division returning from the Somme Offensive - but for me it was as though I had watched an army of ghosts. It was as though I had seen the war as it might be envisioned by the mind of some epic poet a hundred years hence.” - Siegfried Sassoon
I’ve been reading about the Battle of the Somme non stop for about three days now for a presentation, and it’s starting to get prettyyyyy depressing.
Liam
Super Cool News!
Bennington just got a huge grant to study New England Mill Towns in a year long project involving multiple faculty members and part of the student body.
Liam
With Bennington’s Plan Process you won’t have any college required courses. Along with your Plan committee you’ll decide what classes you believe you should take as a history focus. I guarantee you that you will step out of the box a bit and take some classes in unexpected disciplines but it will be YOUR decision.
-Michaela
The point of this class is not to change you, because you only truly change when you’re in love.
Broad yet beautiful statement (perhaps slightly tongue in cheek) from history professor Eileen Scully at the start of my Special Projects in History class, a class for students wanting to do advanced independent work in history.
-India K, ‘12
Time for the last Bennington history fact, with Riley and Victoria.
Fact #5: “The College originally intended to open in September 1929 at the foot of Mt. Anthony, near Old Bennington. The original site was given to the college by Mr. Colgate, one of the original trustees. The original architecture of the college was supposed to emulated a Neo-Classical Grecco-Roman feel modeled after other American universities such as the University of Virginia. The site was moved after the stock market crash of 1929 and when it became apparent that the town water supply could not support the college.
The first photo is the Barn floor plan and the second is the college before construction. You can see the Barn and Cricket Hill.
The third and fourth photos are sketches of what the college was supposed to look like before the stock market crashed and the site was moved.” -Victoria
Another fun Bennington College historical factoid with Riley and Victoria!
Fact #4: “The College was built on a 140 acre plot within the estate of Mrs. Frederick B. Jennings, who offered the land to the use of the College. The founders intended to convert many of the buildings already on campus to serve the purpose of academic life. A New York Times headline from 1931 reads, “Bennington Plans College In Barn,” referring to the old barn originally on campus that was converted into classrooms and is still used today.” - Victoria
You can see some great old and new photos of the Jennings estate (now our music building) and the barn (now an academic building and administrative offices).
-Riley
Fun history facts with Riley and Victoria number 3!
‘The College opened in September of 1932. An article appeared shortly after in the New York Times about the progressive women’s school. The first sentence read: ” On a Vermont hillside this week gayly sweatered girls are thronging the campus of a brand new college which has the highest tuition, the least pretentious buildings and the most revolutionary curriculum of any in the United States.’” - Victoria
Also, just wanted to add this beautiful photos of Martha Graham and Bennington students. Because they are so COOL.
-Riley
Time for another fun fact about Bennington’s history with Riley and Victoria!
Fact #2: “In the 1950s a film, depicting educational life at Bennington College, was made by the State Department to show to schools in Europe, particularly Germany, that a different educational approach existed and worked. A quote from the Bennington College Alumnae Quarterly from the spring of 1953 reads, “The State Department…wanted to tell Germany and the rest of the world something about a system of education which not only gave knowledge and facts but something else to its students, gave them strength and ability to face their problems themselves and a realization that they could have an active voice in governing themselves.” -Victoria
The cartoon is drawings and descriptions of the movie they made.
-Riley
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