Posts tagged public action
That seems like a pretty typical / doable Bennington Plan. The challenge for you would be to figure out what links those interests for you. Do you see music as a vehicle for public action? Do you see the processes of composing and learning as similar? Do you see public action as an inspiration for composition? etc.
As far as Field Work Term goes, often you just make a choice to explore one of your interests, but if you can find a place that has made a similar cross discipline connection to one you’ve made, all the better.
Here’s one thought for music/public action:
Liam
STUDENT PROFILE #2
Megan Preis
Freshman (Class of 2015)
Studying generally CAPA “and a lot of everything” (freshmen are in their exploratory year)
I first met Megan when she was a part of a panel describing CAPA (The Center for the Advancement of Public Action) to the Admissions Office for the purpose of touring. It was so clear why she was asked to speak to us all once she started to explain her inspiration. I caught up with Megan again today, and asked her to talk about her CAPA experiences and what it means to her to study “Public Action” at Bennington.
Megan is in her second semester taking “Fundamentals of Public Action.” The class has six focuses that they read and discuss throughout the class. These six focuses are Environment, Education, Unequal Distribution of Wealth, Uses of Force (police, military), Health, and Governance.
Megan says her favorite of the ones that have been covered so far has been Education because she has been able to apply the information she received to expand her studies. She’s not taking an Education-specific class.
The theme of “Fundamentals of Public Action” for Megan is “reevaluating preconceived notions and realizing how interconnected the six focuses are.”
Megan would describe studying Advancement of Public Action as “Taking areas of focus and seeing how they fit into the rest of the world. Figuring out how we can take our studies into our roles as citizens of the world.”
-Leah ‘13
CAPA opened two weekends ago.
There were some really amazing “meta” sessions going on Thursday through Saturday that I missed, but what I made sure I didn’t miss was the performance of a vocal piece by Meredith Monk. The performance was by the women who sang the same song during last year’s A Celebration Service which Monk designed as a non-denominational non-religious but wholly heartfelt ceremony of celebration, for whatever occasion. It combines dance and music and text, and has that essence of Monk you can really only get at a live performance.
The performance for the CAPA opening started out with “Invocation” sung and composed by voice faculty Tom Bogdan in memory of friends who died of AIDS. Tom was in Meredith Monk’s ensemble, and he’s now won TWO Fulbright to teach A Celebration Service abroad. I’m going to miss him a lot when he goes to teach in Brazil for my last term. Of the voices in Jennings, the mentors of music at Bennington he’s one of the more direct, compassionate, and personal teachers there are, and that’s saying something, because every teacher at Bennington, not just at Jennings, is personal and personable.
But back to the music. The women sang as they walked into the Lens, and as they walked the sound grew and morphed as we followed them from outside the building to the inside. The acoustics in there are so so so so so wonderful, oh my goodness, and the women sang beautifully. The piece goes from throaty sounds, to low chest notes, to nasal passages, but all in round. It was fantastic, and I feel honored to go here and hear such original, fresh, and powerful performances.
Oh, and the sky was dramatic and beautiful as well.
Cheers!
-Dmitri ‘12
I am tired of the leading men of today. Come back Humphrey Bogart! Put down the glass. All is forgiven.
Rebecca Tinsley during her CAPA opening speech on being a fiction writer and activist.
(-posted by India K, ‘12)
The courtyard in CAPA during sunset with the Field Work Term Office globe through the sliding doors.
by me
I am getting excited for CAPA opening weekend, especially the visiting artist Claudy Jongstra, who makes beautiful felt tapestries and paints with dye on them. She created the tapestries that now hang in CAPA.
She is doing a felting workshop tomorrow that I signed up for and will be leading a really awesome talk on sustainability in art on Saturday. As an artist who works with toxic materials (ahem, photo and painting), I am really interested in this topic.
Also, she made the Jedi cloaks for Episode I of Star Wars so uh that is freaking awesome.
-India K ‘12
The CAPA-cam was a break time fave back in the office in ‘09-‘10. Now you can see the entire process. The Centre for Advancement of Public Action is open for business and you can check out more info about it here. Major plus: my friend Ethan Woods’ music was featured.
