Applying for various positions I stumbled on the letter below:
Anitra Haendel, CAA
275 7th AVE. 18th
fl
New York, NY 1001
212.691.3893 ext. 204
ahaendel@collegeart.org
March 22, 2010
Dear Mrs. Kidney,
Tereza Swanda is a superb
candidate for the position of Faculty in Visual Art at
Northern Essex Community College.
I know firsthand the joy
teaching brings to Tereza. I have witnessed Tereza teach in the Bronx. I saw
the attention and respect she earned from her students. She makes certain that
her eyes are being met, and that her words are getting through. She says that
students are her teachers, and that teaching is an exchange. At the same time,
she works very hard at preparing syllabi, thinking about her students needs and
gearing the lessons to them. She has complete respect for each student no
matter what age or background. She believes that art is essential to every
person’s life. Not only will she teach the students technical skills, she will
impart values of self-determination that will carry over into other parts of
their lives.
She has a very professional
manner that makes her easy to work with. I have seen her interact with a wide
variety of people from many different settings. When she and I studied together
in South Africa, we met teachers, political activists, and artists. Tereza
maintained a dignity throughout. She is not afraid to share her own
experiences, which makes her able to connect with people from all walks of
life. This ability also makes her an exceptional teacher, one able to interact
professionally and personally with both students and colleagues.
For Tereza, art and education
are inseparable. As her résumé will show, she has extensively studied and
practiced them both. Yet her research is ongoing, her perspective is always
broadening. She is constantly looking to improve herself, her teaching, and her
art. Even while currently away from an institutional position, she is teaching
painting and drawing to adults from her neighborhood, as well as organizing
exhibitions for them. She has helped these students establish goals and made
them excited about their work.
Along with an expertise in
more traditional art techniques, Tereza is savvy with computers, and can teach
Photoshop and other visual applications. Her background is in the fine arts of
oil painting, sculpture in clay, stone and wax, and charcoal figure drawing,
which we studied together in Florence, Italy. I then shared an art studio with
Tereza for three years in Brooklyn, and I have seen how she develops her
artistic skills through practice and exercise, as well as how she experiments
and plays with different mediums and methods.
As an employee at the College
Art Association who interacts on a daily basis with art instructors and
practitioners, I can attest that Tereza is someone who works according to the
highest professional and ethical standards. Her knowledge, passion, generosity,
and friendliness will be enormous assets to your program. I recommend her
wholeheartedly.
Sincerely,
Anitra Haendel
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