Greetings Alumni,

Last fall I was waiting for my coffee order at Blue Bottle when I observed a man carefully spooning sugar into his coffee. This small motion forcefully brought to mind lines from T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” about measuring one’s life in teaspoons. Revisiting the now, I found Eliot’s verses even more enchanting than when I had first encountered Prufrock in my high school English class. I bring up this moment because April is National Poetry Month, and in the spirit of the season I’d like to offer up a small bouquet of favorite poems: “There is No Word” by Tony Hoagland, “Letter to N.Y.” by Elizabeth Bishop, and (though it’s spring) “October” by Louise Glück. I also recently came across a copy of Robin Coste Lewis’ To the Realization of Perfect Helplessness, an exquisite collection of poems and family photographs–I encourage you to check it out if you aren’t already familiar.

In the meantime, I wish all those celebrating high holidays this week/weekend a Happy Passover and a Happy Easter! Please feel free to get in touch with your news (or your favorite poems!), either by email or through the online form.

Warmly,
Rachael Schwabe (MA ‘20)
alumni@bgc.bard.edu

Select Career Opportunities

Select BGC Events

The Polaroid Revolutionary Workers Movement
Wednesday, April 12
6 pm
In 1970, Black employees at Polaroid discovered their employer’s equipment was being sold to the South African government to create ID cards and passbooks under the apartheid system and organized as the Polaroid Revolutionary Workers Movement. In this presentation, educator and activist Caroline Hunter recounts her experiences as a co-organizer of a grassroots boycott that forced the Polaroid Corporation to withdraw from South Africa.

China and France in the Intercultural Eighteenth Century
Wednesday, April 19
6 pm
In this pairing of mini-lectures, scholars John Finlay and Kristel Smentek offer complementary views on arts and intercultural exchange between France and China in the eighteenth century.

Select Virtual and In-Person Events in the World

Conversation: Gio Swaby–Love Letters
Saturday, April 8
2 pm CT (In Person)
Gio Swaby’s embroidered portraits are anchored in the connections she forges with her subjects: each piece begins with a photo shoot in which her sitters are captured in moments of self-awareness and empowerment. In her textile interpretations of the photographs, she foregrounds hair, clothing, and jewelry, highlighting and celebrating personal style as an unapologetic form of self-definition and self-expression. Join the artist for a conversation with Melinda Watt, chair and curator of textiles, textile conservator Isaac Facio, and assistant director of interpretation, Loren Wright. Together they will discuss Gio Swaby: Fresh Up, and the significance of care in mounting an exhibition that is, at heart, a love letter to black women.

Woven Through Water: How Boatbuilding Connects Communities and Cultures
Thursday, April 13
2 pm ET
Almost every land that touches water has a tradition of boatbuilding or watercraft. How do those skills, traditions, and history—different as they may be—build community and connect us across cultures? Dr. Anton Treuer, an accomplished professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota, and a celebrated author, will guide us through a discussion with Daniel Creisher from The Apprenticeshop, a boatbuilding and sailing school in Rockland, Maine, as well as birchbark canoe maker, Jim Jones about the power and history of watercraft.

Urban Ecosystems: Living Among the Plants, Animals, and Fungi of NYC
Thursday, April 20
6:30 pm ET (In Person)
Alongside New York City’s diverse population of humans, bustling communities of plants, animals, and fungi have co-evolved within an ever expanding urban landscape. The island of Manhattan is a vibrant oasis for thousands of species, including many endangered wild native plants, foraged foods, and cultivated crop varieties that carry with them the stories of our rich cultural heritage as New Yorkers. Often hidden in plain sight, the vast network of biodiversity that lives between buildings and among urban green spaces is also critical to safeguarding our future food security. In honor of Earth Day, join a panel of land stewards, urban foragers, farmers, community gardeners, and seed savers for an evening of storytelling as we explore the often unseen worlds within the wilds and gardens of the Big Apple.

The Larger Conversation: Traveling Inward
Thursday, April 20
7 pm ET (In Person)
Travel can be a powerful way to explore, connect, and orient oneself and with others. For celebrated artist Betye Saar, travel has been a means with which to follow her curiosity and sense of adventure, to find inspiration for her art practice, and to tap into a profound interest in spirituality, identity, and other cultures. Join poet johnette marie, art historians Siddhartha V. Shah and Jayna Brown, and journalist Cristela Guerra as they unpack the spiritual and personal dimensions of distance. Together, speakers will address questions of diaspora, inner journeys, and finding perspective in foreign places.

Make a gift today.

Shop the BGC Store!

Visit our online store at store.bgc.bard.edu for 40% off all items. Enter code ALUMNI at checkout to receive the discount.

Sign up for Gaggle!

Gaggle.mail is an opt-in list-serv that serves as a place to share job openings, conference attendance, published books/articles, and exhibition openings directly with fellow alums. It’s a communication forum for alumni, by alumni. To circulate your news in the Gaggle group, send an email to bgcalumni@gaggle.email.