The Ethel H. Blum Gallery at Col- lege of the Atlantic opened the fall season with an exhibition of tree por- COA NEWS traits by California artist Davis Te Selle. The show consisted of 32 lithographs used as illustrations for The Attentive Heart: Conversa- tions with Trees by Stephanie Kaza. SPRING 1997 COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC BAR HARBOR, MAINE The book was published originally in 1993; a new edition appeared this fall, published by Shambhala Publica- tions of Boston. We are pleased to be able to pre- sent an excerpt from the book and are grateful to artist and author for their contributions to the dialogue on the fate of the forests, which has occupied the people of Maine and many COA community members this past year. Cutting Wood by Stephanie Kaza What is my relationship with wood? I carry this question like a burning coal to the jumbled pile of firewood that needs stacking. It is only a slight variation on the question I have been carrying for years-what is my relationship with trees? The questions serve as Zen koans-teaching puzzles not meant to be explained by the intellect but used instead to pen- etrate the nature of reality. Koans work on the questioner like a mantra or meditation, unsettling the mind to open up new ways of seeing. Each piece of wood presents this koan in material form; the jagged heap challenges me to pay attention to the question Wood stacking is a labor of love. A woodpile is an art form. People who appreciate this rec- ognize each other by the shape of their woodpiles. A fine wood- pile, like a good stone wall, reflects the eye of the stacker. Each piece is handled with a par- ticular feel for its placement. Redwoods, a lithograph by Davis Te Selle. The Douglas firs, maples, oaks, ginkgo, red- Where exactly does it fit in the wood and other species featured in Te Selle's prints are based on actual trees he found in developing sculpture? such places as Yosemite National Park, the Napa Valley, the Muir Woods and Columbia I consider each piece in my Gorge. "Producing these prints has given me a way to integrate my aesthetics and my hands, looking over the stack for environmental concerns," says the artist, who holds an M.F.A. in printmaking from the just the right spot. If it lies snug San Francisco Art Institute. "I offer the prints on behalf of misused and obliterated places and stable, then it will not be and creatures that have been my solace and inspiration." continued on page 6 COA News The Newsletter of College of the Atlantic College of the Atlantic awarded MacArthur Grant Spring 1997 EDITOR AND DIRECTOR College of the Atlantic was one of only six colleges selected to receive a $750,000 OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The Chicago- Carl Little based foundation, one of the country's largest private philanthropic foundations, PRESIDENT awarded the grant to the college in recognition of its distinctive approach to liber- Steven K. Katona al arts education. "They looked at the field of higher education and said, 'Here is a place that is CHAIRMAN OF THE doing an excellent job and its long-term future should be secured," said President BOARD OF TRUSTEES Steven K. Katona at a press conference held at the college. "A lot of times people Clyde E. Shorey, Jr. look for a symbol of success or approval, and the MacArthur Grant is as good as it EXECUTIVE EDITOR and gets," he said. DEAN OF INSTITUTIONAL Grants amounting to $4.5 million were awarded to six colleges, including ADVANCEMENT COA, as part of a one-time-only initiative by the MacArthur Foundation, which Karen Cadbury sought to highlight and support colleges "that are distinctive, innovative and deter- WRITERS: Carl Little, mined to carry out their missions." Kelly Sheets Dickson Chairman of the COA Board of Trustees Clyde E. Shorey, Jr. said that the COA News is published receipt of the grant was a validation of something that those associated with the twice a year. It is circulated college have known all along. "The MacArthur Foundation believes that the educa- to alumni, students, parents tion offered at COA is the kind of education that is really necessary for solving the and friends of problems the world faces today," he said. College of the Atlantic. More than half the funds will be used to increase the college's endowment. PRINTER Approximately $150,000 is earmarked for library support, $100,000 for faculty Downeast Printing development and $150,000 for student aid and scholarships. The remainder of the and Graphics grant will be used for short-term needs such as purchasing and installing a man- agement information system, improving energy efficiency for campus buildings, DESIGN expanding activities for students and supporting recycling and conservation efforts Studio on the campus. The other five independent colleges to receive awards were Hampshire Col- lege in Massachusetts, Antioch College in Ohio, Marlboro College in Vermont, Contents: Alverno College in Wisconsin and Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina. From Maine to Mexico: The following statements by Adele Simmons, president of the John D. and Catherine T. A Yucatan Update 5 MacArthur Foundation, were included in the statement of the award and in releases issued by the foundation. Faculty Profile: "Despite a growing demand for undergraduate education focused on narrow Karen Waldron 7-8 career preparation, a number of colleges have retained a commitment to the liber- al arts and sciences. These colleges focus on preparing students to think critically Think Complexity, and to adapt intellectually to the unforeseen. At their best, they help students to Act Simplicity- A Global Perspective develop both strength in disciplines and an appreciation of the multidisciplinary by Robert Kates nature of most problems. A lively liberal arts education is ideal as preparation for 9-10 citizens living in a world marked by uncertainty and rapid change. A Tribute to Senator "Some of the most important innovations in the liberal arts and sciences over Edmund Muskie the years have been developed and tested by a relatively small number of colleges by William Carpenter with a special commitment to trying new approaches. 11 "Liberal arts colleges across the United States are a crucial asset to society. We Acadia National Park are pleased to recognize the contribution of a number of them through this initia- Headquarters tive. In particular, we have chosen to provide support to colleges that are distinc- Moves to COA Campus 12-13 tive, innovative and determined to carry out their important missions. "College of the Atlantic has built a coherent and broad curriculum around the A Watson Fellow Flyfishes unifying theme of the relationship between human beings and their natural and 15 social environments. The foundation also recognized the college's special collabo- COA Arts rative relationships with its local community. 20-21 "The touchstone for innovation in the liberal arts and sciences must be what News Notes serves students' learning. In developing this initiative, we tried to be alert to inno- 17-19 vations drawing on the best new scholarship and to innovations showing promise Commencement 1996 of consequences for students' lives beyond the college years." 22-23 COA NEWS 2 SPRING 1997