| # | First Name | Last Name | State | Country | Comments |
|---|
| 1851 | valerie | michael | NY | US | Exactly 40 years ago I was a high school student in Oxford,England .I was talented in the arts and looking to be accepted at English art colleges on the strenghth of my portfolio.My wonderful art teacher{female}gave me the best advice she could have-to get the best figure drawing I could,go to the local polytechnic college and draw from the nude model-which I did.My parents were Welsh Baptists and completely supported me in this because they trusted and respected the teacher and saw the incredble leaps that my drawing skills made from this experience.I got many offers from colleges and at this point I have been a middle school art teac her and exhibiting painter in upstate New York for the last 23 years.I was amazed to read about Mr Panses suspension and incredulous about the damage that a few People who probably need to be paying more attention to their own mental health cado.I sincerely hope this person is reinstated and allowed to continue his work.People who are not artists and do not understttand the arts should not be projecting other ,sometimes scurrilous ,values upon them. |
| 1852 | valerie | michael | NY | US | Exactly 40 years ago I was a high school student in Oxford,England .I was talented in the arts and looking to be accepted at English art colleges on the strenghth of my portfolio.My wonderful art teacher{female}gave me the best advice she could have-to get the best figure drawing I could,go to the local polytechnic college and draw from the nude model-which I did.My parents were Welsh Baptists and completely supported me in this because they trusted and respected the teacher and saw the incredble leaps that my drawing skills made from this experience.I got many offers from colleges and at this point I have been a middle school art teac her and exhibiting painter in upstate New York for the last 23 years.I was amazed to read about Mr Panses suspension and incredulous about the damage that a few people who probably need to be paying more attention to their own mental health can do.I sincerely hope this person is reinstated and allowed to continue his work.People who are not artists and do not understand the arts should not be projecting other ,sometimes scurrilous ,values upon them. |
| 1853 | Nicole | LeBlanc | LA | | |
| 1854 | Rod | MacKinnon | | CA | I can't believe this type of witchhunt is still happening in America, in this day and age. |
| 1855 | Mona | Dinger | OR | US | The school board and superintendent should be ashamed of themselves for creating a problem where there was none. Hopefully they will be replaced and Mr. Panse can return to teaching his students. |
| 1856 | Johnny | Walker | | GB | I offer my support for sanity. |
| 1857 | Michael | McGrath | CO | US | Considering the fact that I am a 3-D illustration and sculpture major at a local Denver art college, and that I am from Upstate New York, I think that the obnoxiously censorial mentality of the Middletown school district is completely unacceptable AND immoral. Being that I am also a committed Bible-believing Christian, in my professional biblical studies I realized that 1) God created the naked human body and called it VERY GOOD, 2) Jesus Christ was born naked, baptized naked, scourged naked, crucified naked and came out of the tomb naked, 3) if Jesus Christ is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form, as most Christians believe, then what part of HIS body, or OURS, would he be ashamed? Our bodies are God's arwork, and there is NOTHING to be ashamed of!!!
I am requesting that Mr. Panse be reinstated as an art teacher fro the Middletown school district. How un-cultured we have become in our American culture! Wake up, America!!! This isn't the Dark Ages. |
| 1858 | Dan | Roginski | NY | US | It's absurd to suspend a teacher for encouraging his students to explore the subject taught. |
| 1859 | Anonymous | Anonymous | | | |
| 1860 | JoAnn | Prosser | KY | US | It's when people judge the human body as something solely sexual, and not the amazing and beautiful form that it is, that it becomes just that. |
| 1861 | Amber | Hunt | | | Let the artist live. |
| 1862 | Jed | Williams | PA | US | |
| 1863 | Anonymous | Anonymous | | US | |
| 1864 | Anonymous | Anonymous | | SG | |
| 1865 | Larry | Woodgeard | GA | US | The goal of anatomy in art is essential to the training of an artist much the same as it is for a doctor of science. One cannot fairly represent the human body without studying it first. |
| 1866 | Brandice | Guerra | | | |
| 1867 | Torchee | Dyer | SC | US | Thank you, America! |
| 1868 | giuseppe | botindari | | IT | |
| 1869 | Edward | Durand | NV | US | Get Over it! Narrow self centered ethno centric minds curse the world. The whole thing sounds like an excellent lawsuit to me. |
| 1870 | Marc | Berger | FL | US | |
| 1871 | Timothy | Reid | WA | US | |
| 1872 | Anonymous | Anonymous | WI | US | I am also a HS art teacher who was trainted at a private art school and I think the suspension of this teacher is ludacris. It sounds like he tried to go above and beyond his duty to provide enriching opportunities to further his students artistic development, therefore better preparing them for careers in art. |
| 1873 | Lynn | Luong | | | |
| 1874 | Jeffrey | Perrenoud | ID | US | Mr. Pense should be re-instated, apologized to, and given a raise.
Jeffrey Perrenoud |
| 1875 | Anonymous | Anonymous | | | Preposterous. |
| 1876 | Carroll | Peterson | SD | US | I have both drawn nudes and modelled nude; there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It is art! |
| 1877 | Angela | Grabasch | | | |
| 1878 | li | feilong | | CN | Is that a good way ? |
| 1879 | Ruediger | Wolf | | DE | |
| 1880 | John | Fluharty | WV | US | |
| 1881 | Lindsay | Gravina | MA | US | Art is not pornography. |
| 1882 | Ian | Altares | PA | US | The human figure is something to be admired and revered in a mature artistic setting. If students are interested in furthering their artistic training, figure drawing is a crucial step in that process. After reading about this case i feel that Mr. Panse's opponents should be the ones in question for "shielding" students from the positive advice of a competent mentor. |
| 1883 | Anonymous | Anonymous | | AU | Nudity is not, in and of itself, sexual. It's depressing that some expect us to feel shame in our natural state.
If you want to combat "sexual impropriety," speak up against the repackaging of human sexuality as a corporate commodity. Your childrens' role models are whores, and you're worrying about them seeing an areola.
It's a sick mind that cannot tell the difference between art and smut. |
| 1884 | Dana | Ward | | | This sort of act by a school is part of why our children suffer from a lack of culture and art. |
| 1885 | Rob | Appleby | | GB | Sickening to core. Reactionary fascists telling art teachers what art is... I think we, the art teachers, are better placed to know what is appropriate than educational bureaucrats. |
| 1886 | Anonymous | Anonymous | | | |
| 1887 | Isabel | Villar | | PH | |
| 1888 | patrick | forsberg | CO | US | this cas looks pritty solid to me. keep up the good work. the less art in the world means the less openminded poeple thair will be. |
| 1889 | Anonymous | Anonymous | NJ | US | |
| 1890 | Anonymous | Anonymous | NY | US | For tens of centuries, the studying of the human form was a craft and an art. The human form is the work of God and evolution. It is the interconnectedness of structure, movement, sinews, tendons, muscles, fat, skin..etc that makes us human.
Students can use these skills to become medical illustrators or develop multimedia presentations on the human body. By the firing of Mr. Panse, you are disservicing your students, the academic community and the art of illustration. |
| 1891 | Brigette | Jones | | | |
| 1892 | Ricki | Volturi | | | |
| 1893 | Robert | Sloan | | US | Nude figure drawing is something I wish had been offered when I was a high school student. It would have substantially improved my career as a street artist and I would have begun it much sooner if I hadn't had to self teach almost everything about drawing human beings. Not all art careers are high fine art. Figure drawing and representational art are the root of many successfully self employed artists who do not necessarily pursue or want gallery careers. Even hobbyists can benefit from life drawing.
In 52 years of life I have never heard of nude models being harassed in public life drawing classes, they behave with dignity and the teachers maintain reasonable decorum, the focus of the classes is on rendering the human form accurately. A valuable skill that can if learned keep any non-blind person who can move a pencil off Welfare no matter what else goes on in life.
I consider this to be vital practical training in a useful occupational skill -- and presenting nude models in a professional way breaks up the blind perception of nudity as something that MUST be sexualized and taken advantage of. People who have taken life drawing also learn some sensitivity toward other people's appearance, clothing and common humanity. There is both practical skill and social value in life drawing as a part of any regular curriculum. It encourages a mature view of art and life.
Sincerely,
RAS |
| 1894 | James | Newberry | TX | US | The vigorous revival of figurative realism in American art, including illustration, animation, portrait painting, religious and historical paintings, demands mastery of figure drawing as its foundation. It seems incomprehensible that an educational institution would suspend a teacher from merely communicationg the fact that opportunities to study this essential subject exist. I am 70 years old and have been associated with nude figure drawing classes since I was a Junior in high school. In half a century I have NEVER seen the slightest evidence of any suggestive or vulgar conduct on the part of students, models, or teachers in these classes. It is difficult for inexperienced people to understand, yet absolutely true, that life drawing is about as sexually stimulating as cadaver dissection in medical anatomy classes, albeit less depressing. I am a retired full professor from East Texas State University (in the heart of the Bible belt). I'll gladly testify as an expert witness. |
| 1895 | greg | farr | OR | US | I got kicked out of a art site for posting a subtle nude painting, and can relate. I hate small thinkers.
Greg Farr |
| 1896 | Alejandro | Recoba | | MX | I`m art professor in México and i have drawing class and we use live nude models, i thiks it's absurd they suspend Professor Panse for this.
This is common in the study of art and in my country people are more reserved about it but in the US.
So please reinstales Professor Pete Panse. |
| 1897 | shona | walker | | | |
| 1898 | Charles | Linville | OK | US | To the Board
Take the time to go to sites like ARC .
It seems you yourself need some art education . |
| 1899 | Chelsea | Hix | WA | US | I beleive that this man should be reinstated qwith absolutly NO mension of this on any record, EVER. He did absolutly noting wrong and I would be proud to sign this petition. |
| 1900 | Susan | Quinn | | AU | I am both an art student and a parent and, from both points of view, this seems typical of attitudes in the USA. Religious fanaticism, if this is what is behind the issue, should be viewed as a dangerous mindset. Pete Panse should consider coming to Australia to teach; we don't still live in the dark ages. Good luck! |
