The visual arts invite students to explore realms of thought that move away from the mundane and ordinary to the festive, the ritualistic, the spiritual, the fantastic, the world of perception and observation, the incongruous, the playful, the elusive, the transcendent, the clouded and mysterious, the devious, the captivating, the anxious, the sublime, the obsessive, the eminent, the revelatory, and the evocative. They involve goal seeking, persistence, overcoming obstacles, and a search. If we are to remain a nation of prime movers, of originators or creators, we must give students an opportunity to exercise these qualities at every stage of their education.
Walter Askin Professor Emeritus