The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, September 22, 1972 Page: 5 of 8
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THE MEGAPHONE
Friday, September 22, 1972
PAGE 5
A CLOSE LOOK AT CLAUDE KENNARD
by LINDA MUNGUIA
Megaphone Staff Writer
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Everyone has their own idea of what
constitutes good art. Picasso wrote, “A
really great work of art is a hoard of
destructions”. Claude Kennard recognizes
talent when the components of an art piece
relate harmoniously, and at the same time
keep some kind of tension within the work
necessary for vitality.
Mr. Kennard, an art historian claims, “I
am not a creative person. I am a consumer
of art rather than a producer. . .perhaps a
connoisseur in certain ways.” He became
informally interested in art in the third
grade with a good old-fashioned art ap-
preciation course which everybody loved.
Yet he had no professional association
with art until ten years ago. He has been
teaching off and on since 1946—interrupted
twice by flings in the business world, and
once by a tour of duty with the US Foreign
Service. After WW II he began graduate
work, taking courses purely out of interest
resulting in “a very weird transcript”.
Kennard completed many hours outside
his present field; in English Literature and
pr aarily in French Literature with an
interest in 17th and 18th century. His un-
dergraduate work was in the social
sciences as a history major and a
government minor.
Yes , Mr. Kennard is back at South-
western. He has returned after two years
for two reasons First, he found that
executive and administrative work was
too tiring, and also he was extremely
homesick for SU. He confessed that he took
it for granted, as many professors do when
they leave and return again. When asked if
this position was permanent, he replied, ‘‘I
always assume any position I’m in is
permanent,” and added, “until I resign”.
Mr. Kennard’s schedule this fall in-
cludes mostly art history courses with the
exception of Visual Arts, a favorite of non-
art majors filling a fine arts requirement.^
However, Mr. Kennard feels the fine arts
requrement is a valid one. ‘‘I may be
biased, but what’s wrong with the world is
that basically, what every person needs is
a good art history course.” He rejects the
idea that art is on the fringes of society and
not in the center where it belongs.
4
\
*
MEGAPHONE Photo by
Suzanne McDaniel
’MEDLEY1
’ PIEA3URE 1
’JOE
,v.
y.
:'W.
;Xv
jijS Kennard is encouraged by the growing
jjjijij emphasis in arts; both with amateurs and
jijij: in the field of professionals where the
jijij: demands are increasing all the time. Even
jijij: the sale of art books and museum at-
jjijiji tendance have risen through the year-
:j:j:j: s—- and everywhere one turns, someone is
ijijij taking up some form of art.
GOLD’S
Conversation
Specials"
’DASHING1
Xv,
m
m
Just how adequate is the SU art
department in relation to, for example,
’HIKER’
Special
Sale!
Thru Saturday,
Sept. 23
’DARIEN 1
$8
i
m
j$
455 Pairs
Fanfares and Tempos
New Fall Shoes
12.00 to 16.50
Were 16.00 to 22.00
Sizes 5 to 10, AAA to C widths. Black, Brown, Orchid,
Navy, Tan. Leathers and Suedes
that of UT? Mr. Kennard, a graduate of
UT, feels that the department here gives
:g|: prospective artists the best of both worlds;
i>g with its close proximity to Austin and the
UT art library. He doesn’t like mass
H production of anything, particularly in the
Hi field of young budding artist. “Only when a
P student is well advanced at UT can he then
:jjj$ establish a good relationship with his
jjjj professor; even then having to work
gig harder to get individual contact.” He
gig mentioned that during his graduate
jgg studies at UT, under a teaching cer-
tification, he taught classes averaging 74
jijijij students, which is next to impossible for
personal art attention.
!\v!
jijiji He commehted about his teaching in our
jijiji art department: “I have to be a generalist,
jig: I cannot be a specialist”. His specialty of
jig: 17th and 18th century art is applicable in
only one course he teaches. With only a
jig: handful of art history majors in the past,
jijiji he is hoping for more, but does not want to
igij push anyone. . .“I think that young people
ijijij nowadays have better judgment about
igij what they should do than their elders think
ijijij they do.” In comparison with youth in his
jig: generation, he claims that students are a
gg “much more civilized and dedicated
gjiji generation, with more courage of con-
ijijiji victions. I am highly pleased with the 18-
iggi year-old vote. I was a life-long Democrat
ijijij before I was a McGovern Democrat and
Afterwards, he
J3*:> ’BANNER’
I
m
m
jig: will continue to be so.1
jijiji remarked that he is “still waiting for the
1$* Republicans to present a‘ strong enough
^ i * • *. _ _ ii___-___•__o
Mr. Kennard feels that it is not very
professional to have a favorite artist.
“However, I happen to have one, Gian
Lorenzo Bernini, a sculptor and architect
of the 17th century .” Needless to say he
loves 17th and 18th century art, but states
that it “is very impovershing for anyone to
deny himself of the experience in con-
temporary art.” “It is^ of primary im-
portance nowadays that everyone be
philosophically adjusted to rapid changes
all around us which is difficult, but
essential. People who resist change and
experiment are more dead than alive.”
As mentioned in last week’s Megaphone,
Mr. Kennard is a polyglot, a speaker of
different languages. Mr. Kennard
displayed his command of the Spanish
language, conducting parts of his in-
terview in Spanish, as he spoke of the
people and language he respects. His own
godfather, an international historian, Dr.
Carlos Eduardo Castaneda, was a
Mexican who lived and taught in Austin
before his death. Kennard has traveled
and lived in parts of Mexico, claiming that,
“Spanish is not a foreign language in
Texas, nor is any language for that mat-
ter.” Although French is his primary
language, he feels it is a language of
illiterate people. “Wherever French is
planted, there has developed illiteracy
within two generations. This does not
happen with Spanish.” For examples he
cited the Mexican Americans in Texas and
the French Creole in Louisiana. Mr.
Kennard is enchanted with Mexico and its
influence on Americans. “Mexico is an
elemental country,” a quote from the
playwright, Tennessee Williams, after
visiting Mexico. “It takes a civilized
people to take ppverty without being
degraded by it.” This,is how Professor
Kennard feels and he added that “Spanish
must be a vigorous and noble language to
hold up” in Texas.
An avid reader, two books exciting to
him, not in, but important to the field of art
are Charles Reich’s, The Greening of
America, and Future Shock, by Alvin
Toffler. Somewhere in the discussion
popped up the issue of male and female
equality. “Men and Women are not
equal.” A rather precarious statement
which he later clarified. He added that a
man bears many strengths and
weaknesses, as does a woman. Although
not married himself, he holds tremendous
respect for good parents and successful
marriages. Successful harmony in a
relationship, he notes, depends upon an
interplay of the strengths and weaknesses
of both partners. As far as women’s
liberation is concerned, he would like to
suggest to the women of America that, “It
is better to have influence than authority.”
In other words, one can defy authority, but
no one can defy influence, and “women
enough collosal influence where they
stand.”
Like any concerned citizen of the
surrounding area, Mr. Kennard is in-
terested in improving the “town and
gown” relationships between the faculty
and interested citizens (townies) of
Georgetown. This would be for new social
contacts and to bring a little more variety
in the social life of friends on faculty.
Action ensuing the organization of a
“masonic lodge” type men’s club meeting
once a month would help keep com-
munications running between both groups.
However, he feels this move should be
initiated by a townie rather than a faculty
member. “I don’t belong to any
organization although I am a Democrat
and a Roman Catholic. But if I think one
can work, I will try ”
One hears many good things about Mr.
Kennard; instilling in prospec-
tive students an image one cannot resist
looking into. Yet Mr. Kennard feels it “is
disturbing to have an exaggeratedly good
report built' up in your absence, because it
is impossible to live up to. I have many
people to sleep before and will undoubtedly
ggi temptationto be otherwise.’
W: \ H1 his college years, although he was
asked, he never went Greek> ahd went on
to add that he prefers to remain “elusively
independent. I am not be nature a refor-
mer, nor by nature a protester. I either do
or don’t do things my way.”
.i again " whpn questioned nn thp
challenging nature of his papers and
quizes he replied, “It is my opinion that 1
am a rather close and careful grader.”
This may be so, but nevertheless students
and faculty at SU are expecting great
things from the much admired campus
figure of Claude Kennard.
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The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, September 22, 1972, newspaper, September 22, 1972; Georgetown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth634310/m1/5/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Southwestern University.