Deborah Lipp

This story caught my attention (initially because it’s local: I have friends with kids in this school district). In sum, a high school art teacher (and we can pause to be briefly amused at the name of Peter Panse) has been suspended for telling his advanced students that they could further their skills by taking drawing classes that include nude figure studies, and for suggesting he might teach such a class, which chaperoned students could attend. (By the way, I have no idea why this guy was suspended in December, but I heard it on the news today.)

Pete Panse is a talented and popular high school art teacher in Middletown, NY who uses traditional techniques to to train his students. In December 2005 Mr. Panse was suspended from his job for recommending that some of his advanced students consider taking figure drawing courses that included nude figure drawings. Mr. Panse is suspended from his job pending hearings after which he may be permanently fired, ending a 25-year teaching career. In the meantime, his students are sitting in study hall learning nothing and failing to prepare the materials necessary for their receiving scholarships.

This blows my mind. Do people think that high school students don’t understand that beneath our clothing there’s nekkidness? Are they unaware that art education requires teh nekkid? Do they think their art student teens haven’t already drawn teh nudie?

Did you know that “prude” has three letters in common with “stupid”? Coincidence?

Whatever. The current wave of pseudo-religious prudery is perhaps the dumbest and most ignorant in the history of pseudo-religious prudery. It rivals the Scopes trial for sheer dumbass head-up-assity. Meanwhile, a man’s career is at stake and art students ain’t learning art. My high school art classes were the highlight of my day. In fact, I was just reminiscing about them yesterday. The teacher focused his efforts on Art as Meaning, “what is art,” and art’s connection to life. We drew constantly, and we often posed for each other to help capture an angle or a shadow. We often discussed that we would need nude figure study education to further our abilities, and wasn’t it a shame that wasn’t available in high school. But, y’know, we were allowed to discuss that.

There’s a petition you can sign.