Massachusetts College of Art and Design - Palette and Pen Yearbook (Boston, MA)

Text from Pages 1 - 66 of the 1945 volume:

T ; «. n D Foreword This book Is for remembrance. Time alone will prove Its qualities. Years from now some of you will be turning these pages, seeking to revive mem- ories which the Intervening years have somehow made more and more dear. Of course you will be wiser then but no one should try to wish that wis- dom upon you now. You are sending this book out with a flourish of trumpets — Art World, here we come! You are entitled to that Impetuousness and confidence for you are going to need them to sustain you until experience gives you sober judgment to take their places. But this Is no time for fine words and glittering promises. It Is exhilarating, no doubt, to state that art Is essential to the cultural advance- ment of the world, but right now you are faced with the necessity of making art furnish you with the essentials of living. That In Itself Is no small thing, nor does It mean losing sight of the goal — In fact. It helps to justify It. Be not Impatient with us, your teachers, be- cause we seem not to have equipped you with the final word for each future situation. Remember that you never will quite succeed In cutting your- self away from this school and this faculty. Some portion of their presence goes along with you and words, situations, and demonstrations, perhaps not clearly understood as students at the time, will find a way of blossoming forth to meet the situa- tion as It arises. You will recognize and acknowl- edge these fulfilments as they occur, and In later years as you wonder what power lies behind the poignancy of Art School memories and by what token the sense of nostalgia Is made keen, you will realize that It Is because some means of com- munication between the school and you was never completely severed. We are proud to know him. We admire his dynamic energy which makes his teaching as invigorating as his watercolors. We like his friendly attitude, the way he puts words to- gether, books he buys for his baby, the way he walks on the curb instead of the sidewalk. Sometimes, when we consider his most casual remark we discover a most challenging idea. He objects to a low hum of conversation. We like that too. In fact, we like him. ] I I i I I We are seniors — ahead we have our future — behind four wonderful years. The cliques formed in our freshman year have gradually dissolved and in their places an overall efFect has been ob- tained not merely of tolerance, but of friendliness and co- operation. We have found more in education than just erudite learning. We realize now that it is important, if we are to live in a democracy as functioning parts, that we learn to live to- gether. We have made the beginnings. President Kay Wainright Vice-President . . Eleanor Mersey Secretary. . . . MSry Esther Jones Treasurer Marion Johnson i J I i In our portfolios of yester- year we carry brushes, rul- ing pens, colors in every chroma and value, type faces and working drawings of our tomorrows. Our dreams are wrapped in frisket paper, our hopes are neatly matted for approval and our mem- ories of carefree college days will surely last forever. Marjorie Russel Poster Irene Garlitz Book Jacket BRENT THOMAS CO Rosalie Ferrara Book Jacket Lena Geiser Interior Decoration Nowhere Syomas ft ' t k % I I ikl er 3n Yi Literary critic and jazz en thusiast — result — that ter rific essay. Booming voice, connoisseur of the navy blue and their rollicking gait — destination — school store. Favorite subjects for mod- els — the twins — favorite food for thought — travel and the theatre. 4 ' - Quiet manners amid sweaters and skirts and dis- tinguishing bangs. She ' s a life saver. Big hearted and depend- able toujours gai there ' s room for one more kitten, ma. Jeannie Mac — whispery voice and dreamy eyes en- circled by black head bands — famous team of Judy and Jeanne. Gene-Ideas in Children ' s il- lustration as pientiful as cig- arettes for outstretched hands. Jet hair — Pastel girl — slow drawl from the south- ern pat of Wellesley? She presides over our class with facile manner and mo- bile face — caricaturist su- preme. Irene — Keen witted, de- voted to her ideals and her work with ever ready eye for what ' s new. il (ll «) U) “I (tl (ll ll (I 11 ll [I ll Ll If Young ideas emanating from the ancient homestead in Reading. IG V Vibrant colors belie an ivory towered personality enveloped in mystical scent. Chic drapes — primitive designs — our one married member. INTROVERT MOMENTS A tree, a place, A sound, a face, A smile, a word, A song, a bird, A scent, a time, A hope, a rhyme, A love, a faith. Eleanor Weeks With searching eyes And muddled thoughts, Neath clouded skies, Forbidden courts, I wander. The world abstract. And wind like Ice, One swift impact, ' Like luck of dice, I stumble. This place is bare, I am not here. For two must share This haunting fear, I venture. There is a light. Which follows hope, A mental flight, A binding rope, I slumber. I am not free From sinking heart. There ' s small degree Of sleep or art, I waver. But faith If kept Will always win. So then I slept Dismissing sin I conquer! Now once awake, I am restored Without mistake I ' ve tied the cord I love him. Eleanor Weeks. MELANCHOLY EXQUISITE A chute the chutes A dizzy hope A hill to climb The whirling throng That whizzes by Stares back to say Y ou ' ll only die And death ' s the end they say Yet hearts still thirst And hope to find A blending song A place to lie A warmth of life That will not pass And hoping, die And this they answer: The sun bakes all the earth around The heart is not the place I held you And this is now the only sound The only sound. Helen Donis Asnin Dedicated to Gallery Greerihorn A rare intoxicating view Of something new To you And a few Perhaps . . . Who have sought To see A thought Or reason out Just what It ' s all about . . . Beverly Hallam Muddy Meanderings The pounding life beneath my feet. The sodden sound. The dull-edged tread; Sinks through my heart with burbling beat. This sluggish shell awakes. The sun ' s eye Winks on walls, the desolate beauty Of populaced streets. I am consumed. A cataleptic aura Of sound, smell, and sig ht. The footed print. SMOKE GETS IN .YOUR EYES These two thin blue lines twist and move as if they know they are beautiful — and the thin waver- ing yellow at the other end — that ' s the nicotine I suppose. Well what of it — a lot of people are great in spite of all the nicotine they consume — it ' s whaf they believe in and love that matters. These things that I believe in and love so! Why can ' t I say Look everybody! Can ' t you see how important this green gold is and the sun on this clean hair and these bricks and this straw and this smooth, smooth wood. Why can ' t I be beautiful just because I want so to be. Why isn ' t it better that someone else who isn ' t me, is, and I can have the awful joy of looking at them. But I don ' t have to look to feel it, I don ' t have to see and hold the smooth or the earthy things. I just have to know about them and love them and the feeling is here, like walking upside down in a yellow light that is a blue haze too — like having too much something I haven ' t at all : : : : It ' s going — I can get it back — maybe — if I think what it was that made it come — I think I was watching the smoke activit es For some the post year may bring memories of lost point brushes, mis- place matboards, or frenzied searchings for a big portfolio, but also fond recollections of social functions in which we all participated, in one way or another. The first thing on the program was Mass. Art ' s way of getting the new members of the school off to a flying start — known to the more dignified as Freshman Week. A blissful week for the upper classes — many favors be- stowed on them by Freshmen — with the proper respect, of course, if only after a little prodding. As a final touch to the Week, the Freshmen gave us a hilarious time as they paraded around in their Gay Nineties get-ups. These Get-ups , ( costumes is definitely not the right word) caught — and held — every eye in the cafeteria, especially the young ladies ' bustles and the young gentlemen ' s handle-bar moustaches, which were works of art. They showed themselves to be intelligent as well as stylish in the combination (puiz Program and Drawing Class which followed, not to mention their musical abilities, revealed in the form of a Barber Shop quartet. They should be justly proud. The approach of the next activity was gradual. For days we had been eat- ing our lunches amid large and flagrantly-hued pieces of colored paper. For a while hunger overcame curiosity, but as time went on and we be- came aware of the fact that our cafeteria was becoming populated with larige pink horses, mammoth purple cows and many chickens, we began to ask timid questions. The answer was ridiculously simple — decorations for the approaching Hoe-Down . This barn dance was the real thing — square dances with a professional prompter, hay, cider and doughnuts, an even a photograph in the next day ' s paper. The traditional ceremony of Smock Day, and the Freshmen really became a part of the student body, despite being marked for weeks afterward by those bright green smocks. We remember President Philbrick ' s inspiring talk on that occasion. The motif of our Christmas Party was Old Boston, dear to art students. This theme was carried out in the place-cards and in the big-three dimen- sional cut-paper murals in the cafeteria and in the foyer where the dance was held. One of these murals showing the market district of Boston made its appearance at the Museum of Fine Arts, during the Boston Builds show. Those students whose commuting schedule permitted enjoyed something new this year — visiting with Miss Munsterberg after school of a Wednes- day afternoon. And to carry on other traditions of the past, we have the Spring Formal — a night at Pops — the Mother and Daughter Tea — Thus, when we remove our noses from a Psychology book and our fingers from a jar of paint, we manage to have our lighter extra-curricular activities. Roberta Whipple To all who in some way aided in the saving of our shool we are deeply grateful. We owe much to Mr. Palmstrom who left his position as president to become a more powerful determiner in the outcome. Our faculty, alumni, and friends in the outside fields worked hard and showed themselves to be true believers in the philosophy of our school. The student body in its unified ap- proach to the problem showed a spirit of loyalty hitherto untried. It was as if a bomb had exploded their retreat. They realized just how much they had taken for granted. It was the feeling too — not the rah-rah Alma Mater kind but a more elusive hardly discernible joy and pride in the school, the life and the people who worked and lived within. The long line of Mass. Art Commuters waiting at Kenmore — a part of the mov- ing pulsing crowd bearing down upon each bus as it swerves to a stop. The gay laugh- ter as clumsy portfolios and drawing boards are lifted into place. The small groups huddled over coffee cups in the lunchroom eagerly discussing school topics developing into ever widening concentric circles of thought as Y-Day and plans for world peace are discussed. We believe dif- ferently — we are of different races but this is not a problem, for we have learned to respect and value the thoughts of others. May these ideas of future students be free to develop and through guidance reach the fullness of maturity — that is our hope. Music today — ah, Ravel ' s Bolero — Did you see the notice? — a cleverly done impression — a fiery dancing fig- ure wound round with gay colored papers. It is Monday, perhaps Wednes- day — Roger is unpacking the disks, pol- ishing them in preparatio n. The needle hits the disk, is silent for what seems eternity, then sound. It climbs thru the thin air spiraling up and up until it crescendos against the height of the lunchroom. It circles about capturing the occupants then weaving down again through stairways, railings and corridors into the dimly lit auditorium. The music emanating from the vie is now powerful, throbbing, now light and capricious, now tripping with feverish haste, now cautious in tempo. No one stirs — it lifts them through the ceiling and beyond. The warning bell shatters the air. The music is once more wrapped in folders and dreams put away for another day. I I We have lived as a family of seventeen cheerfully respect- ing each other ' s opinions, al- ways looking to one another for criticism and encourage- ment. We are indebted to our teachers. Through their thoughts our thoughts were born and our philosophies have developed. We shall hope to inspire others as they have inspired us. Eleanor Hersey Watercolor Evelyn Nelson Watercolor Eleanor Smith Silk Screen Roberta Whipple Watercolor Evelyn Nelson Watercolor i I Eleanor Smith Drawing I I Mariwood MacLucas Watercolor Rigmor Erikson Watercolor Robie: A fine eharakfer we might say — with an equally fine sense of humor. On Much radiance of expres- sion — did you say there was a man shortage? She moves in dark mysteri- ous ways but we love her and her Tigress perfume. Ingrid Bergman at the M.S.A. starred with Charles Boyer — Where is Boyer. you ask? A busy personality with a kitten-face — this the Herse — ofF to the morgue. Jonnie . . . You know the song but it doesn ' t describe the eyelashes. ' Weaving, she says v a gleam in her eye — we out she ' s a woof. Restless curiosity encased in a tantalizing personality . . . Sit down and I ' ll read from Tagore. Life can be beautiful — as testified by Peg — her ready laugh is ringing proof. Mornings heralded b.y the entrance of the newspaper — We are grateful, Dot. O T Woody the orchid gal, fabulously renowned — she lives on devil dogs and cokes. Bevelwood. How to keep the ulma mater running smoothly — three easy les- sons. Let ' s talk about Billy shall we — or else. I TO THE SERVICEMEN The conclusion of the war is all-important. It is our task as well as yours to see it through. Life goes on. It will always go on — wars or not. Wars are horrible, they are not easily passed over, yet tomorrows always come. We may hope that after these years of wars we have learned to wage peace as successfully as we have waged war. You have been an active part of this for several years now. Memories of art school have become overshadowed by grimmer rou- tines. But at home where life runs at a more even pace, our remembrance is still clear. We said goodbye to one, then to all of you until only the memories remain. We miss you — though we know that your present role is more vital than any other consideration. The problems you have faced and met with your own solutions may help in an understand- ing of a better way of life for the future. The sketches and comments which you have sent back are constant reminders that your sense of humor and talent are still intact. We hope that the Brush-OfF has presented as compre- JU JUk I ' • 1 Ens. Donald Gately Pvt. Kenneth Bryant Marion Farrell Geo. Campbell Ensign Cadet Mid’n. Edward Reardon Robert Thresher ‘ Pho. M 3 c A.S. Harold Morse K W -Lk UJi S9f. Joseph Shoughnessy Lt. Richard Poison P.F.C. Charles Price 1 H j [• h I i freshman class President . . . . Vice-President Secretary . . . Treasurer. . . . Joseph Thonnpson Natalie Gallagher . , . .Betty Sullivan Dorothy Christo We have been freshmen . . . . The words seem not at all somber, nor sorrowful, nor even a little regretful. There is no reason why they should. We have placed a foot on the first rung of the ladder. We have worked, and after work we have laughed and sung and told our jokes, and sometimes behave rather foolishly, and we did not mind at all when they smiled indulgently and said, Oh well . . . freshman! For we must all be freshmen before we can be seniors, and we hope that after work, we shall always be able to laugh and sing, and sometimes, per- haps, behave a little foolishly, just for fun. Today we are not sad at all, but very happy, be- cause we have been freshmen, and everything is before us. I sophomore class President . . . Vice-President Secretary. . . . Treasurer. . . . Elaine Smithers Sally Fairbanks . Helene Rones .Anne Coggin Structural Design: Quick, get your hand out of the plaster block before it hardens! . . . Block Printing . . . O gee, I cut the design away instead of the background! . . . A-natomy . . . Oh, I thought the facia lata was attached to the olecranon process! . . . Architecture: Just discovered I have to duck down three feet to enter my front door! . . . Oh, well! Our Sophomore year has been fun! President Lydia Mongan Vice-President, . . Elizabeth Sanborn Secretary Margaret Oberti Treasurer Rosamund Strong At the beginning of this eventful year we chose our paths from among the three that were open to us. With no little doubt or hesitation — like groping in a grab-bag — we brought forth either art education, general design, or the revived and revised drawing and painting. Now as our third year runs out, the choice we have made begins to take shape beneath our hands. We see clearly for the first time its limitations and its potentialities. With this realization comes the resolve that our final year will see the culmination of our hopes, the fulfillment of our strivings. junior class In the midst of the overwhelming problems of today Mr. Philbrick remains calm and assured, giving us strength. His words are as music and poetry, each one a message of his philosophy of life and of art. He gives to the freshmen a clarity of vision which enables them to recognize and enjoy rich experience in art and in life. He awakens and develops in all of us a sensitivity for the best in art, not.jnly in our own work, but in the work of others. To Mr. Philbrick we give our heartfelt thanks with that same generous sincerity that he has shown in his daily life and in his painting. We came to know her as freshmen through her course in orientation and class in first aid. Her con- cern for our outcome as artists and as personalities has always been evident throughout our life at Mass. Art. Organization is her byword. Planning with pre- cision is for her no task. She is an admirer of student work as can be seen by a glance into her office. The interest which she shows in the students, their work and their activities is watchful and appreciative. FACULTY DR. ANTONIUS P. SAVIDES EMMA P. LENNON LEO O ' DONNELL JULIA SHEEHAN PATRICK GAVIN ARTHUR CORSINI FRANK C. BROWN MARGARET C. WOLAHAN The mere mechanics of good organization is not the only tool that makes for a smooth run- ning association. It is the enthusiastic ambi- tion, wholehearted sin- cerity, and coopera- tiveness of students, faculty and administra- tion. We have tried to function flexibly, think outwardly and above all, satisfy the happi- ness of everyone — an impossible feat but a wonderful goal to at- tain, for the best is yet to come. STUDENT ASSOCIATION President — Beverly Hallam Vice-President — Barbara Chase Secretary — Marcia Jones Treasurer — Lydia Breed Chairman of Finance Jeanne MacCabe Faculty Advisers Miss Murray Mr. Porter Mr. Thompson He had a long life In this world and in this school. His heritage was a rich one, full of strength and growth. He took advantage of it and fashioned his life of the same fibre. His personality and teaching have left upon the school a mark — one of pride In remembrance. His greatness has not been solely within the school or even regional. His sculpture found in many states in the Union will testify to this. The Indians which he used In his work were a reality to him. His sensitive portrayal of these people has been one of his most Important gifts although by no means the only one. He has left behind memorials of lasting conse- quence In evidence of his fruitful and purposeful life. He was a perfectionist yet he never demanded any more than he himself was prepared to give. We strived for the greatness he held out to us knowing that the highest reward we might achieve was his word of praise. He saw the world as only a true artist can see it. He saw beauty and goodness and hope for the fu- ture. And he gave to us that hope for he was our teacher and his dreams were ours. He was our friend and he fought for us with no thought for personal welfare so that our school would stand ready forever to train aspiring artists. Trying to express our devotion to him Is surely be- yond the realm of words. We can think only of the Ideal he left us — that will never die. This Is our legacy, truly an Immortal heritage. We will grieve not, rather find Strength In what remains behind; In the primal sympathy Which having been must ever be; In the soothing thoughts that spring Out of human suffering; In the faith that looks through death. In the years that bring the philosophic mind. Wordsworth ACKNOWLEDGMENT Another Year Book off the press . . . We hope it is not just another year book. An integration of all the arts should be felt in a book which we produce. We have tried to make this book worthy of an art school by making each page beautiful in itself and in relation to the whole. Yet merely in making a stunning book lack of real purpose could be found. To record present life at Mass. Art with a thought for what lies ahead — that is our aim. Beginnings are always hard. Mr. Palmstrom gave us a working foundation which has stood by us throughout the yearbook ' s progress. Presi- dent Philbrick, in spite of his heavy schedule, gave generously of his time and understanding. Miss Sheehan, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. O ' Donnell with their timely suggestions were particularly helpful. The students, too, evidenced the spirit of their school in their fine cooperation. The year book staff has moved to the com- pletion of its task with unwavering faith in the book to be. Rigmor Erikson, Editor-in-Chief Irene Garlitz; Art Editor Eleanor Mersey, Literary Editor Kathleen Wainwright, Production Manager PLANOGRAPH PRINTED 8V SPAULDING-MOSS COMPANV BOSTON. MASSACHUSEnS, USA. BOSTON AGENT • HATE ELD’S COLOB SHOP INC. • 6 DAPTNOUTH ST. l_ K.W w KW vi;,. ’ ’ . 1 r â–  J j -Â