©2012 Tang Teaching Museum.
Melinda Kiefer, '11, got involved with the Tang her freshman year at Skidmore. In this video, the studio art major talks about her many jobs and the fundamental role the Tang played in her college experience.
“The Tang is a beacon for artistic creation at Skidmore, a place that offers students the opportunity to engage with living artists and their work-these experiences give students something they can aspire to.”
– Bryce Cartwright. Class of 2008
“Museums had always felt like very safe places to me, but the Tang really challenged me to think about things in ways that other museums hadn’t before. The exhibitions at the Tang tested my own preconceived notions about art, about what is good art, about what is beautiful, about ways of thinking. It has absolutely made me more open, more willing to be uncomfortable and unsettled by things, more excited about engaging in dialogue with those objects and ideas, and better able to recognize the value in doing so.”
–Kat Gulick. Class of 2003
“While working for the Tang’s education department, I traveled to libraries and schools throughout the Saratoga region with a suitcase stocked with art supplies, leading special hands-on workshops based on Tang exhibitions. For one program at a public library in Albany we made colorful bubble wrap sculptures based on works in Lee Boronson’s exhibition, Outer Limit. One of the students was five-year old Callie, a visually-impaired girl who came to the library with her grandmother. Though she couldn’t see the materials, she created an incredible beach basket sculpture stocked with seashells, fish, fruits, drinks, and a towel. Each time Callie heard me approach, she reached into her basket to show me the newest addition. At the end of the day, Callie left all smiles, and I left considering an entirely new approach to teaching the workshop. Instead of merely asking students what a sculpture looks like or reminds them of, I could encourage their imaginations with questions like, “What do you think this sculpture sounds and feels like?” and, “What noise would this sculpture make if it could?” The experience opened my eyes to teaching opportunities I had overlooked because of my own assumptions about our students. All my experiences at the Tang resonate directly with this single encounter. The Tang pushes boundaries and challenges our assumptions, encouraging more imaginative ways to consider the world around us.”
–Lindsey Fyfe. Class of 2005
“I think the Tang is one of the most important things at Skidmore: it connects students with the arts and provides opportunities for students to organize projects themselves- concerts, installations, talks and other events. As a musician, working with the people at the Tang has helped me make our events happen in a better way. My band performed on the roof of the Tang, backed by a huge video installation-the whole set up provided a really exciting atmosphere. Performing in an art museum is definitely five millions steps up from anywhere else we would play on campus, and I hope to keep using that to our advantage.”
– Jamie Ayers. Class of 2008
“There can be an unfortunate tendency in the world of contemporary art towards insularity-an endless feedback loop of insider references and recycled meaning. The Tang is a powerful antidote to this trend, a porous museum that encourages an inclusive and wide-ranging conversation amongst many disciplines. Of course for me this observation is made in retrospect, after leaving Skidmore and the Tang. As a student I just felt incredibly lucky to be a part of this dynamic place. The fact that the Tang is an international model, and an excellent venue for today’s best art, that includes students is what’s so unique. Were it not for the Tang, I would have had no idea about the rewards of curatorial work, and far less first-hand exposure to contemporary art. My Skidmore experience is defined by my Tang experience.”
–Daniel Byers. Class of 2003
