Moore in in the beginning / middle of a discussion about gender identity as it relates to Admissions. I attended a forum last night for Moore alumnae/i and shared this:
I came to Moore as a transfer from a state school. Artists were this small weird group of students who were not very bright (obviously if they chose art!) and easily identifiable by the amount of supplies they were carrying around campus - huge rolls of paper, portfolios, T-squares. The art floor was a 4th floor WALK-UP with no ventilation. I remember feeling under-valued, easily dismissed, and judged by my often charcoal-covered appearance immediately and unfairly.
Fast forward to my first semester at Moore: I lived at Sartain and the previous year's RA also lived on the floor. As a senior, Shelly had decided to not be an RA to focus on her work. The first time I met her, I was taken aback. Shelly, with her 18" pink and green mohawk was an RA last year?! Turns out she was not only an amazing artist (I still remember the impact of her senior show), but also one of the sweetest and most darling people I met.
Some of you are probably like Shelly: able to break stereotypes with the sweetness of her personality alone.
But I imagine many of you are also like me: it is good for us to be reminded to be open-minded. It's good to be given the opportunity to actively choose acceptance. When I think back on the things I most regret, they are always the regret that I could have been nicer, that I could have chosen to be kinder and shown more humanity than I did.
For me, the Moore community has always been one of kindness and acceptance. It is my sincere hope that Moore will continue to stand for kindness and acceptance.
The way I see it: Before us lies the opportunity to practice acceptance and kindness and to welcome all who identify as a woman into our community.
I realize this is a tricky conversation for many. I'm interested to see where it goes. I also am aware that this conversation is happening in a number of ways across our culture / country. I am hoping for kindness and acceptance in all of those conversations.
