GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College celebrated the legacy of former arts faculty member Paul Lindale and his creative spirit that lives on in students during the annual “Celebrate the Arts” night last week.
Lindale taught at GCC for 24 years, and was the Art Department chair for 12 years. He died on Feb. 15. Colleagues said Lindale’s love of teaching and the arts can still be felt in the department today.
“Paul was the computer arts and video professor in the Art Department for almost 25 years and chair of the Art Department for 12 years. He was instrumental to making this department what it is,” Department Chair Jen Simms said. “I think he would be so proud to see how many people are here; he’d be so proud of our students. Every day I come to work I feel him here.”
Former GCC President Bob Pura said the annual arts celebration has always been one of his favorite nights of the year, as it is an opportunity to hear from student artists. He added that promoting student voices and encouraging young artists was always something Lindale pushed for.
“Paul was a wonderful educator, artist, and above all, a remarkable human being. His leadership as chair of the art department, alongside invaluable and deeply respected work on Nietzsche self-studies exemplified the very best of shared governance,” Pura said. “GCC is a better college because of Paul… tonight as we walk around and listen to the voices of GCC students, I’m also listening for Paul. I’m sure that we will hear him reminding us of the importance of education, community, and above all, a deep and abiding love for all humanity.”
Community College President Michelle Schutt said the event always sees a large attendance from faculty, students, and their family and friends, as well as general community members looking to see the work of students. She added students are very talented and their work crosses a variety of mediums, including sculptures, paintings, pastels, drawings, photography and live performances.
“This is such a fantastic showcase of our students’ talents, and such a multitude of talents,” Schutt said. “It’s such a foundational event; it’s understandable why it’s such a draw.”
Students have showcased work they had completed for their classes throughout the year and said the event was an opportunity to develop their skills in talking about their art, as well as reflect on how much they’ve grown as artists.
“It’s really good experience for the future,” visual art student Molly Sharry said. “No matter what I go into, knowing that I can put this on my resume and say I’ve been shown in a gallery.”
Sharry had several pieces on display in the show, including a photo of light hitting a bed through a window.
“This is my grandmother’s bedroom and she passed about a year ago, and so my take on the assignment was just going through the grieving process,” Sharry said. “We were cleaning out the house and it was in this weird state of limbo, and I think the light reflects the loneliness but also the love that you remember having.”
The event included a sneak peek performance of “The Laramie Project,” which is running at GCC’s Sloan Theater through April 26. The show “revolves around the 1998 horrific death of openly gay University of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard, who was brutally beaten and left to die, mainly — if not fully — due to his sexual orientation.” Following the performance on April 24, audiences can participate in a Q&A with the cast, and director Tom Geha.
