Letter to the Editor.

 

First and foremost, I would like to thank the editors of the SFAA newsletter for their hard work and dedication in sustaining the SFAA newsletter and provideing representation for both the artists of our community as well as their work. I was invited to write a letter for the SFAA editors under the realization that there is a need for dialog and the unique voices within the SFAA community to be represented in the newsletter with proper agency. We spoke after they messaged me about my post on the Facebook SFAI Alumni Group regarding the possible sale of the Diego Rivera mural. The newsletter editors mentioned the awkwardness of the gesture of having to ask one of the current students to write a letter for them so that it may encourage other stakeholders to do the same. From my understanding however, the awkward gesture came from a deep sense of empathy and respect towards the voices of the SFAI community. 

 

There is a desperate need for reconciliation within our community before we can start engaging each other about the future of our school. An outlet for the thoughts and feelings of alumni are especially important at times when most of us are still hurting from what happened to SFAI in 2020-2021. I believe however, that most of us have chosen to remain present within the community because we care so much about the continuity of the unique institutional role and environment of SFAI in one form or another. By dedicating a part of the newsletter to represent the voices of our community, I hope that the SFAA Newsletter will provide an environment where community members can feel safe enough to share their thoughts on the ongoing issues that we’re facing together. I write this letter, hoping that the first letter to the editor would serve as an invitation for the community to start writing letters to the editors of the SFAA newsletter.

 

Sincerely,

 

Chris Manfield

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BFA, 2015 - 2018 (International Student)

MFA, 2019 (Interupted) - 2021 (Promised)

https://www.chrismanfield.com/