along albany road
1Gdansk, 1982 [27x27] 2Mercury, 1976 [32x32] 3ptgs, 2011
A Human Art Robert Moorhead J. Clement Schuler Distinguished Chair by Rob Morgan In 1976, Bob Moorhead arrived from Upstate New York to teach in Deerfield’s Fine Arts Department. “I wasn’t sure I’d stay for long,” he recalled. Many a Deerfield master has uttered these words when reflecting on his or her early days at the school. Even Frank Boyden never dreamt of a 66-year run. Who would have? Log a few years at a country academy, gain some experience, and then move on. It’s an entirely reasonable plan, shared by many ambitious educators, but one that is often reconsidered upon discovering Deerfield’s rich opportunities. Nearly four decades later, Bob is still here, teaching everything from calligraphy to painting to architecture. He’s twice chaired his department—overseeing the last major arts expansion on campus—and is currently serving as acting chair while a colleague is on sabbatical. In Bob’s office, carefully-crafted models rest on shelves. Postcards from students are tacked to the walls—depictions of the Pantheon, Salisbury Cathedral, Saint Mark’s Basilica, and other historical sites explored in his architecture course. There’s a snapshot of a young soldier, a former student, who once practiced graceful, arching lines in Bob’s calligraphy class. These artifacts may explain why Bob has remained at Deerfield; his commitment to students extends beyond the classroom and over time. He is an artist and teacher whose example inspires—and is inspired by—his students. “I learn a lot from my students. They force me to think about the theory and practice of the visual arts. In order to make it clear to them, I have to think it through for myself,” Bob says. When creating assignments, he intentionally “sets up situations with either incomplete information or openended solutions,” as a way to promote critical thinking and problem-solving. “Art develops skills and interests that will last a lifetime,” and it allows students to respond to their world while preparing them for opportunities and challenges, regardless of the paths they will take.
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Winter 2013
Bob is careful not to praise too much or to push too hard. “If they tell me they can’t survive without going to art school, then I’ll say ‘go ahead and do it,’ but otherwise I’ll suggest exploring the liberal arts first and then study at the graduate level.” It’s not that Bob doesn’t encourage his students, it’s that “students, regardless of how good they are, need to internalize motivation, or they may not succeed or pursue their passion on their own,” he explains. His teaching style is quiet, unassuming, and creates room for students to explore and grow. A prolific artist, Bob’s own passion is expressed in his paintings and graphics, which have been exhibited regularly since 1968. The single impulse that drives his work “is the desire to communicate emotional states, memories, and structures that are non-narrative in form while being evocative of the human condition.” Perhaps the most enduring expression of Bob’s work is a collaboration with his wife, Andrea Moorhead, a poet and French teacher at Deerfield. Before coming to the Academy, and while still living in New York, the Moorheads began publishing Osiris, a poetry journal, which celebrated its 40th year in 2012. Founded during a time of societal unrest, Bob and Andrea sought to create an international journal without political and social overtones, but one that “seeks a human art.” Former Headmaster Eric Widmer called upon the Moorheads’ talents and sensibilities to commemorate the Academy’s bicentennial. The result was Deerfield 1797-1997 A Pictorial History of the Academy, an authoritative chronicle of the school’s first 200 years. The project was the inaugural publication of the Deerfield Academy Press, which currently publishes—under the Moorheads’ guidance—Albany Road and The Buttonball Papers, journals of student work. The J. Clement Schuler Distinguished Chair was established in 2002 and is awarded to a member of the Deerfield faculty “who sustains his (Schuler’s) legacy of dedication through his monumental service, and his legacy as a demanding teacher and mentor, in and out of the classroom.” “Our paths did not cross here at Deerfield,” Bob says of Mr. Schuler, who retired the same year Bob began teaching, “but I met him when he would return to campus to visit. He was a wonderful man.” The sentiment, one can assume, was mutual.••