::thank you::

Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful to all the wonderful teachers I've had:

For Miss Lipe, my kindergarten art teacher who was a friend and encouraged me.

For my seventh grade teacher who, in our conservative catholic school, wore a button proclaiming "Hail to the Thief" on Wednesday, November 8th.

For an eight grade substitute English teacher who allowed us to analyze and explore the lyrics of our favorite songs.

For Mrs. Courtney, my high school sophomore English teacher who drilled Appalachian values and literature into us for 1/2 a year, much to my dismay (at the time).

For Mrs. Williams, who, my junior year, combined our U.S. history and U.S. literature courses and assigned us to read The People's History of the United States along with State mandated textbook.

For my Art History Professor Marion Lee, whose courses on Contemporary Asian Art and The Visual Culture of China in the 19th C. forever impressed upon me the importance of the post-colonial perspective. And for the time she asked me how I thought I did on the exam, and I replied that I thought I flunked the geography portion, and she said, "Elodie. Forget about it and move on."

For my B&W photography professor Laura Larson, from whom I only took one class but inspired me to study and experiment with photography and its history.

For my Art History adviser and professor Jennie Klein, and her support and understanding, as well as her contribution to my feminist and gender studies. She always had time to meet with me.

For my Art History Methods professor Jaleh Mansoor who encouraged us to share opinions and thoughts and, however intelligent or ignorant, treated them all with validity, thus creating an incredibly effective seminar.

For my Sculpture and Expanded Practice professor Duane Mcdiarmid, and our enlightening and frustrating discussions of my thesis that I still think about frequently.

For Marilyn Poeppelmeyer, my Sculpture adviser, who shared with me her collections and who both nurtured and pushed my friend Halle's and my collaborations. Even though she didn't go out late, she still managed to come out to an evening performance my friend and I did in town.

For the countless graduate students who treated the sculpture undergrads as colleagues and readily shared their perspectives. And for my undergraduate friends who loved collaborations and interdisciplinary research and work.

For my AmeriCorps teacher pairing, Amy Davison, who taught me how to be more charming and how to be generous. But mostly I am thankful for her friendship.

For those who dare to become teachers today, like my father, Julie Freeman and Chris Luessen.

And for my mother, who taught me humility and strength, and how to cook.

Thank you all very much. Teachers forever!