It may have only been a week, yet it was just enough time for students to push their creative limits by peeking inside the mind of poet and artist Dr. Jonathan Sarkin ’71. Beginning Tuesday, April 18, 2006, Jon spent each day instructing and working with Pingry’s English and art classes. Students were encouraged to create poetry and art with an avant-garde twist, working along the fringe, much like Sarkin himself.
Jon illustrated his knack for whimsy by showing students in Dean Sluyter and Chris Shilts’ English classes how to have fun with language. “Egotistical statistics,” “permeating air” are just two of the Sarkin-inspired phrases from students’ works. From inventing words to using them to conjure up random thoughts, the students underwent a verbal exploration while practicing their oratory skills. They were also able to take away valuable lessons, such as knowing when a poem is completed (when it finishes in an interesting place) and how to make it picturesque.
These lessons were similarly shared in the art classrooms, where the Sarkin–student adventure consisted of challenging realism and exploring one’s imagination. Laurinda Stockwell’s classes worked within a stream of consciousness, painting images as Jon directed them. From coloring trees atypical colors to adding words, the open-ended directions were used to enhance one’s thinking and inadvertently create one’s own sense of direction. To demonstrate humankind’s territorial nature towards its creations, the students were then asked to hand their works to the person next to them for completion. Though reticent at first, the young artists quickly took to the exercise.
In yet another example of the Sarkin experience, the students in Miles Boyd’s class stood back and watched Jon work on an extra large-sized canvas. While he brought a family portrait to life, the students were able to question his choices of color and form. Towards the end of the class, the budding artists were then asked to grab oil sticks and pastels and contribute to the work.
The unscripted work days were welcomed by all the students, who were able to explore the relationship between art and words and see the joy in both visual mediums. Nevertheless, they were not the only ones who received lessons, as Jon walked away with a few of his own. He says, “I learned from the students that you never stop learning new things. Life revolves around it.” On art and writing, his final advice to the students—“The only way to get better at it is to keep doing it … and turn off the judgmental part.”
Jon Sarkin began his career as a chiropractor. In 1988 he suffered a stroke and three-month coma before emerging as a changed man, consumed by the need for artistic expression. He soon left his chiropractic business and became a full-time artist, creating works that weave poetry and art. What was once a childhood hobby has now been featured, along with his profile, in noteworthy publications like The New York Times, GQ, and The New Yorker. Jon’s works have been shown in numerous galleries, including the Diane von Furstenberg Gallery. Tom Cruise has purchased the rights to his life story, and a film is in development. Jon will exhibit his works at The Earl McGrath Gallery July 14-18. For more information or to view his works, please go to www.jonsarkin.com
© 2006 The Pingry School
