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Bruce Conner’s SFAI “Life Drawing” class roll book, Fall 1967
Bruce Conner was a fellow traveler at SFAI from when he first arrived in San Francisco in the 1950s--exhibiting, screening films,and as a faculty member. Conner taught various courses at SFAI in the 1960s including “Life Drawing” where he obviously had a set of gifted students as illustrated in the above grade book, flourished with his attendance markings. Conner also taught an Undergraduate Seminar, "Wasted Time":
Course description in the 1966-67 College Catalog
And the back story: Having been told by SFAI Director Fred Martin that he could teach anything he wanted, Bruce Conner proposed a class titled Wasted Time. Martin shoots down the idea, explaining that he doesn’t want to have to justify the presence of a class with that name on student transcripts, and they compromise by calling the course Undergraduate Seminar (although the course description remains as proposed:“Wasted Time: unproductive activity of no practical application.”)
With permission, SFAA is re-posting the emails Jeff Gunderson Librarian/Archivist Anne Bremer Memorial Library has been sending out since March 2020. Please enjoy this magnificent archive.