Please share your memories, greetings and questions about the Aegean Center
in our guestbook.
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For
letters from parents, click here.
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| I
just wanted to take a moment to let you know John that I think it
is an amazing program you are directing here... truly one of the most
rewarding and interesting education experiences of my entire life.
I think that your values in life and education are well reflected
in the structure and focus of the courses and I admire you for chasing
an ideal of education that few have yet to maintain in these times.
This has been undoubtedly the best three months of my life! I look
forward to possibly writing an article about the school and you once
I return to journalism in the States. Thank you for everything: this
program, Paros itself, and being who you are. April, Student 2001 |
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I
was a Schiller Univ. student in Paros in 1978 and modelled for the
Aegean Center's art students for $2 per hour (helped me pay my $30/month
rent). Your web site looks great and the new school makes me homesick
for Paros (still my favorite place on the planet). Shawn, Student 1978 |
The Aegean Center remains the single most inspiring arts education I have ever had. I graduated from UMASS at Amherst with a BFA in Painting, did a year of study abroad at the Exeter College of Art in England, organized and directed an artist's collective art gallery, have shown in numerous restaurants, coffee shops, study centers and art galleries and, still, the Aegean Center keeps returning to me as the spiritual home for my love of creating works of art. It was in 1987 on Paros that I first found a family of artists. I was surrounded by a mythological landscape populated by very real people. My teachers lived and breathed every moment of the day with creative insight and outlook that demanded my honesty and nurtured my personal vision.
For instance, one of my first paintings on Paros was a surrealistic depiction of everything American (Coke cans, and old girl friend, an old Ford convertible, etc.) but way in the background was a whitewashed, Mediterranean seaside village. My instructor asked me if this was what I was seeing here in Paros and I answered, "Yes... This is what I'm seeing here." In turn, the instructor then asked if perhaps I was a little homesick and pointed out the girlfriend, the car and the Coke can spelled out in English. In that moment I suddenly realized the lie to myself and couldn't come up with an answer. She then pointed out the depiction of the seaside village in the background of my painting and said, "I can see that you are still arriving... You'll be here soon, don't worry." Well, I soon "arrived" and as far as I'm concerned, never left. Awakening moments such as this were around every whitewashed corner, up every windmilled hill. My times on Paros with the Aegean Center have left me with a strong sense of discipline towards my art and the ability to see "magic" in everything. I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to experience what it is to come home to your artistic family. Thank you.
Julian, Student 1987
Best damn'd school I ever went to.
Joseph, Student
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Not
so long ago we were reading Dante at the Villa and Sappho at the school.
In the fall, I am beginning a Ph.D. program which will allow me to
research throughout Europe. Surely I owe much of the desire to do
this from four of the most vivid months of my life. Thank you, Aegean
Center. Sasha, Student 1997 |
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a single day goes by that I do not think of you all and the wonderful
time I spent in Paros. The lessons I learned there stay with me always.
10 years later, I still can not thank everyone there enough. All the
best, and I hope to see you soon! Drew, Student 1991 |
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Having attended other study abroad programs, I can say this one is unique, this one is special. The surroundings of both Italy and Greece are magical. But what truly makes the program, are the professors themselves, including John Pack. They have given their lives to make this program a success, and it shows. I can not thank them enough for their generosity in their teaching of both the arts and of how to truly obtain happiness in one's life. This experience and the lessons learned will always be an important part of who I am. I wish that you too can have such an amazing experience. I thank you!
Scott, Student 1999
I was a student at the school in 1972. What a delight to see [Aegean Center founder] Brett Taylor's wonderful birds again! I wish you well.
Trilby, Student 1972
| I
can't express how much I learned and loved in Greece. The independence
and freedom and access to so many new experiences, amazing people,
and art has had such a positive impact on my life. I feel like have
learned and grown so much, but it makes going back to school all the
harder knowing all the things that are out there! But I am anxious
to apply all of these wonderful things that I have learned back to
Carleton... Again, I don't think that I can thank you enough or articulate
how much the program has meant to me. I hope we will all keep in touch
and that you realize the greatness of your program that can only continue
to get better with all the new additions and buildings. March, Student 2000 |
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Being
a student of the Aegean Center and a resident of Paros has changed
the way I see the world. There is a certain beautiful and dreamlike
quality in everything that surrounds us and our task is to learn how
to see it. Hiking through Paros made me feel like Dorothy in The Wizard
of Oz. The world around me was foreign and dreamlike, not because
I was in a foreign country, but because I was allowing myself to sink
into the pure beauty and warmth that surrounded me. In the past, I
created a cold, material world around me without even knowing I was
doing it. The teachers of the Aegean Center immersed me in the history
and beauty of Paros, which made me feel as though I was stripping
away layers of myself and uncovering the core of my happiness. Paros
and the people of Paros have provided the serenity and innocence that
allowed me to step out of my securities, shed the layers of material
influences and false happiness, and take a new look at myself. Upon
leaving the Aegean Center and Paros, I had never felt so real, cleansed,
and purely happy. April, Student 1999 |
It's nice to see that the school is still thriving. I spent only a short time on Paros, but the work I did there was a breaking point from middling scribble to real art. Best wishes for the future.
Chris, Student 1989
Hello from an alumnus from the early 70's. Your web page fills me with wonderful memories!
Michael, Student
If you're considering the program - I can't recommend it highly enough. It was and is a magical experience that will change you , your art, and your view the of the world. One day I'll get back to paros for a visit or enroll in the program again- who knows?
Erin, Student 1997
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For letters from parents, click here. |