NYFA Board Chair Judith K. Brodsky Awarded Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts by Rider University
“My message is twofold, one is to be passionate about something in the world, and the other is don’t just accept things as they are.”
On Friday, May 13, 2016, NYFA Board Chair Judith K. Brodsky received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts at Rider University’s spring commencement ceremony. In her speech, Judith told graduates to be passionate and not accept things as they are.
She said, “Three overriding principles have shaped my life—to be aware of the world, to think beyond my own sphere, and above all to be passionate about what I believe in and to act on that passion without hesitation—even if it means making mistakes.”
She went on to speak about her life as an artist, an academic, and as an activist for the American Feminist Art Movement. She told the graduating class that their “education has not ended” and encouraged them to keep up their cultural interests whether they are artists are not. She said, “Arts and culture aren’t frills. What artists, writers, musicians, and dancers think about is the world and the future. They lead the way to a better world.”
This is Judith’s third honorary degree having received degrees from Monmouth University and Moore College of Art and Design. Judith is a Distinguished Professor Emerita, Visual Arts Department, Rutgers University where she founded the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions (BCIE) and co-founded the Rutgers University Institute for Women and Art. She is a former president of the College Art Association, National Women’s Caucus for Art, and ArtTable and the current NYFA Board Chair.
Images, from top: Judith K. Brodsky delivering commencement address at Rider University; Judith K. Brodsky and Rider University President Gregory G. Dell’Omo.
