Duane Michals, “The Dream of Flowers”, 1986.
***
Somewhere I have a photo with Duane Michals, which was taken at New York Film Academy when I taught photography there and on the day Duane gave a hilarious and deeply inspiring talk to our students.
But I had first met Duane decades before when I myself was enrolled as an MFA student at SVA. At that time, I was freshly arrived in New York. Duane was conducting a weekend workshop and we were all thrilled to attend. There wasn’t a single one amongst us that did not admire him deeply as an artist.
However, the day before the workshop, Rodney King was dragged and beaten by a group of LA cops. Before leaving my apartment for SVA, I was glued to the news coverage of the LA riots and watched the city burning. I made my way to class with a heavy heart and full of misgivings.
Duane began his workshop by asking each of us to reveal a secret. As my classmates slowly opened up to him, I grew more and more upset. Why hadn’t anyone even acknowledged the turmoil on the West Coast? How could we sit and talk about intimate confessions instead?
Finally, I raised my hand. Not to share a secret but to confront everyone in the room. I was rude as well and finally stormed out of the classroom and did not return.
Flash forward to NYFA many years later. After Duane’s talk concluded I walked over to him, introduced myself and offered a heart-felt apology for my behavior years back. Duane looked at me, placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned in: “Forget the apology. You owe me 100 bucks”. Then he clapped my back and we shared a big laugh.
Duane Michals, you were always larger than life and your beautiful work will forever be an inspiration. Thank you for so much.