By Noelle Sharp
For this episode of MAGNIFYING we spoke with Professor of Art Education and Area Head in the Department of Art & Art History, Beth Krensky. Our creative community here at the College of Fine Arts is diverse and wide spread. With the goal of gaining a deeper knowledge and awareness of the people within our community, we bring you MAGNIFYING, a series dedicated to showcasing the talent of our students, faculty, and staff.
Tell us about yourself: Name, where you are from, what you do and how you got into in your field of work
My name is Beth Krensky and I was born in NYC but moved to Utah at age six. I left Utah at nineteen to attend the School of The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and returned 20 years later when I accepted a faculty position in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Utah. I am the Area Head of Art Teaching in the Department of Art and Art History. I get to spend time with remarkable University of Utah students and faculty members who have a desire to make the world a better place through teaching art in school of community settings. I divide my time between teaching/mentoring, being an artist, and writing about the impact art can have on individuals and communities. I have always followed my bliss, even if it did not make sense or did not receive the approval of others. I find inspiration by being part of a community or artists and learners. After I graduated from art school, I decided to do what I had always loved—work with young people. I taught in school settings and collaborated with young artists in community settings.
What has surprised you the most in your life?
I am always surprised, and delighted, by seeing love triumph over hatred. It sounds simple, but I have always been surprised by how many people, often in the face of great danger or fear, choose to engage in acts of goodness and kindness. Looking back on my life, I have also been surprised that everything works out in the end. I have come to realize that our paths are circuitous and not always clear looking forward, but looking back they make total sense.
What do you wish you had known/been told?
There is a line in a Mary Oliver poem that I sometimes paint on the back of my art (a secret message if you will). She wrote, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” I wish I had been told that life is a precious, and fleeting, opportunity. We should embrace it, live it fully, get bigger than our fear, fulfill our highest potential and , above all else, cultivate joy. The biggest thing I wish I had been told is not to take it all so seriously.