College Record 2017

Wolfson’s contribution to Oxfordshire Artweeks was an exhibition of works by
participants in the life drawing class curated by Kassandra Isaacson. As Wolfsonians
will be aware, Kassandra has been involved with the life of Wolfson for many years,
giving generously of both her time and expertise to support a whole host of artistic
projects of which the drawing class is but one. However, this will be the last such
show that she will organize as she has decided that the time has finally come to give
up teaching a regular Life Drawing class in College. Her contribution to the artistic
life in Wolfson during this time has been immense and her generosity unstinting: the
College is forever in her debt.
The year closed with a stunning
exhibition, Wolfson College
Portraits by the acclaimed New
York-based photographer Mariana
Cook. The show includes a striking
portrait of Isaiah Berlin, and
portraits of outstanding figures who
have links to Wolfson either as past
Berlin, Haldane and Syme Lecturers,
Photo by John Cairns or because they have given major
speeches and lectures at Wolfson.
Sitters include mathematician Marcus de Sautoy, poet Simon Armitage, musician
and writer Alfred Brendel, historian Mary Beard and Kwame Anthony Appiah,
Reith Lecturer and cultural philosopher. Mariana also photographed Professor John
Barnard for the series of portraits of presidential spouses displayed in College. The
exhibition is on loan until the end of the year.
The display cases used in conjunction with exhibitions always provide a tempting
visual distraction on the way to the Upper Common Room. This year they showed
some of the very touching tokens that inspired The Secret Staircase, alongside the
inscribed table that was used to make the woodblock print on display in the room
nearby. Ceramics by the Korean artist Eunju Kim and the College’s own Tracy
Fuzzard were also featured, as well as artefacts associated with the Wolfson Life
Stories event in June
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