Tomie was scheduled to receive an honorary degree alongside Senator Jeanne Shaheen in 2018 at New Hampshire Institute of Art’s commencement. But, Tomie wasn’t feeling well that morning and I emailed the president of the Institute as we sat in the emergency room of the hospital. I told him I would email Tomie’s remarks after we left the hospital.
Tomie received the honorary degree certificate weeks later. The citation read that Tomie was the “creative visionary” behind “Barney and Friends.” If, only!
I contacted the Institute to correct their error and they gave Tomie a revised certificate. However, I asked what source was used to write the citation.
It seems as if the researcher consulted Tomie’s Wikipedia page and made the leap from “Tomie had made appearances on ‘Barney and Friends’” to Tomie was “the creative visionary” behind “Barney and Friends.”
Tomie visited a class at the Institute and spoke to students and faculty months later during a noontime talk/conversation. We learned the next day that Tomie had angered students with some of his remarks.
Tomie had been sharing his own experiences at Pratt Institute. His instructors had told the students they weren’t yet artists and encouraged them to learn skills that would eventually help them create their own unique style and art.
The Institute students felt Tomie was telling them they were not already artists.
After the talk/conversation, Tomie autographed books. When we were ready to leave, we realized no one from the Institute had stayed to escort us out of the building. The room was empty. It was rather comical. We were on the top floor of the building and had no idea where to exit.
Several wrong turns later, we found our way to the parking lot.
I was tempted to write the Institute with the basic tips of hosting. (Bob)
Pray for Peace, Justice, and Equality
