My first wife lived through much of what you have described, her struggles with Illinois State U Art Masters programs. Her skill as an artist so clearly ahead of her profs... The gut-wrenching pain of dealing with the universities simple-minded ruling committee, mind-numbing. It came down to: here they had a true artist, could out paint, out write the lot of them and yet the 'good ol boys' club was alive and breathing heavily.

My wife was constantly driven to tears. Gnashing her teeth against the granite wall that was their close-knit club of men who could not stomach that here was a woman that outshone them. Could not accept that her desire was to teach at ISU. Her plan was that she would attempt the teaching position after obtaining her Masters in both Art and Art History.

She did get both Masters.

On rare occasions, I'd agree to accompany her to social gatherings (drinking fests) of her fellow art students and the professors. My recollection was coming away feeling nauseous, stunned at the display of intellectual emptiness, haughtiness, and wondering if I'd missed something. Your descriptions are right on, I soon tired of looking up the profs' noses in an effort to see their eyes as they prattled on about nothing!

These were the seventies and ISU as were so many centers of learning, were caught up in the throes of a post 'renaissance' sixties effort at 'rediscovery'. It was a pathetic display of intellectual one-upmanship right there in the middle of Illinois corn country. Not demeaning corn country in the least...

In summary: so much of what you said I lived through watching my wife who was left like a wet dream catcher hanging and twisting in the wind by intellectually stunted men.

Long before illness took her from this world she would say to me: "Tommy, how unfortunate that so much importance is given to the opinions of the universities. How sad. If you can paint, if you can write, as many can, there's something seriously wrong about us allowing the universities to determine who is the artist and what is the best art. Not right..."

She was able to hang some of her best pieces in several of the top galleries in Chicago no thanks to anyone at ISU...