01/31/2024
Sad news today about the passing of Sara Waters. We, in the Texas Tech University School of Art,, are sharing an email thread with our personal memories of her so I thought I would share here for those that also want to share.
"Sara was such a force in the School of Art over the years. She had studios in the Depot District that are now popular bars, and when she moved to Slaton, she regularly hosted student exhibitions and performances. It’s hard to imagine the School of Art without her influence. If you knew her, maybe you could take a moment to remember a good Sara story. She’d like that." - Robin Germany
I am so glad I had the opportunity to learn from Sara as a student, curator, and artist. I like to think I keep a little bit of her words of wisdom and teaching style within me in all my life/work experience. Recently I found myself repeating the word “just” as I was lost in my head and insecurity of thought and used the word to describe the emotion I was having. I remember vividly that Sara would repeat the word “just” when one of us would use it to describe our work in a group critique. “It’s just….” She would grin and repeat the word and then ask, “What does the word just mean?”. She established this early in the semester so that when one of us would say it again, a few weeks later, all she would do was grin and repeat the word to us. It took me a minute to break it down to give my answer. She did that each time, no matter who or how many times it was said, she would ask that question again. I think that was her style of teaching by pointing out the obvious when it wasn’t obvious. Looking back now I feel she was always listening and waiting for me to say more. She waited patiently for me to work through my words. I realized that when she was quiet, she was giving me a chance to be comfortable in silence. The silence was timed enough to let me prepare myself for what she was about to say.
It’s amazing how something small can have such a huge impact, this many years later. It’s “just” a memory but so much more.