Smock Shop ~ with Andrea Zittel
Andrea Zittel invited Sundown Schoolhouse to her Smock Shop and studio in Highland Park; our final field trip on our final day. Here, we cut our caprons—half apron, half cape to be worn on bicycle and in our homes for our final event—which was a creative collaborative design between Andrea, Michael, and Tracy.
When the cutting and pasting and sewing were all done (Thank you Tipran for your patient and delicate sewing instruction), we sat down for, what many of us felt, was the most intimate conversation we had ever had as a group with a Schoolhouse Instructor. It was so intimate, I don’t want to share too much of it here in this summary, which I know will end up on the internet. Basically, it included talks of farting and burping, raising a child, failing, early dreams of owning dress shops, the myth of graduate school, making really important life-decisions based on crushes and/or love affairs with men, finding female heroes over the age of 40, hiring people on parole and Andrea’s own advice to put off having children until you’re 38. (“If you’re rich,” she quickly amended, “I guess you can have them at 36.”)
“Do you always talk this personally about your life?” Tracy asked.
“No,” Andrea said, “In fact, this is exactly what I try and avoid when I’m giving my lectures.”
“Because,” Tracy said, “This is the most personally we’ve talked with anyone.”
“Is it because I’m last?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Tracy said.
“Is it because I’m a woman?” Andrea asked.
The conversation ended very quickly after this, many of us asking when we might be able to come back and make our very own smock.