By Jenna Cosentino, Staff Writer
Anne-Claire Fisher, Ed.D, associate professor in the School of Education, has a bright-colored, painting-filled office. As visitors enter into her space, they are greeted with pictures of her family, artwork, books and eye-catching trinkets. Many of these are from the Southwestern United States and France.
1) Next to Fisher’s desk is a piece of original artwork from her sister-out-law, who unfortunately passed away from cancer.
“She did a lot of different styles of paintings, and that’s one of her first ones,” Fisher said, expressing how much she likes the painting.
Continuing on the same wall as this canvas painting, there is a giant poster of the People’s Gallery in Ireland, another artistic sentiment lining the gallery-like room.
“The Bogside artist who painted all of these murals came to St. Bonaventure around 2010,” Fisher said. “The artist was really involved in the troubles and the peace and nonviolence movement that followed.”
2) Above her file cabinet, there is a painting done by Marc Chagall, who is one of Fisher’s favorite painters.
“I need beauty around me,” she said. “He was a Russian painter that did a lot of work in France. I am half French. My father was English, but my mother is French and still lives in France.”
3) “I am a Secular Franciscan, so over here you have the San Damiano Cross,” Fisher said. “I have done a lot of work on the Navajo Nation with my research partner and husband Paul Brawdy. A lot of what I do in my work focuses on teaching future teachers about the diversity they will encounter.”
Leaning against her file cabinet is a poster from Sprout Film Festival, a gathering featuring movies created by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This poster serves as another visual aid to Fisher’s passion for inclusion.
“They did a short film festival here at St. Bonaventure that I had organized,” Fisher said. “The films are made by a person with a disability, not about a person with a disability, which is very important distinction.”
4) Hanging over her desk is a Mexican blanket, with vibrant colors that catches one’s eye when sitting in Fisher’s office.
“That is from Mexico,” Fisher said. “My oldest son gave it to me. I like color, as you can see from my office, and I like the colors from Mexico. I used to live in Tucson, Arizona, so I am very attached to the Mexican culture and language.”
5) Hanging next to her desk is a painting of Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist.
“She is one of my favorite artists,” Fisher siad. “She was very predominant in the 30s and 40s. Frida Kahlo does kind of a naïve and surrealistic art, and is very proud of her Mexican heritage.”
6) Her door is also decorated with many inspirational, diverse stickers and posters. And, on the walls outside her office, she posts articles for students to pick up about current education research, diversity and social justice.
“Art is a big deal and I like beautiful things,” Fisher concluded.
