It is always a pleasure to see Constance. Whether it is a quick hello before one of her classes, or an extended conversation, her words express an insightful disposition. She possesses an unmistakable wit, cutting away all that is superfluous, to reveal the essence of whatever is currently occupying her attention. She is a keen observer of her environment—a prerequisite for any artist—and is especially a great mentor.
When I was a student in the MFA program at Hunter College, I took all the classes Constance offered and asked her to be my thesis adviser. For some reason, she agreed. I felt particularly lucky because she is always in such high demand. Getting Constance as your thesis adviser is like winning a sweepstakes—you are lucky.
Something Constance has done for many of her students over the years, including myself, is to help us understand sound as an autonomous material. Meaning, we live in a sight-centric culture that values the seen above all else, where sound is often relegated to a supporting role, a device used to narrate the visual. After taking her sound class, I found myself truly listening to everything around me, paying closer attention to the nuances. This does not mean I suddenly turned into an artist who primarily works with sound—though I did work with sound for a part of my thesis—but the world before me was forever expanded, deepened with possibility.
Peter Hoffmeister
MFA ‘17
www.peterjhoffmeister.com
Thesis work with Constance DeJong:
Scrub, 2017
Audio equipment
4 min, 10 sec (looped)
Phantom Nation, 2017
U.S. government documents laser etched into plywood, indelible ink, Plexiglas, MDF, paint
Dimensions variable
© the artist
