Dave Masters Referral Letter
Knowing Sheldon Borenstein can be a life-changing gift. I've been
extremely fortunate to learn this personally, from our long friendship, and
professionally, from the first time we met as colleagues at Warner Bros.
Animation. I was director of artist development and Sheldon was head of the
cleanup department. I am a lifelong teacher and a lifelong aficionado of
quality art and animation, and have known thousands of colleagues in both
fields. I can say without qualification that Sheldon is 24-karat priceless as
an artist, an educator and friend.
At Warners, Sheldon was always the go-to person, the most qualified and most
eager to help young artists develop their craft. He joyfully pushed their
understanding (and mine, too!) of Renaissance art as the marrow of great
animation. Each time he would teach a seminar, I would observe his apprentice
and professional protégés, who clearly caught Sheldon's infectious passion for
the legacy and mystery of great drawing and the real meaning of being an
artist.
Ever since our days at Warner Bros., I've counted my blessings for the
opportunity to continue working with Sheldon in education. Sheldon supervises
the development of student drawing in our interactive gallery on the ACME
website. Sheldon has been working with us on the ACME Animation website since
its inception, more than twelve years. He has been sharing his deep knowledge
and enthusiasm with students of all ages, via ACME Animation Online, our
non-profit resource, bringing expertise to hundreds of high school and college
classrooms. For the students and teachers on ACME Online, Sheldon generously
gives his time designing high-quality curriculum and giving professional
critique and advice on students' life drawings. He applies his wisdom at every
level for beginners, working on portfolios to enter college; for apprentice-level
learners polishing their skills to become professionals; and even for pros
continuing their learning as they work in the industry.
Sheldon is a rare educator who knows the foundation of good teaching as deeply
as he understands the underpinnings of great art. While Sheldon is one of the
most enthusiastic and truly joyful educators I've ever worked with, he is also
one of the most serious and knowledgeable. Don't let his buoyant personality
fool you; Sheldon is an expert. No gimmicks for Sheldon on canvas or in the
classroom. Sheldon's students become grounded in the fundamentals of art,
design and anatomy. Their developing skills and understanding frees them, to
express themselves with ever-growing confidence. Many students that have the
fortune to work with Sheldon over time achieve professional level skills and
achieve what is referred to as "flexible performance capability."
This is fancy Ivy League terminology that describes the ability for an artist
that can effectively tackle any novel visual problem thrown at them with
confidence.
In the arts world an "Academy" is a revered designation. It
represents the pursuit of skill and expressive abilities by a community of
artists. The fortunate students at Sheldon's Art Academy benefit from Sheldon's teaching skills in just such an emerging community of
artists. He teaches students to observe the world and "see," and
reflect as artists. Just as important, Sheldon helps each of his students to
know themselves. Each of his students, as unique as individual snowflakes, are
is helped to develop his or her own unique qualities, aspirations, skills, and
with Sheldon's guidance each one grows personally and artistically as they
learn to apply the fundamentals of fine art in a myriad of ways.
Sheldon uses a continuously growing palette of teaching talents to make such a
rare learning culture happen. For the students at Sheldon's Art Academy,
the first day of class is usually an unfamiliar and refreshing school
experience: walking into a learning community where one learns that relaxing
and comfort with one's self is the best approach to a discipline. Sheldon's
students like his friends learn self-confidence and self-appreciation along
with fine art.
I have been honored over the years to be awarded with international and
national education honors. I consider Sheldon to be "an educator's
educator." For my entire career as an educator, I've held my own teaching
to the highest standard I could: Would I want this class, this lesson, this
activity for my own child? Is that not the highest standard? Sheldon's Art Academy
meets this standard. I would love nothing more than to have Sheldon teach my
own grandchildren!
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