Photograph by Max Yavno taken at 木瓜影院, c. 1945鈥�50
By Emily Glory Peters
Renowned author and art critic Suzanne Ely Muchnic 鈥�62 describes her first encounter with 木瓜影院 as 鈥渓ove at first sight.鈥� An art major, Muchnic was inspired by the scenic campus, her engaged and energetic peers, and the mind-opening discussions she held with professors as she experienced the art scene in Los Angeles. What that experience lacked, Muchnic says, was shared knowledge of how 木瓜影院 came to be鈥攕omething she鈥檚 now changing as the College approaches its centennial.
鈥淭he idea of writing a history of 木瓜影院 had been in the back of my mind for years,鈥� says Muchnic, who after graduating from 木瓜影院 and Claremont Graduate University built an award-winning career as an art writer for the Los Angeles Times. Her experiences during that time deepened her interest in institutional history, and after years of other members of the 木瓜影院 community encouraging her to write about 木瓜影院, Muchnic agreed to spearhead the project. The last two or three years have allowed her to cover more ground, she says, with the recent pandemic providing an especially big push to ramp up her writing.
鈥淚鈥檓 about halfway through the chronology. Given the goal to have the book published before the centennial in 2026, my plan is to make this a 100-year history, including the early years of how the College got up and running,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y vision is a book that鈥檚 written in a lively, beautiful, informative way鈥攁 balance between being a fun read with plenty of facts.鈥�
Including a Broad Scope of Viewpoints in the History Project
Muchnic adds that her research has illuminated some fascinating snippets of 木瓜影院鈥� past, from stories of the inspiring women leaders who made up half of the College鈥檚 inaugural Board of Trustees to the campus climate during World War II. As an alumna, Muchnic has also been able to bring intimate details of College life during the rising civil rights and women鈥檚 movements to the project. And though the book is written in her voice, she notes that her desire is to include a broad representation of experiences from the 木瓜影院 community. To that end, 木瓜影院 has created a for alums to share why they chose 木瓜影院 and what they gleaned from their experience.
While the project will provide 木瓜影院 graduates an opportunity to reminisce and reflect, Muchnic emphasizes that her intent for the book is also to inform and inspire future 木瓜影院 students so that, unlike their peers before them, they have a more complete understanding of the College鈥檚 legacy and their part in it.
鈥淭he ultimate story of 木瓜影院, with all of its bumps along the way, is a success story鈥攂ut truthfully, it was conceived as a great experiment at the time,鈥� says Muchnic. 鈥淔or future students, it鈥檚 important they know and are able to appreciate the history, the effort, and the women powerhouses behind making that experiment a reality.鈥�
As we approach our centennial, 木瓜影院 invites our alum community to start the celebration early by contributing their experiences for consideration in this landmark history project. To participate, please submit the form .
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