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Anita Mercier
A Liberal Arts faculty member since 1995, Anita Mercier specializes in political theory and gender studies. She is currently writing a book on the Portuguese cellist Guilhermina Suggia and is the recipient of this year's Erskine Prize for faculty. She lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.
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| Anita Mercier in her garden in Nova Scotia. (Photo by René Pierre Allain) |
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How did you make the decision to become a teacher? When I was doing my Ph.D. at Columbia, I got a fellowship to teach Contemporary Civilization, one of the courses in the college's core curriculum. I hadn't given it much thought and I had no idea what to expect—but on the first day of class I had so much fun, I knew I had found my vocation.What's the most satisfying aspect of teaching for you?I love the exchange of ideas in and outside of the classroom. I've never taught large lecture classes; I like to work with small, discussion-oriented groups like we have here at Juilliard. Every class is different and unpredictable, and I like that.What's the most frustrating aspect?It takes an enormous amount of energy and focus. It's draining. Summers help me recharge. We go to our house in Nova Scotia. It's extraordinarily beautiful there. When we go in June, I leave my New York life behind and move into a totally different reality. It's great.Who was the teacher or mentor who most inspired you when you were growing up?My father. He taught me how to read.If you could have your students visit any place in the world, where would it be and why?Anywhere in Manhattan south of Lincoln Center—because there is so much going on in this amazing city, and students should be out there exploring.Do you have a background in music, dance, or drama—and if so, do you still pursue it?I majored in music in college before switching to political science. I play the piano. I'm not very good, but I love it! Taking lessons keeps me in touch with what it feels like to be a student and I find that very useful in my role as a teacher. It reminds me, for example, of how cutting the most minor criticism can be.What other pursuits are you passionate about?Gardening and windsurfing. We spend the summers in Nova Scotia and that's basically what I do, tend to my flowers and wait for the wind to come up.Who are your favorite authors?That's an extremely difficult question. Let's just stick to non-fiction. Here are some of my favorites: Aristotle, St. Augustine, Rousseau, Marx, Freud, Isaiah Berlin. Luminous thinkers.If you suddenly had an hour of free time, how would you spend it?Catch up on some reading, clean the Venetian blinds, get a manicure.What is your proudest accomplishment in life?I don't think of my children as my accomplishment, exactly, but they're definitely the best part of me.What book are you reading right now? Or what CD are you listening to?Can I talk about what I've been watching? Because, like lots of people, lately I've been tuned in to the Olympics. I have enormous respect for those athletes. In many ways they remind me of Juilliard students: extremely talented, skilled, disciplined, and determined. Able to deliver under pressures that make most people crumble. It's common to refer to an athletic competition as a "performance." There are a lot of similarities. On the other hand, artists give something to the world that can't be measured, timed, or objectively judged. It's an important difference.
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