Michael Berube was my art professor for my first semester at Hunter College. Unfortunately, he passed away from cancer during this same semester. I want this piece to represent my appreciation for the labor that my professor, who at times could barely get through a lecture without having to stop to catch his breath, put forth.

During the last weeks of his life we bonded over shared music and art interests. One day, I arrived to class early as I always did and just as he always did, he strolled up to the door with his oxygen tank in tow. After opening the door, winded, he went to sit down and fell onto the floor. Trying to remain calm, I rushed to help him. Despite both of us being shaken up, he immediately tried to lighten the mood by cracking a joke. He thanked me for always being early to class, and said had I not been there that no one would have heard him fall. I’m not sure if the rest of the class knew the depths of his illness, but after that day I knew.

When my other professor told the class one day that he was in the hospital, I quietly anticipated what was probably going to happen. The day we were told the news that he had passed away, my professor told me privately that professor Berube asked her to make sure I got an A+ in his class for my efforts. Nothing has ever felt more meaningful than knowing that as he transitioned out of this life, he wanted to make his appreciation known.

I wish I could tell him that I appreciated his efforts just as much. Since his personal artwork was heavily incorporated with mixed media and unconventional objects, I wanted to honor that by using charcoal and pan pastel on thrifted, cut, and sewn denim jeans as a canvas. Using a palette knife and sponge, I softly sketched from memory the last time I can remember seeing him. Opening the door for class with his oxygen tank right beside him.