18 LIFESTYLE
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2015
EDWARD FOSMIRE’S COLLECTION OF ARTIFACTS SPANS MILENIA
TEACHING ART THROUGH THE DEAD
ASIAN ART
STORY AND PHOTOS BY JORGE CAMPOS
S
taring at the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun, a little boy is in
awe. His curiosity takes hold of him. An afternoon trip he
didn’t want any part of turned into the best day of
his life.
The boy, Edward Fosmire, knew he wanted to dedicate his life to
the study of art.
“I became fascinated with history and these amazing creations
made so long ago,” Fosmire said.
He began taking art and history classes to expand his knowledge
of the subject. Before he knew it, he was on his way to becoming a
college professor.
“From watching my own professors in how passionate and inspiring they were, I knew I could do the same,” Fosmire said.
Fosmire began teaching at Santa Ana College in 1995. He has
also taught classes at Golden West College and Chapman University. But after 20 years of teaching part time, he is now the most
recent addition to the art department.
“He’s an expert in Asian art,” SAC President Erlinda Martinez
said. “He brought a beautiful portfolio to the institution, working
with the Bowers Museum and other cultural centers.”
Fosmire has trekked around Asia to study and observe ancient
art. Viewing pieces in their original setting helps you appreciate
the art more than in an exhibit, he said.
“I like to know how it looked when the sculptors sculpted, and
how the painters painted,” Fosmire said.
On his most recent trips, he has been to India and China. He
likes to bring back artifacts to present to his classes as aids to
his lesson plans.
“I like to teach with actual objects. I try to make it more interesting, make it come alive to my students,” Fosmire said. “Without
them history is a little boring.”
From his last trip to India, he brought back a small statue of
the goddess Shiva. He showed it in his lecture on molded or cast
art. He also shared an engraved piece called a bronze ritual vessel
from China. The vessel is about 4,000 years old and was used to
present offerings to deceased ancestors.
The most interesting and expensive piece he has shown is a
human skull from Tibet. The skull is engraved with animalistic
demon-like figures and is studded with jewels, simulating
a crown. He estimates it could sell for around $20,000 on the open
market.
“You can imagine that there aren’t many of these out there.
Mostly it was used for rituals. They usually only wanted the skulls
of criminals or children,” Fosmire said.
It is believed these rituals needed skulls of people who did bad
deeds or had something bad happen to them in order to summon
the spirits. The common practice was to use the skulls of murderers or children born out of incestuous relations.
Students really take to his teaching style and curriculum, with
deeper understanding coming from seeing things rather than
being told about them.
“He is really thorough. His lectures are really interesting,” SAC
student Tran Le said. “I feel like I have learned more with him
than any other professor I have had.”
EXPERTISE
1994: Fosmire began
teaching as a part-time
instructor at SAC
2010: Appointed as
executive director at the
Oceanside Museum of Art.
2015: Fosmire is the
most recent addition to
the art department