Graduate Profile: Denise C Penizzotto, MTS '23
Favorite Class or Professor
It really is hard to choose one. Each class I participated in offered me new insight and perspective. One that stands out is "Archaeology and History of Israel/Palestine from the Second Temple to the Early Islamic Period" with Professor Bazzana. This class was quite unexpected. The sites we covered in class and then visited over the summer trip to Israel/Palestine were covered in great detail. My area of interest is in Religion and the Arts and this class's deep dive into the religious transformations and transitions as seen through the ancient mosaics, icons and idols, frescos and remaining text brought me to a new level of understanding the historical lives lived and inspired in me a new way to see these ancient relics.
Message of Thanks
My list of who I would like to thank and those who have inspired me is a long list. My time at HDS has been filled with inspiration from and gratitude for the many rich conversations I have had over my MTS candidacy. Whether in class, in the Commons or at a conference I am hard pressed to think of any time that did not have a "take-away" moment for me. I was inspired by my fellow classmates often in seeing the deep connections that were made with course readings and personal experience. The thoughtful debates that occurred in my classes such as Professor Clooney's "Who Needs God?" and Professor McKanan's "Alternative Spirituality in the US" continue to stimulate my thoughts and are often reflected in my art.
Professor Patton's class on "Icons and Idols" inspired new paths of inquiry for me, leading me to meet with leaders of the Wampanoag Nation to discuss their missing art, artifacts and ancestral remains and the repatriation of these items that were found to be acquired through colonization—this class was in sync with my journalist and native rights focus in Dr. Moore's Religion and Public Life course allowing me to combine my research focus with deep conversations on this topic. I have been spiritually inspired at many moments, however, Professor Sanford's class "Spiritual Formation on the Buddhist Path" showed me new ways to reach my inner voice through stillness and meditation. I am thankful for this study and practice as it has brought me in touch with ways to identify inspiration and trust my resting mind.
I am also extremely thankful to Jonathan Beasley in the HDS Communications department, who gave me incredibly interesting and challenging opportunities to interview and write about the tremendous projects that HDS fellows are working on during their time at HDS, CSWR, and WSRP. I'm certain I have left someone off so in closing I want to say that I am thankful for and inspired by the fulfillment of time that I have been given at HDS.
Future Plans
I will return home to NYC where I will begin teaching "Religion and the Arts" for CUNY Hunter College in the fall of 2023. I feel ready and prepared to teach this course after rigorous study, research and input and support from my professors and fellow classmates at HDS. I will also continue my visual arts practice with a summer mural project working with the Hells Kitchen Community in Manhattan on the historic Arnold Belkin mural "Against Domestic Violence." This mural, painted in 1973 in the Matthews-Palmer Playground at a time of economic and social upheaval, carries a message that rings true today: "We the People Demand Control of Our Communities." The mural and the wall it is painted on have fallen into disrepair over the years from weather and neglect. It is with great joy that I will work with this community in repainting this historic emblem, restoring it to its intended vibrancy and message of community strength in unity. My studies at HDS have brought this mural message to the forefront of my community work, providing me with further insight into the profound need for inclusionary recognition and understanding of the many forms of oppression that inherent privilege has allowed.