Larence Shustak, 1926-2003
Larence Shustak, the founder of
Canterbury's School of Fine Arts' photography department, has died at
the age of 77.
Mr Shustak worked as a senior lecturer in design, film and photography
from 1973 to his retirement in 1992.
Born to Jewish immigrant parents in New York's Bronx in 1926, Mr Shustak
had a varied career prior to moving to New Zealand. Training first as
an apprentice toolmaker, he went on to serve in the US army during the
final stages of World War Two, later working as an interpreter helping
in war crime trials in Germany.
In the mid 1950s Mr Shustak turned his hand to the study and practice
of photography and design. He combined photography with his passion
for jazz. shooting the images for many jazz and blues record covers.
His work soon featured in magazines and exhibitions and he began teaching
and running photographic workshops for the New York School of Visual
Arts and Time-Life Inc.
From a teaching position at Southern Illinois University Mr Shustak
moved to Canterbury.
Fine Arts Senior Lecturer Simon Ogden remembers Mr Shustak as a "colourful
character" who always had cameras hanging around his neck.
"He was very much a Jewish New Yorker, even after all the time
he lived in New Zealand.
"Never one to adhere to formalities, he was very outspoken and
didn't suffer fools." For Mr Ogden. one photograph of Mr Shustak
taken in New York summed up the man. "He was standing with his
pedal bike, cameras around his neck, next to a sign that read "no
bicycles or cameras allowed."
Mr Ogden said students held him
in high regard. "He never told students what to do but was enormously
excited about what they wanted to do."Lecturer
Glenn Busch described Mr Shustak as a "unique character" and
"a breath of fresh air".
"It was great to have had him living here in Christchurch."
Stuart Page, a graduate of the School of Fine Arts. has just received
Creative NZ Funding for the production of a documentary celebrating
the life of Mr Shustak. The experimental documentary will consist of
a montage of animated photographs, film and text inter cut with images
of Mr Shustak at work and play It will be accompanied by a soundtrack
of interviews and music by Mr Shustak.
Mr Shustak is survived by his wife Margot. and three sons and two daughters
from his three marriages.
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Photographer &
Brighton Advocate
An American, who took the photographs
for many Jazz and blues record covers; has died in Christchurch, where
he had lived for the last 30 years.
Larence Shustak, who died at his South New Brighton home on May 15,
established the photography department at Canterbury University's
School of Fine Arts in 1973.
He was born to Jewish immigrant parents in New York's Bronx in 1926.
A voracious reader, he left
school at 15 to do an apprenticeship in tool making, then studied
philosophy and languages. He joined the US Army at 18, serving in
the final stages of World War 2 in Europe, then working as an interpreter
helping with war crime trials in Germany.
Mr Shustak worked at tool making after the war. He adapted his practical
skills to the study and practice of photography and design from the
mid1950s. A great part of his freelance work was shooting musicians'
and groups' portraits for record covers. This combined photography
with his abiding passion for jazz. He explained that being allowed
to sit in on rehearsals was his greatest motivation for this work.
His photographs began to feature in magazines, exhibitions, and one
man shows from 1958. Soon
afterwards he started teaching and running photography workshops.
While teaching in the design department at Southern Illinois University,
he came under the influence of designer Buckminster Fuller, whose
concept of giant geodesic domes Mr Shustak later advocated to Christchurch
officials and politicians as a way of reinvigorating the New Brighton
shopping area.
He believed New Brighton had vast
unfulfilled potential and needed only protection from the
elements to realise it.
Moving to Canterbury, Mr Shustak lived first in Christchurch. He used
to take his family to the beach
at South New Brighton and fell in love with the open spaces, he and
his New Zealand wife, Margot
(lie was twice previously married), bought a former church which had
been shifted there as a batch.
They converted it to a house and studio, then lived in it full-time,
with a growing collection of musical
instruments.
Mr Shustak worked as senior lecturer in design, film, and photography
at the School of Fine Arts until his retirement in 1992. He also ran
courses for various institutions in the United States and exhibited
work in New Zealand, the US, and Poland.
His freelance photography and video work of the last decade included
Art in Public, a CD-Rom
capturing images of Kiwiana. A video of his life is in production.
Mr Shustak married Holocaust survivor Ruth in America after World
War 2. They had two children. Two further children were born in his
later marriage, to Ann, also in the US. He met his third wife, Margot,
in Christchurch. They had one son.
Margot says Mr Shustak was a charismatic person who attracted people
and could talk freely on many topics.
"He was fun to be with. He was very much a New Yorker, kind of
'in your face', to the point that people misunderstood him at times,'
she says. — Mike Crean
• Larence N. Shustak, born
February 13, 1926, New York.
Died May 15, 2003, Christchurch. Survived by wife Margot,
three sons, two daughters, and two former wives.
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