i met lenny last year in weimar, for 3 months weekly, in this time i really start to love is teaching and different views on everything. i will never forget him
I already miss his warm smile and his kind words. Lenny's gift of recognizing artistic talent and ability to cultivate creativity has touched many of us. My time with him certainly shaped who I am today. He believed in me when I didn't know what to believe in.
He was a very special man, he will be sorely missed.
I got a text message from a friend early this morning telling me this. It's really sad, that lump in your throat feeling... I haven't been in his class in almost 7 years but Lenny was timeless, you could count on a button down shirt, smile, benson & hedges. He was really a great teacher, and I learned an immense amount from him.
I owe him a lot, he got me into ID, helped me with my resume and wrote me letters to get my internship and job. He always fought for his students and challenged them to push creativity, thinking and design. It must be a sad day at Pratt; Lenny you'll be missed.
Lenny was absolutely the most important person in my design career. He was the very first instructor I had at Pratt I discovered that I loved 3-D . he allowed me to see relationships that I never sensed before... it was like a blind man seeing for the first time. I loved that class. So one day at the end of the fall semester he says to me..."you should take a look up on the 4th floor to see what is going on in Industrial Design. What the hell was Industrial Design? With a characteristic "Lenny Smile" he escorted me upstairs to the 4th floor. Well the rest is history.
Many years later my daughter Britt enrolled at Pratt and she had Lenny for her freshman 3-D class. She fell in love. Went crazy and immersed herself in that class. She got it right off the bat. He said that Britt and I were his first experience teaching 3-D to two generations from the same family. "Kinda scary" he how he put it.
I would not be the person I am today without that guy... I am truly in mourning I really loved that guy. The whole family feels that way.
I had the privilege to know Lenny as a teacher, and a colleague.
Last winter I showed him some of my students' work. He was so taken with one of the student's models and her wonderful take on the project that he began to cry with tears of pure joy right there for her to see. His appreciation for beauty went to the deep recesses of his person. In a world filled with brutality and horror his tears for her work was an affirmation.
His warmth helped me and countless others to see. I would no be the same without him.
"Industrial Design is not about talking - though many of us are endowed with that gift. It moves beyond the spoken word. It is a level of communication that invites action. The designer, first and foremost, has an acknowledged visual talent - thus he or she is studying design in an art school. That gift, once trained and rehearsed, transcends the expression of the purely personal, the incidental, the accidental, the arbitrary to another more objective level of dialogue with the audience. On one level, we are dealing with the individualistic gift, the talent part of the personality (the study of 3-D abstraction). On another level, we are tuning that talent to the many methods by which it can be expressed (which includes the study of materials both natural and man-made) and methods of making things (both crafted and machine made). Thrown in are the socio-economic concerns of an age and a culture. All of what we do is just a beginning. At best we can lay out the format of how to continue to self-explore and learn and grow that personal direction each talent chooses."
My experience with Lenny was the same; I transferred into Pratt to study fine arts and at the end of my first 3-d semester (requirement) he took me to the fourth floor and showed me the car models, power tools, exhibitions. It captivated me, it was quite literally a turning point in my life. I'm grateful every day I made that switch.
Its a little strange it really does feel like a little while ago I was on the fifth floor sanding plaster hearing him say something like 'rotate it, examine all the sides, study the form'. Every now and again when I get my apt to myself I'll pour some plaster and carve some simple direction 3d forms...
I think as a teacher he brought out the best in all of us, and as a designer he taught me how to see.
Seeing the world in abstr-action. Lenny introduced me a new way of seeing. Distracted by the ism's of my teenage life i met Lenny shopping for schools senior year. Half-decided, in a love affair with risd, Lenny sold me on the methodologies of Rowena. He pulled me aside during and a (un)guided tour of the school. He told me of project to come and a city to explore. From there our relationship grew: correspondence to admissions to plaster to lunch-hour discussions. In my experience or Lenny teaching he was a man of few words, but powerful actions. He would simply yell from across the room "come-heer", temporarily annoyed, we would fix ourselves from his vantage point, look together, say nothing and walk away. Lenny had an emotional sensitivity that few poses. He would tell you the answer in such an indirect way that it could only arrive through self reflection. Somehow, i always thought i would return to pratt and there would be Lenny, scruffy smiling face, coffee in hand, putting around yelling at the chair and pointing with instruction. Needless to say, the curve ball of life has comes swinging through, yet Lenny will live in our memories and in our actions. my thoughts are with you. -ian
I remember Lenny on my first day of 3-D foundation year. I remember the crazy man announcing "I'm Lenny Bacich" and I had no idea what he was about to show me for my years to come at Pratt. His teachings and passion have shown me how to see, and made sense of the world in a way that I never thought was possible.
Lenny to me was a friend, teacher, mentor and largely responsible for "raising" me in these college years. In my final senior semester I can hardly imagine continuing without his support and advice. I always dreamt of being able to come back to his hugs and kisses even after I finished Pratt.
I'm so sad to see him go but what is most amazing is just how many people are so deeply affected by his passing. I'm just one of many students, from many generations, that were lucky enough to experience the wonder that is Lenny Bacich.
I love Lenny so much and he will live on in everything I do, and see.
Lenny is the man! He taught enough people,well, to have a real effect and did it with flavor. I'm richer for having been his student and know that Lenny will never die as long as there are teachers at Pratt willing to chain smoke in any room available and get away with it. Keep exercising Martin.
Lenny helped shape and direct my design pursuits. He was a great mentor, friend, and liver of life. Lenny always brought a new perspective of "sight" to everything he approached. I will forever be a better person because of his influence on my life.
A great man with real passion. Many wonderful memories of Lenny's teachings & his careful thoughts. A great laugh. This is a horrible loss for anyone who knew him & everybody who didn't.
before i started in the id program a boy told me that i would absolutely love lenny. so i sign up for his class not knowing what to expect. the first day of class was something i will never forget. he continued to touch my soul weekly, being able to have him twice a week was blessing. once i walk into his office my whole day brightens up. i am going to miss him and my weeks just wont be the same with out my chain smoking mentor. he held my life together. i love you so much lenny!
knowing someone for a short period of time is better then never being touched.
There isn’t a single individual, who knew him personally, that won’t be affected by Lenny’s death. Dearly loved and respected by many. The loss of such magnitude will be remembered for the years to come. Lenny was one and only and there is none like him. It was a privilege and honor to have Lenny as my teacher.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to have studied with him. It is an overwhelming loss. My gratitude extends to this amazing community that he cultured as well.
please foward the following information about lenny's family funeral to all students, staff & faculty, that will be held on february 18th
thanks . . .
1) we, the industrial design community at pratt with our students faculty & staff, are in the process of planning a tribute memorial for lenny at pratt. we don't know the exact date as of yet, most likely (to allow travel from alumni & friends from distances beyond the new york metropolitan region) this tribute memorial will be after spring break in march or early april . . .
2) we now know that the family funeral will be held on thursday february 18th between 7:00-9:00 pm at the morisco's funeral home, 30-12 astoria blvd. in astoria, queens, new york (please see below, location information/map link) & that we are invited to attend this memorial with lenny's family . . .
Lenny lived next door to my husband's Uncle in Astoria and has been a part of this family for many years -- was always there for the weddings, graduations, holidays, etc. Uncle was friends with Lenny's parents. Now that Uncle is 86 and alone, I know he loved having Lenny next door as it was comforting to him. They shared a subscription to the NY TIMES for years as well as a love for Germany. He was a heavy smoker and I always worried about him ...I guess it finally caught up with him. I will miss seeing him when I visit NY ...Rest in peace, Lenny.
From Johanna: The spontaneous craziness, laughter,creative brilliance & huge hugs was part of Lenny's hugely gifted persona. Whether it was to his students, friends or colleagues, his outrageous antics coupled w/an acute understanding of a problem, be it 3-D abstraction or human frailty, was forever given in love...asking nothing in return, but, that you learned & grew beyond your perceived borders. And yes, he would try on a pair of b/w fluffy, "plaid slippers" in the middle of a busy str...look up at you & say,"What'da think?!" We have lost an integral part of the Rowena legacy who can never be replaced! He was a loving, adorable friend who sheperd me through the enormous sadness of losing my dear friend, benefactor & mentor, Rowena Reed Kostelow. You must each help each other to understand the man, his contributions, & how he left this world a better place than when he first entered. His ingenuity for life & design gave life to everyone he touched. As I write this, my heart burst w/tears at the thought of the last cuddly hug I received from Lenny, when last we met at the Henry Moore Exhibit last summer...I am forever blessed for having known him. Kisses Lenny.
Joshua , can you tell me where he is buried or will be bury at, a friend of my was going to come to NYC( From CA) but he found out last minutes. you can email me at Tallasianx@aol.com
As one of Lenny's first students at KCAI in the early 70's and another Rowena Disciple... I will be forever grateful for him for introducing me to a whole new world of emotional vision. The entire ID community will miss his evangelistic approach toward visual excellence.As one of Lenny's first students at KCAI in the early 70's and another Rowena Disciple... I will be forever grateful for him for introducing me to a whole new world of emotional vision. The entire ID community will miss his evangelistic approach toward visual excellence. Howard & Michele Harris
I lost track a I lost track of Lenny after I graduated from the KC Art Institute in 1972 and tried to find him many times to thank him for being my mentor and friend. His influence on how I viewed each project I encountered was immeasurable; he was a constant in my life.
I’m glad to know he is at peace but I’m sorry that more people didn’t know him. He will truly be missed!
27 comments:
I love Lenny.
i met lenny last year in weimar, for 3 months weekly, in this time i really start to love is teaching and different views on everything. i will never forget him
here a picture of this time.
rest in peace my friend.
http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p199/schore/?action=view¤t=lennyinposing.jpg
i'm so sorry josh!!
call me!
I already miss his warm smile and his kind words. Lenny's gift of recognizing artistic talent and ability to cultivate creativity has touched many of us. My time with him certainly shaped who I am today. He believed in me when I didn't know what to believe in.
He was a very special man, he will be sorely missed.
Carry it on, Josh.
I got a text message from a friend early this morning telling me this. It's really sad, that lump in your throat feeling... I haven't been in his class in almost 7 years but Lenny was timeless, you could count on a button down shirt, smile, benson & hedges. He was really a great teacher, and I learned an immense amount from him.
I owe him a lot, he got me into ID, helped me with my resume and wrote me letters to get my internship and job. He always fought for his students and challenged them to push creativity, thinking and design. It must be a sad day at Pratt; Lenny you'll be missed.
-john
Lenny was absolutely the most important person in my design career. He was the very first instructor I had at Pratt I discovered that I loved 3-D . he allowed me to see relationships that I never sensed before... it was like a blind man seeing for the first time. I loved that class. So one day at the end of the fall semester he says to me..."you should take a look up on the 4th floor to see what is going on in Industrial Design. What the hell was Industrial Design? With a characteristic "Lenny Smile" he escorted me upstairs to the 4th floor. Well the rest is history.
Many years later my daughter Britt enrolled at Pratt and she had Lenny for her freshman 3-D class. She fell in love. Went crazy and immersed herself in that class. She got it right off the bat. He said that Britt and I were his first experience teaching 3-D to two generations from the same family. "Kinda scary" he how he put it.
I would not be the person I am today without that guy...
I am truly in mourning I really loved that guy. The whole family feels that way.
Peace and much love Lenny until we meet again.
Jeff Kapec
I had the privilege to know Lenny as a teacher, and a colleague.
Last winter I showed him some of my students' work. He was so taken with one of the student's models and her wonderful take on the project that he began to cry with tears of pure joy right there for her to see. His appreciation for beauty went to the deep recesses of his person. In a world filled with brutality and horror his tears for her work was an affirmation.
His warmth helped me and countless others to see. I would no be the same without him.
-william gordon
"Industrial Design is not about talking - though many of us are endowed with that gift. It moves beyond the spoken word. It is a level of communication that invites action. The designer, first and foremost, has an acknowledged visual talent - thus he or she is studying design in an art school. That gift, once trained and rehearsed, transcends the expression of the purely personal, the incidental, the accidental, the arbitrary to another more objective level of dialogue with the audience. On one level, we are dealing with the individualistic gift, the talent part of the personality (the study of 3-D abstraction). On another level, we are tuning that talent to the many methods by which it can be expressed (which includes the study of materials both natural and man-made) and methods of making things (both crafted and machine made). Thrown in are the socio-economic concerns of an age and a culture. All of what we do is just a beginning. At best we can lay out the format of how to continue to self-explore and learn and grow that personal direction each talent chooses."
From Lenny's Junior class course description
Jeff Kapec,
My experience with Lenny was the same; I transferred into Pratt to study fine arts and at the end of my first 3-d semester (requirement) he took me to the fourth floor and showed me the car models, power tools, exhibitions. It captivated me, it was quite literally a turning point in my life. I'm grateful every day I made that switch.
Its a little strange it really does feel like a little while ago I was on the fifth floor sanding plaster hearing him say something like 'rotate it, examine all the sides, study the form'. Every now and again when I get my apt to myself I'll pour some plaster and carve some simple direction 3d forms...
I think as a teacher he brought out the best in all of us, and as a designer he taught me how to see.
-john
Seeing the world in abstr-action. Lenny introduced me a new way of seeing. Distracted by the ism's of my teenage life i met Lenny shopping for schools senior year. Half-decided, in a love affair with risd, Lenny sold me on the methodologies of Rowena. He pulled me aside during and a (un)guided tour of the school. He told me of project to come and a city to explore.
From there our relationship grew:
correspondence to admissions to plaster to lunch-hour discussions.
In my experience or Lenny teaching he was a man of few words, but powerful actions. He would simply yell from across the room "come-heer", temporarily annoyed, we would fix ourselves from his vantage point, look together, say nothing and walk away.
Lenny had an emotional sensitivity that few poses. He would tell you the answer in such an indirect way that it could only arrive through self reflection.
Somehow, i always thought i would return to pratt and there would be Lenny, scruffy smiling face, coffee in hand, putting around yelling at the chair and pointing with instruction. Needless to say, the curve ball of life has comes swinging through, yet Lenny will live in our memories and in our actions.
my thoughts are with you. -ian
I remember Lenny on my first day of 3-D foundation year. I remember the crazy man announcing "I'm Lenny Bacich" and I had no idea what he was about to show me for my years to come at Pratt. His teachings and passion have shown me how to see, and made sense of the world in a way that I never thought was possible.
Lenny to me was a friend, teacher, mentor and largely responsible for "raising" me in these college years. In my final senior semester I can hardly imagine continuing without his support and advice. I always dreamt of being able to come back to his hugs and kisses even after I finished Pratt.
I'm so sad to see him go but what is most amazing is just how many people are so deeply affected by his passing. I'm just one of many students, from many generations, that were lucky enough to experience the wonder that is Lenny Bacich.
I love Lenny so much and he will live on in everything I do, and see.
-Aaron
Lenny is the man! He taught enough people,well, to have a real effect and did it with flavor. I'm richer for having been his student and know that Lenny will never die as long as there are teachers at Pratt willing to chain smoke in any room available and get away with it. Keep exercising Martin.
Lenny helped shape and direct my design pursuits. He was a great mentor, friend, and liver of life. Lenny always brought a new perspective of "sight" to everything he approached. I will forever be a better person because of his influence on my life.
A great man with real passion. Many wonderful memories of Lenny's teachings & his careful thoughts. A great laugh. This is a horrible loss for anyone who knew him & everybody who didn't.
More great words about Lenny.
http://thersic.com/wordpress/wordpress/?p=1858
before i started in the id program a boy told me that i would absolutely love lenny. so i sign up for his class not knowing what to expect. the first day of class was something i will never forget. he continued to touch my soul weekly, being able to have him twice a week was blessing. once i walk into his office my whole day brightens up. i am going to miss him and my weeks just wont be the same with out my chain smoking mentor. he held my life together. i love you so much lenny!
knowing someone for a short period of time is better then never being touched.
josh, you need live it on!
Great teacher,
Great person,
Great loss....
There isn’t a single individual, who knew him personally, that won’t be affected by Lenny’s death. Dearly loved and respected by many. The loss of such magnitude will be remembered for the years to come. Lenny was one and only and there is none like him.
It was a privilege and honor to have Lenny as my teacher.
He will be missed and remembered...
I am so thankful for the opportunity to have studied with him. It is an overwhelming loss. My gratitude extends to this amazing community that he cultured as well.
The fifth floor will never be the same.
please foward the following information about
lenny's family funeral to all students, staff
& faculty, that will be held on february 18th
thanks . . .
1) we, the industrial design community at pratt with our
students faculty & staff, are in the process of planning
a tribute memorial for lenny at pratt. we don't know the
exact date as of yet, most likely (to allow travel from
alumni & friends from distances beyond the new york
metropolitan region) this tribute memorial will be
after spring break in march or early april . . .
2) we now know that the family funeral will be held
on thursday february 18th between 7:00-9:00 pm
at the morisco's funeral home, 30-12 astoria blvd.
in astoria, queens, new york (please see below,
location information/map link) & that we are
invited to attend this memorial with lenny's family . . .
Lenny lived next door to my husband's Uncle in Astoria and has been a part of this family for many years -- was always there for the weddings, graduations, holidays, etc. Uncle was friends with Lenny's parents. Now that Uncle is 86 and alone, I know he loved having Lenny next door as it was comforting to him. They shared a subscription to the NY TIMES for years as well as a love for Germany. He was a heavy smoker and I always worried about him ...I guess it finally caught up with him. I will miss seeing him when I visit NY ...Rest in peace, Lenny.
From Johanna:
The spontaneous craziness, laughter,creative brilliance & huge hugs was part of Lenny's hugely gifted persona. Whether it was to his students, friends or colleagues, his outrageous antics coupled w/an acute understanding of a problem, be it 3-D abstraction or human frailty, was forever given in love...asking nothing in return, but, that you learned & grew beyond your perceived borders.
And yes, he would try on a pair of b/w fluffy, "plaid slippers" in the middle of a busy str...look up at you & say,"What'da think?!"
We have lost an integral part of the Rowena legacy who can never be replaced!
He was a loving, adorable friend who sheperd me through the enormous sadness of losing my dear friend, benefactor & mentor, Rowena Reed Kostelow.
You must each help each other to understand the man, his contributions, & how he left this world a better place than when he first entered. His ingenuity for life & design gave life to everyone he touched.
As I write this, my heart burst w/tears at the thought of the last cuddly hug I received from Lenny, when last we met at the Henry Moore Exhibit last summer...I am forever blessed for having known him.
Kisses Lenny.
famouscomments@nj.rr.com
Joshua , can you tell me where he is buried or will be bury at, a friend of my was going to come to NYC( From CA) but he found out last minutes. you can email me at Tallasianx@aol.com
best regards
Josh,
Really dead on words tonight, thanks for speaking.
-Wes
As one of Lenny's first students at KCAI in the early 70's and another Rowena Disciple... I will be forever grateful for him for introducing me to a whole new world of emotional vision. The entire ID community will miss his evangelistic approach toward visual excellence.As one of Lenny's first students at KCAI in the early 70's and another Rowena Disciple... I will be forever grateful for him for introducing me to a whole new world of emotional vision. The entire ID community will miss his evangelistic approach toward visual excellence.
Howard & Michele Harris
I lost track a
I lost track of Lenny after I graduated from the KC Art Institute in 1972 and tried to find him many times to thank him for being my mentor and friend. His influence on how I viewed each project I encountered was immeasurable; he was a constant in my life.
I’m glad to know he is at peace but I’m sorry that more people didn’t know him. He will truly be missed!
Fred Finke / Industrial Designer : retired
I was Len's assistant at Knoll back in the early 80s. He was a kind man.
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