Elizabeth Richter Zimmer '66: A Lifelong Legacy of Writing and Reporting
Elizabeth Richter Zimmer '66 is a freelance writer who has worked in numerous print and digital spheres throughout her career. She shared how her Bennington education prepared her for working in and writing for arts spaces and offers her advice to current Bennington students.
Tell us about your current career–where are you working, and in what position?
I'm a freelance arts writer, retired/fired/laid off from several publications as print journalism deteriorated in the '80s, '90s, and onward. I contribute reviews and commentary to villagevoice.com, I am the copy editor/proofreader for the arts magazine persimmontree.org, and I accept assignments from a variety of other sources, including the beautiful new Bennington Magazine and the AARP Magazine. I also edit books by other writers.
Does your current job relate to your Bennington education?
As a senior at Bennington, I was advised by Bill Bales, then the head of the Dance department, that I was good at writing about dance and should pursue it. I dismissed his enthusiasm at the time, but later, in a period of financial need, I did go after opportunities at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and local alternative papers in Halifax and Vancouver, and I continued working that vein for more than fifty years, since 1978 in New York City and California.
How did your Field Work Term experiences connect to or inspire your current career path?
I worked at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art as an editor. I really enjoyed that and discovered I was good at it. I loved working in an arts environment.
What are some of your proudest professional achievements and/or current goals?
I helped found the Halifax Dance Coop, which made dance training available to youngsters and adults at low prices; fifty years later, it is still functioning, though I left the area in 1974. I have assembled useful books, written thousands of reviews, and trained dozens of students in the skills of responding to live performance; I'm a good editor and critic.
Do you have any career advice to share with current Bennington students?
Organize your life so your overhead is low; then, you'll be free to accept interesting assignments that may not pay very well. This strategy will reward you in the long run, especially as the economy bumps along.