Sister Wendy is second to none . . . .

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8pJsyXM0uVI&feature=related

For my Writing 101 class my students will need to write a research paper on a topic that interests them. As part of this research paper they are required to conduct an interview with a person related to their topic - a training exercise in synthesizing research. So as a prep-assignment they are required to watch the entire interview of Bill Moyers and Sister Wendy and write a reaction paper to the questions asked and how they were answered. There is a really engaging exchange between the two and a number of issues are raised outside of the scope of art - so it accessible for my students who are not humanities majors. I think it is a great interview for anyone to watch. Sister Wendy is too easily dismissed by those in the art establishment as a mere celebrity who should not be taken seriously. However, this interview proves that she is an incredibly intelligent woman whose knowledge of art history is all encompasssing. I would recommend reading her books or watching her television series to anyone beginning their undergraduate studies in art history.

The commentary for the DVD and book which was made from this interview reads:
Meet Sister Wendy Beckett, Britain's self-taught art nun turned international celebrity, in this rare television interview with America's best-known television commentator, Bill Moyers. In this deeply personal conversation inspired by the PBS broadcast of her five-part series on the history of Western Art, Sister Wendy's Story of Painting, Sister Wendy shares her views on looking at art, living in seclusion, and falling into the role of a television star. Sister Wendy Beckett- who never watched TV before she was on it- believes that each work of art has a fascinating story to tell about what it means to be human. Her eloquence and charm are matched only by her fearlessness; no subject in art is off-limits to Sister Wendy. A native of South Africa, she lives in seclusion on the grounds of a monastery at Quindenham in Norfolk. She made her first television appearance in a BBC documentary about the National Gallery in 1991. An instant audience hit, Sister Wendy has made three television series and written 15 books. Witty and enlightening, Sister Wendy in Conversation with Bill Moyers is an inspiring sojourn through the world of art and ideas- from Sister Wendy's passionate involvement in art and spirituality to her thoughts on sex, sensuality, television and contemplation.