Diane Elizabeth Wassman Darst

DIANE ELIZABETH WASSMAN DARST, PH.D., of Greenwich, passed away gracefully surrounded by her adoring family on June 22, 2010, at the age of 62. A Greenwich resident since 1981 and a true Renaissance Woman, Dr. Darst was a founder and director of Learning to Look, a nationally-known art education program for children, the author of two books, and a leader of numerous civic and cultural organizations as Chairman of the Boards of the Greenwich Library, the United Way of Greenwich, and the Bruce Museum. Daughter of Eleanor and E. Robert Wassman, she was born in New Rochelle, N.Y. on April 11, 1948. She graduated first in her class, summa cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa, from Connecticut College and was awarded a Ph.D. in European Cultural and Intellectual History from Columbia University under Jacques Barzun. At Columbia she took courses as well with art historians Theodore Reff and Meyer Schapiro. She also studied in Florence, Italy and lived for six years in Zurich, Switzerland, where she danced professionally with the Zurich Opera Ballet Company. She is the author of Western Civilization to l648 (McGraw-Hill, l990) and Learning to Look, A Complete Art History and Art Appreciation Program for Grades K-8 (Prentice Hall, l992), and served as a regular columnist on art history for children in Instructor Magazine. She also wrote the chapters on visual arts in the revised series of What Your Kindergartner (1st Grader, 2nd Grader) Needs to Know (Doubleday, 1998). Dr. Darst was Co-Director of Learning to Look, an art education program taught in numerous schools that she developed and taught for the past twenty-seven years. These multi-year courses introduced children and adults to the process of looking at painting and sculpture by analyzing the elements of art and by incorporating various interactive and dialogue-based activities. Each year she conducted approximately ninety seminars to train adults to present Learning to Look in Connecticut and New York Metropolitan area schools. A frequent and popular speaker on art history, she lectured graduate and undergraduate students and the general public throughout the northeast. An active leader in the Greenwich community, Diane served as President of the Greenwich Library Board of Trustees from 1998 to 2000 with oversight of its $30 million Cesar Pelli-designed building expansion, Chairman of the Friends of the Greenwich Library, and Trustee of Greenwich Academy. She held the office of Chairman of the Board of the United Way of Greenwich from 2004 to early 2007 and served as a founding Director of the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT). She served on the Board of Directors of the Bruce Museum of Arts and Science for the past six years including as Co-Chairman of the Board from 2007 to 2009. Diane also curated several art exhibitions at the Flinn Art Gallery and served on its Selection Committee. She received the Spirit of Greenwich award in 2000. Diane was dearly beloved and most admired as daughter, sister, wife, and mother. She is survived by her husband, David M. Darst, of Greenwich; her daughter ,Elizabeth M. Darst and son-in-law, Charles S. Leykum of Greenwich; her son, David M. Darst, Jr. of New York, NY; her brother, E. Robert Wassman, M.D., of Marblehead, MA; her sister, Debra Wassman Lanman, M. Arch. of Millbrook, NY; and many loving cousins, nieces, and nephews. Her beautiful spirit, her strength of character, and her unending love will live on in all of us forever. Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 25, 2010, at the First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich, One West Putnam Avenue in Greenwich, CT. Donations may be made in her memory to the Bruce Museum, the Greenwich Library, or The United Way of Greenwich. Fred D. Knapp & Son Funeral Home of Greenwich is assisting with arrangements.