Several SF State art professors have announced retirement this semester, leaving legacies beyond the confines of their studios.

Standing behind her weaving loom with classical music playing in the background, Candace Crockett's face remained solemn. Leaving with 30 years of memories, the art department chair knows it's time to move on.

“I think it’s time for somebody else to come in,” Crockett, 61, said.

Born in Colorado, Crockett attended Reed College and Portland State University before attending graduate school at San Jose State University.

Crockett currently teaches Textiles 2 and Textiles 3, which gives training in basic weaving techniques using four harness looms.

Sitting in front of her huge masterpiece weaving in her office, she recalled her years at SF State.

“It’s changed, and it’s stayed the same,” Crockett said with a smile. “We lost the sunset when the Humanities building went up.”

She remembered the Loma Prieta earthquake well. She said she was talking on the first floor of the building, when the filing cabinets starting tilting in front of her.

“It sounded like an erector set,” she said of the noise.

She’ll miss her students, however. “I probably learn as much from them as they do from me,” she said. “In some ways, the students have been the best part. SF State students have lots of energy, lots of good things going.”

Her plans include spending time in her studio and splitting her time here and in Europe, at her house in Italy.

Another retiring member of SF State is 63-year-old Whitney Chadwick, a professor of art. A San Francisco resident, Chadwick began teaching at SF State in 1978.

"The campus has grown over the years," Chadwick said.

Chadwick teaches art history, and will miss her students.

"The diversity of San Francisco State students is remarkable," she said. "I'll miss the contact with the students. I'll miss their ideas and ways of looking at things."

Chadwick doesn't look at retiring as the end, but an opportunity to pursue her writing and other projects.

"I don't think of myself as retiring," she said. "I see myself as shifting focus."

Cherie Raciti is a retiring professor of art and painting. She has spent years alternating her time between painting and sculpture.

During the 1970s and 80s, Raciti produced several outdoor and indoor installations on walls in abandoned lots, alternative art spaces, as well as in galleries and museums. They were all focused on material presence, process and color.

Leonard Hunter is a professor of art and sculpture who will be leaving the SF State family in four years, but is switching to a part-time position as of next semester.

Hunter attended the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Architecture and the University of California Department of Art, where he received is master's of fine arts degree. He has spent a large portion of his professional life involved in large public commissions and has been active in many arts organizations. Hunter has served on hundreds of juries throughout the country for various agencies.

Hunter's work in architecture-based, and uses a wide array of techniques and materials. He has taught beginner levels through graduate levels at SF State.