Kriti Mehrotra
With ‘The Disappearance of Shere Hite’ exploring this titular feminist and sex educator’s revolutionary work to finally give her the credit she deserves, we honestly get a documentary unlike any other. After all, it comprises not just archival footage but also exclusive interviews with key individuals to really shine a light upon the way media backlash inadvertently ensured her phasing out of mainstream sexology dialogues owing to her outright pioneering work in the same. Amongst those to thus share their connection with Shere in this original is actually artist Ed Rath — so now, if you simply wish to learn more about him and his current standing, here’s what we know.
Who is Ed Rath?
It was reportedly back when Ed was merely a young boy growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that he developed a deep passion for the arts, only for it to continue expanding as the years passed. He thus enrolled at Brighton Polytechnic Art and Design almost as soon as he graduated high school before going on to attend Minneapolis College of Art & Design plus Yale University School of Art to really hone his skills. Then came his move to New York in January 1977, where he was initially essentially living out of a suitcase in his raw loft in Chelsea, unaware he’d shortly come across the already renowned Shere Hite.
“I got onto a painting crew at the Alden Hoten, painting all the corridors [when I was a struggling artist],” Ed candidly revealed in the production. “One day, a door opened, and a woman with bright orange hair came out. She said, ‘Hello, would you be interested in painting my windows?’ I didn’t know who she was, but I noticed boxes and boxes of books with the title ‘The Hite Report’ [inside her apartment]. They were all in different languages, Hebrew even. We hit it off right away. She gave me a copy, and I guess I had what you would call a baptism of fire. I learned a lot about her feelings, being more aware of my feelings, and also how my behavior affected her and other women.”
Ed continued, “[Shere] was so interesting and so charming. I was kind of mesmerized, I guess,” soon leading to them becoming romantically involved. He didn’t know it at first, but his feelings were reciprocated — in fact, this author actually even described him in her autobiography as someone she liked a lot, adding, “He was beautiful, in both body and spirit. I don’t remember much about how we made love. Though I remember that together, we concocted magnificent shades of pale yellow, ivory, and rose in different finishes for the walls and moldings. When the sunlight hit these colors, the walls appeared luminescent.”
But alas, Ed and Shere couldn’t make things work in the long run — they seemingly parted ways very amicably and remained great friends, yet could forget that what they shared was special. Still, the former did indicate the reason for their split in the documentary by expressing, “She was just working all the time. It was a small one-bedroom, and she used to front room as the office; couple of doors on file cabinets for desks, and she had a lot of people working for her.” In other words, work was such a priority for her as well as for Ed, considering his gradual rise up the ladder, that neither could give the time and effort they deserved from a long-term involvement.
Where is Ed Rath Now?
It was reportedly in 1980 that Ed managed to land his very first solo exhibition at Drew University Gallery in Madison, New Jersey, following which countless doors began opening for him. We say this with complete confidence because he has since participated in over 75 group displays, produced more than 20 solo presentations, as well as done two incredible public commissions. Moreover, it’s imperative to note these exhibits of his have not only been throughout the United States of America but also across various other nations such as Austria, Japan, South Korea, plus the United Kingdom.
As if that’s not enough, Ed has also published five books surrounding his original pieces, with the most recent one being ‘New Yorkers, On The Move,’ and his work on Dream Imagery can be seen in a video produced by filmmaker Mark Khaimov on YouTube. Coming to this creative being’s precise current standing, it appears as if he is based in Brooklyn, New York at the moment, where he has been actively serving as a Teaching Artist for over four decades. He ostensibly has students of all ages from all across the globe today, and his lesson plans comprise the study of old master works, poetry, as well as drawing from observation.
Read More: Martin Sage: Where is Shere Hite’s Ex-Boyriend Now?
