mel jacobson on wed 31 aug 11
i read a story last night about the dirth of skilled
labor folks in the job market.
there are thousands of jobs unfilled in the
high tech, high skill manufacturing sector.
two new companies in wisconsin cannot find skilled
employees.
they think: far too many kids have no hand/eye skill set, and
then they go to college and train for nothing.
five years/english lit major/$150,000 debt @10 percent/
18 years of $900 a month debt. no job, live with mom and dad
in the basement.
vocational school, skilled labor. fine job the day you graduate.
but, the stigma of `no college` is so great that kids refuse
to train or have a mentor.
the owner of a big company in wisconsin claims we must go
back to the system of training/mentors/apprentice. it is the
only way we will be able to compete. i agree.
my apprentice has made amazing leaps of skill and confidence
over two years. she is going to be a force to recon with.
we as `skilled folks` sure know we are far ahead of the curve...most
anyone on clayart could take one of these jobs and do it well with
a few months of training. being in a studio and working with clay,
glaze, tools and kilns have trained us very well. we are the exception.
and, it does not mean we are `anti-intellect`. many of us have advanced
degrees and read and write...but, with that comes years of hand/eye/
skill development. it is a blessing. and, best of all, most of us know ho=
w
to take care of ourselves. we would be ideal survivors.
most potters are ready for the storm or flood. the neighbors often are not=
.
we are the ones with the generator, food stored, gardens and storage skills=
.
we are the ones with the tools. we look to ourselves when the going get
gone. many now days think there is some agency to save them. and, it will=
not.
well, i thought this might fit in with the discussion of the last few days.
things are changing. sometimes not for the good.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
ivor and olive lewis on thu 1 sep 11
Mel,
Be fair about your education system !
I cannot believe your high schools turn out people bereft of hand eye
coordination when they excel in ball hitting, catching and throwing
pastimes. Just consider your own sport of swimming and diving and the skill=
s
you were teaching them. Visual and body awareness while plunging at 32
feet per sec squared attempting to make a perfect entry.
There must be toolmakers, fitters and turners, boilermakers, upholsterers
and other tradesmen approaching middle age in that ten percent of people in
the USA populating your unemployment queues who are employable and willing
to work .
Best regards,
Ivor Lewis,
REDHILL,
South Australia
Steve Mills on thu 1 sep 11
Mel, same situation over here. Academia is a great goal, but it doesn't mak=
e=3D
do and mend.=3D20
We have become a nation that polishes other people's money. Our manufacturi=
n=3D
g base is less than half what it used to be. Skilled labour is in very shor=
t=3D
supply.=3D20
Steve M
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
www.mudslinger.me.uk
Sent from my Ipod touch
On 31 Aug 2011, at 14:06, mel jacobson wrote:
> i read a story last night about the dirth of skilled
> labor folks in the job market.
>=3D20
> there are thousands of jobs unfilled in the
> high tech, high skill manufacturing sector.
>=3D20
>=3D20
pdp1 on fri 2 sep 11
Hi Eleanor, all...
I would say that untill one understands 'Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy',
'The Stockholm Syndrome', and, 'Uncle Joe' Stalin...and, I suppose, the
Pioneering work of 'The Pavlov Institute'...
One will understand nothing of any importance about the last 80 years of
American or European History, or their 'educational systems'...or what has
happened to what could have been the future of 'The West'.
Phil
Las Vegas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eleanor"
> Remember in THE MUSIC MAN how "Professor" Harold Hill, with no
> knowledge of music whatsoever, "teaches" the band to play their
> instruments by saying, "Think, boys, think! Think Minuet in G."
>
> This is my impression of what is going on in many, maybe most,
> colleges and universities today. Courses stress philosophies rather
> than experience, hands-on or otherwise. Graduates come out needing to
> learn their chosen professions on the job (assuming they can even get
> work).
>
> So courses in Art or Craft get thrown out. Who needs them?
>
> Maybe you need a college degree in order to be able to teach, but
> where are you going to teach if these departments are eliminated?
>
> Ancient Man painted in caves and made pots before colleges were
> invented. Masters taught apprentices. Artists/Craftsmen learned by
> doing. THINKING was gravy, but unnecessary.
>
> You can't begin to learn to be a potter or a sculptor until you get a
> lump of clay in your hands; you can't learn to be a painter without a
> brush and some paints. And you need a venue: kitchen table; converted
> closet; artist's studio; a school with equipment........... you can
> even learn from a book if you have the materials.
>
> I learned Pottery at an Art School adjunct to the Brooklyn Museum. I'm
> beginning to learn to paint in watercolor at courses given by Road
> Scholar (nee Elderhostel) and a local Senior Citizen (I am one) venue
> offered by the Town I live in. In all cases the instruction was/is
> superlative.
>
> One of my grandchildren attends a "target" school dedicated to the
> Arts. She has developed an interest in pottery and shows some promise.
> This happened only when she got that lump of clay in her hands; other
> kids in her school district will never have that opportunity; the Arts
> are being phased out.
>
> I believe the Arts should be taught in all learning institutions from
> pre-school on up. But Education being what it is today, that just
> isn't happening. So the next best places to learn are the trade
> schools, the Art schools, the artist's studio.....any place where the
> materials are available and the instructor knows how to teach and
> knows his/her Art.
>
> Too bad. See my email signature below: philosophy alone doesn't work.
>
> Eleanor Kohler
> Centerport, NY
>
>
>
>
>
> ".... philosophers lay down many precepts fair in argument but not
> applicable in use"
>
> --Sir Francis Bacon
Eleanor on fri 2 sep 11
Remember in THE MUSIC MAN how "Professor" Harold Hill, with no
knowledge of music whatsoever, "teaches" the band to play their
instruments by saying, "Think, boys, think! Think Minuet in G."
This is my impression of what is going on in many, maybe most,
colleges and universities today. Courses stress philosophies rather
than experience, hands-on or otherwise. Graduates come out needing to
learn their chosen professions on the job (assuming they can even get
work).
So courses in Art or Craft get thrown out. Who needs them?
Maybe you need a college degree in order to be able to teach, but
where are you going to teach if these departments are eliminated?
Ancient Man painted in caves and made pots before colleges were
invented. Masters taught apprentices. Artists/Craftsmen learned by
doing. THINKING was gravy, but unnecessary.
You can't begin to learn to be a potter or a sculptor until you get a
lump of clay in your hands; you can't learn to be a painter without a
brush and some paints. And you need a venue: kitchen table; converted
closet; artist's studio; a school with equipment........... you can
even learn from a book if you have the materials.
I learned Pottery at an Art School adjunct to the Brooklyn Museum. I'm
beginning to learn to paint in watercolor at courses given by Road
Scholar (nee Elderhostel) and a local Senior Citizen (I am one) venue
offered by the Town I live in. In all cases the instruction was/is
superlative.
One of my grandchildren attends a "target" school dedicated to the
Arts. She has developed an interest in pottery and shows some promise.
This happened only when she got that lump of clay in her hands; other
kids in her school district will never have that opportunity; the Arts
are being phased out.
I believe the Arts should be taught in all learning institutions from
pre-school on up. But Education being what it is today, that just
isn't happening. So the next best places to learn are the trade
schools, the Art schools, the artist's studio.....any place where the
materials are available and the instructor knows how to teach and
knows his/her Art.
Too bad. See my email signature below: philosophy alone doesn't work.
Eleanor Kohler
Centerport, NY
".... philosophers lay down many precepts fair in argument but not
applicable in use"
--Sir Francis Bacon
Lee on sat 3 sep 11
They build an incredible Studio for art at the UofMN and a fantastic
pottery studio named after the person who is most responsible for our
ceramic climate. =3DA0 =3DA0All at a time when these departments seem to be
disappearing elsewhere.
http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/maps/RegCtrE/
Regis Center for the Arts.
Space
145,000 square feet of state-of-the-art space including faculty
offices, classrooms, conventional and electronic studios, art
production space, wood shop, metal shop, kiln and foundry facilities,
student study space and public gallery space for exhibiting student
and faculty art work.
Total Building Cost
$44 million
Special Features
40 graduate student studio spaces.
Classrooms/studios for all disciplines including ceramics,
photography, print, painting, sculpture and electronic media.
High-speed multi-media connections in all studios as well as digital
networks connecting dance, theater and music to enable innovative
collaborations.
State-of-the-art ventilation and safety systems.
See this interview with MacKenzie that explains the vibrant ceramic
culture in Minnesota:
http://heartclay.blogspot.com/
--
=3DA0Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3DA0"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=3D9=
7that is, =3D
"The
land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
within itself." -- John O'Donohue
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