search  current discussion  categories  teaching 

another view of the technical ... college ed & real life

updated sat 13 jun 98

 

Joy Holdread on tue 9 jun 98

> << sit in the silent frustration of paying for a 4 year college education
in
> ceramics that offered NO glaze chemistry courses. Pottery is my passion
and
> my lively hood and I don't even know if I can adjust a favorite white glaze
> recipe into a wonderful clear base for other glazes. I hesitate to ask
> these sort of questions to this group because of my embarrassment at an
> ignorance I cannot justify.
> >>
11 years ago in my "Art Biz" class the husband of one of my students sat in
for her. After class he pumped my hand and said "My God I wish my medical
school had a course like this. When I graduated I knew how to be a good Dr.
but I sure didn't know how to manage a Dr's office."
We've all filled in our education with whatever we needed.
"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want" At least that's
my kiln mantra.
JOY in Tucson

Lorca Beebe on wed 10 jun 98

I used to bitch all the time in undergraduate that I wasnt getting enough
technical knowledge, this did not include ceramics, I was more concerned with
drawing, anatomy, painting and technical knowledge of materials- castin resin,
silicone, etc, I used to say that facultu was "process" brainwashing us...my
ceramic instructors, young adjunct faculty, told me I didnt need to do the
glaze and materials class as I had an innate sense of this, and I made up
glazes as I went along...Upon arrival at graduate school I was amazed at some
people who had an excellent foundation in technical know how, but not in
experimentation and process, they seemed to be stuck or frozen on how to
develop there ideas, although I know quantity is not better than qulity, I
believe its important to keep your hands moving- analysis paralysis- the
development of an idea depends on the information you give yourself, it is
important for me to know what my limitations are and how to work around these,
I cant let lack of technical knowledge hinder me in any way...I plan next
spring to take the glaze and materials course for fun, in this lifetime I will
not learn or master all that I would like....

Its a process not an event....

Lorca

Barney Adams on thu 11 jun 98

Lorca,
I agree with this, and think it applies to more than the arts.
I call it being able to fly by the seat of your pants.
There is nothing wrong in knowing, but you have to be able
to get around not knowing.

Barney
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I used to bitch all the time in undergraduate that I wasnt getting enough
> technical knowledge, this did not include ceramics, I was more concerned with
> drawing, anatomy, painting and technical knowledge of materials- castin resin,
> silicone, etc, I used to say that facultu was "process" brainwashing us...my
> ceramic instructors, young adjunct faculty, told me I didnt need to do the
> glaze and materials class as I had an innate sense of this, and I made up
> glazes as I went along...Upon arrival at graduate school I was amazed at some
> people who had an excellent foundation in technical know how, but not in
> experimentation and process, they seemed to be stuck or frozen on how to
> develop there ideas, although I know quantity is not better than qulity, I
> believe its important to keep your hands moving- analysis paralysis- the
> development of an idea depends on the information you give yourself, it is
> important for me to know what my limitations are and how to work around these,
> I cant let lack of technical knowledge hinder me in any way...I plan next
> spring to take the glaze and materials course for fun, in this lifetime I will
> not learn or master all that I would like....
>
> Its a process not an event....
>
> Lorca
>

Ron Roy on fri 12 jun 98

Forgive me this,

It is easier to get around not knowing if you have a better understanding
about what you don't know. I guess I have to add - in clay and glazes there
is a lot to know and getting around it becomes possible in direct
relationship to what you already know.

>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I agree with this, and think it applies to more than the arts.
>I call it being able to fly by the seat of your pants.
>There is nothing wrong in knowing, but you have to be able
>to get around not knowing.

Ron Roy
93 Pegasus Trail
Scarborough, Ontario
Canada M1G 3N8
Tel: 416-439-2621
Fax: 416-438-7849

Web page: http://digitalfire.com/education/people/ronroy.htm