Priscilla Hollingsworth on wed 20 jun 01
I'd like to offer a personal perspective on university curricula and
craft business education. Gosh! - you people are hard on universities.
I, too, wish I had had some practical pointers in college about life as
an artist after school. Anything would have been helpful - how to make
slides, how to write a resume, whether grad school was worth considering
- much less how to run a small business. But I graduated in 1980, a
long time ago, and I do recognize that I got a very fine education in
general.
Now I'm a ceramics professor who is also trying to help my department
get organized, and I have a new perspective. It's really hard to change
a curriculum! So many people have to agree on it, and sometimes it's a
question of funding. Organizing artists is definitely like herding
cats, as someone mentioned on Clayart recently. My program offers the
BFA and BA degrees, but not in ceramics specifically. We do have a
senior capstone course in which students work on writing resumes, making
slides, giving slide talks, installing their work in their senior
exhibitions, applying for juried shows, and planning for grad school.
But I don't think they cover small business issues.
I try to cover some practical issues in the advanced ceramics classes.
The ceramics club has a pottery sale every semester, and they are
encouraged to explore selling at local craft shows. The local ceramics
supplier is one of our alums - he's in business for himself and has lots
of contact with the students when they buy special clay bodies from
him. Every year for the last 3 years, I've brought in a pair of potters
who make their living from their pots. These potters are available to
the students for 3 days straight - and they discuss everything they can.
I guess I'm in a great position to hear all the complaints. My
suggestion is, please - get involved to change things for the better.
If your alma mater or your local college isn't offering enough practical
information, why not make friends with the profs and offer a discussion
session for the students? Maybe you can even get paid for it. You
could start a "friends of the art department" program and enlist other
savvy art businesspeople to help. If you build up the relationship,
maybe you could get the occasional good apprentice out of your local
college.
From the tone of some Clayart letters lately, I get the impression there
is some bitterness out there. Is studying ceramics in college such a
bad idea? Are all ceramics professors mean, incompetent, old hacks?
C'mon! Lots of us work hard to make ceramics the most exciting,
difficult, wonderful college experience a student can have.
-Priscilla Hollingsworth
Augusta State University
Augusta, GA
Marcella Smith on wed 20 jun 01
Thank you Priscilla Hollingsworth, you have some wonderful and positive =
ideas that you have followed thru with yourself. With your motivation I =
will become more proactive at our local college. Why not have =
successful potters come in and talk about the business end, why not??? =
I know that with some work this can happen. Thank you for your =
thoughts,
Marcella
=20
***Serf on over to www.livinggallery.cc for the latest in fine-art =
available for your home or office! Check out the WEEKLY SPECIALS!!***
Jeremy/Bonnie Hellman on wed 20 jun 01
Hi all,
I have a thought for those of you with the ability to influence business
education in college and university art classes, with an eye towards helping
students understand some of the business issues from a real-life, practical,
hands-on point of view. You may find that local CPAs would be willing to
come give a presentation to your students about such topics as cash flow in
a small business, taxation issues, record keeping, and the like. You may
also find that local attorneys would be willing to come give a presentation
on legal issues for craftspeople and artists. You may also find that other
local business people (including artists, gallery owners, and other small
business owners) would be willing to come give presentations on other topics
of interest to artists who want to run their own businesses.
This would take organizing by the course coordinator, and perhaps these
presentations would be additional seminars not a part of any specific
course, open to all students.
I am assuming that most professionals would be willing to give these talks
without compensation, although it is always nice to give a token as a thank
you. Ceramics perhaps??? I say this because I've given such
presentations and once when I was given a small check as an honorarium I was
surprised, since I expected nothing in return.
Bonnie
Bonnie Hellman, CPA in PA & CO, now on vacation in CO
----- Original Message -----
From: "Priscilla Hollingsworth"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2001 1:31 PM
Subject: craft business education in college
> I'd like to offer a personal perspective on university curricula and
> craft business education. Gosh! - you people are hard on universities.
> I, too, wish I had had some practical pointers in college about life as
> an artist after school. Anything would have been helpful - how to make
> slides, how to write a resume, whether grad school was worth considering
> - much less how to run a small business. But I graduated in 1980, a
> long time ago, and I do recognize that I got a very fine education in
> general.
>
> Now I'm a ceramics professor who is also trying to help my department
> get organized, and I have a new perspective. It's really hard to change
> a curriculum! So many people have to agree on it, and sometimes it's a
> question of funding. Organizing artists is definitely like herding
> cats, as someone mentioned on Clayart recently. My program offers the
> BFA and BA degrees, but not in ceramics specifically. We do have a
> senior capstone course in which students work on writing resumes, making
> slides, giving slide talks, installing their work in their senior
> exhibitions, applying for juried shows, and planning for grad school.
> But I don't think they cover small business issues.
>
> I try to cover some practical issues in the advanced ceramics classes.
> The ceramics club has a pottery sale every semester, and they are
> encouraged to explore selling at local craft shows. The local ceramics
> supplier is one of our alums - he's in business for himself and has lots
> of contact with the students when they buy special clay bodies from
> him. Every year for the last 3 years, I've brought in a pair of potters
> who make their living from their pots. These potters are available to
> the students for 3 days straight - and they discuss everything they can.
>
> I guess I'm in a great position to hear all the complaints. My
> suggestion is, please - get involved to change things for the better.
> If your alma mater or your local college isn't offering enough practical
> information, why not make friends with the profs and offer a discussion
> session for the students? Maybe you can even get paid for it. You
> could start a "friends of the art department" program and enlist other
> savvy art businesspeople to help. If you build up the relationship,
> maybe you could get the occasional good apprentice out of your local
> college.
>
> From the tone of some Clayart letters lately, I get the impression there
> is some bitterness out there. Is studying ceramics in college such a
> bad idea? Are all ceramics professors mean, incompetent, old hacks?
> C'mon! Lots of us work hard to make ceramics the most exciting,
> difficult, wonderful college experience a student can have.
>
> -Priscilla Hollingsworth
> Augusta State University
> Augusta, GA
>
>
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