mel jacobson on sun 18 nov 01
my deep concern about academic art is:
it has become academic.
those that do it think that all they have to do
is talk about it. you sure don't have to do
anything with skill or accomplishment.
in fact....skill has become something to scorn.
i realize that this is again a broad brush...but,
teaching a bit, and letting students get involved
would help..
i see it in public schools, colleges and the like.
talk, talk, talk.
do 5 minutes of hands on tasks.
the reason we love being potters is that we
love to build and make things. and that is what
will keep us making pots.
it is an injustice to block students from doing.
there is almost nothing left in the public schools
for kids to do hands on. read and talk...and leave
out the one's that have trouble doing it.
disgrace.
mel
John Baymore on mon 19 nov 01
my deep concern about academic art is:
it has become academic.
those that do it think that all they have to do
is talk about it. =
I think Mayor mel has alluded to a key factor in the apparent tendency fo=
r
certain people to "look down upon" crafts of all types. It has to do wit=
h
the core values that society places on certain behaviors. There is a
strong tendency for "doing" activities to be seen by modern society as
somehow requiring "less" (of something) than the "thinking" activities.
Crafts (be they "fine" or "unfine" ) are highly related to "active
doing". Good craftsmanship can be called "high doing". "Doing" elevated=
to an art form.
In modern US society great value is placed on the "thinking" pursuits. =
"Doing" is supposedly relegated to those who are not able to really "thin=
k"
at high levels. Hence you end up with a societally imposed heirarchy of
"academic schooling" vs. "vocational schooling"....and therefore also
things like more "prestige" and money for those who pursue the more
academic "thinking oriented" subjects.
The PROOF that you are doing some "deep thinking" in your field is talkin=
g
about your thoughts about your work.
If you don't talk about it or write about it....... most people,
particularily those outside the arts fields, can't discern that you are
actually "thinking" very much at all. Since our modern society spends
little time educating people in visual communication ........ most can't
discern if much "thinking" is going on by simply looking at a piece of
work. Looks like mostly "doing" to most folks. So if you are in an
academic setting....... the "proof" that you belong there in the world of=
the "thinkers" like the philosophy, english, engineering, science, and
medical departments is the ability to clearly voice your thoughts about
your work. So therefore lots of time is spent talking about art (instead=
of making it), because that it what "proves" it's "true worth" and "valid=
"
position there in an "academic environment".
Not that I "buy" the whole heirarchy. But that it what I think drives a
lot of it. This is also not to say that I think being able to verbally
communicate about your work is of no importance at all......... but in th=
e
end, the work has to stand by itself.
=
The clear exception to this lack of appreciation for the "doer" is the
plumber. Plumbers make more than doctors and demand HIGH respect .
Best,
..............................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JohnBaymore.com
JBaymore@compuserve.com
John.Baymore@GSD-CO.com
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop 2002 Dates TBA"=
Susan Ford on mon 19 nov 01
Let me give a few real-life examples. The art
department at OU (Oklahoma University in Norman)
has (last I checked) one ceramic art professor. She
only does non-functional pieces.
Folks graduate from her program not knowing how to
mix a glaze or the science of glaze making, and
they don''t know how to mix clay. I knew a student
that recently changed universities and was in a
panic because she was asked to mix a glaze. She
had no clue what to do or how to follow a recipe
Well it doesn't stop at the clay department. In the
painting department, the students do not learn how
to mix pigments and paints.
I've always wanted to take some academic clay
classses. I learned pottery in high school and took
classes wherever there was an art center nearby
that gave pottery lessons. I learned how to mix clay
and glazes from these instructors.
It's very frustrating to know that the academic
classes just down the road will be nothing but
frustrating and that the students will sneer at my
functional pots. It happened once before at a joint
workshop the local art center was giving.
Susan
On 18 Nov 2001, at 9:36, mel jacobson wrote:
> my deep concern about academic art is:
>
> it has become academic.
>
> those that do it think that all they have to do
> is talk about it. you sure don't have to do
> anything with skill or accomplishment.
>
> in fact....skill has become something to scorn.
>
....
> i see it in public schools, colleges and the like.
> talk, talk, talk. do 5 minutes of hands on tasks.
>
> the reason we love being potters is that we
> love to build and make things. and that is what
> will keep us making pots.
>
....
> mel
>
---
Susan K. Ford
Norman, Oklahoma
http://www.clueless.norman.ok.us/sf/rerhome.htm
The weakest ink lasts longer
than the strongest memory.
-- Confucious
Snail Scott on mon 19 nov 01
At 10:10 AM 11/19/01 -0600, Susan wrote:
>The art
>department at OU (Oklahoma University in Norman)
>has (last I checked) one ceramic art professor. She
>only does non-functional pieces.
>
>Folks graduate from her program not knowing how to
>mix a glaze or the science of glaze making, and
>they don''t know how to mix clay. In the
>painting department, the students do not learn how
>to mix pigments and paints.
An emphasis on sculpture does not always equate to
an ignorance of glazes. It is true, however, that
glaze is just one of many options for surfacing a
piece of sculptural ceramics, so glazes tend to be
consequently less emphasized in fine-art oriented
clay programs.
Glazes are a terrific surface for functional pottery;
smooth, waterproof, bacteria-resistant, durable,
washable, heatproof, and entirely made out of dirt!
In thousands of years, there's never been a better
alternative developed. Glazes are therefore critical
to any potter who aspires to the making of pottery
for food use.
The things that make glazes so superb for pottery,
however, do not always serve the needs of artists,
who may require other properties for the surface of
their work. In many ways, this can seem like an
'easy out', compared with the rigorous technical
requirements of a glaze-using potter. However, a
technical skill used for an inappropriate purpose
is no more valuable than no skill at all. If glaze
is not the best treatment for the work of art,
than to insist that glaze be used is as absurd as
to cover a coffee mug in house paint.
That said, I must agree with Susan that an academic
program should strive to convey as many skills as
possible to its students. They do not yet know what
form their later work will take; it is incumbent upon
the institution to equip its graduates with as many
skills as possible in order to further their future
work. Even if they never make a piece of functional
pottery, glaze is still a substance with myriad
possibilities beyond food-service, and as an integral
part of the repertoire of ceramic techniques, should
be taught to all students enrolled in a foundation
ceramics program. Maybe not in the first-year
curriculum, but certainly as a graduation requirement.
"If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks
like a nail."
-Snail
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