Donn Buchfinck on mon 26 aug 02
You asked about my comment about discrimination
"Are you saying there is some discrimination against really talented people?"
I want to ask, "you're joking right?"
And you mean to tell me that you have never seen the group dynamic ostracize
a talented person, the "tall poppy syndrome," "Playing to the lowest common
denominator", the "it's not right but its ok" mentality.
I want to have a knee jerk reaction and ask. What planet are you on. But I
don't really feel this; I just know how it is in my world.
Don't you think the gods on Olympus were ENVIED for their powers? How do you
think it is for golfers who have to play against Tiger Woods, or Salieri felt
being in the shadow of Mozart, as it is told he admired him and still went
about destroying him.
When I was in school, the people who worked hard were held up as a roll
model. "Hard worker" I mean crap is crap, hard work doesn't turn coal into a
diamond.
In that environment they got ahead. But in art, in dealing with creativity,
there is great art, and then there is all the other stuff. Either you speak
poetry or you hack it out. Either you're in touch with the source or your
not. Oh don't get me wrong I have my days when the clay won't stay on the
bat, or the kiln seems to reduce and doesn't, life has a funny way to remind
me that I am human. But when you are connected to the source, the sweet
spot, that moment when that cylinder just raised of its own volition, you are
speaking that language with a clear voice because you are connected to the
source.
What if you are a talented person and you don't play by the rules. Don't you
think to be a truly creative person one would have to question the rules
given them by society?
The group dynamic rarely supports an individual. Individual's strengths show
the weaknesses of the group. Groups move to have that person leave so the
status quo is maintained.
And then what if this talented person could/wanted to teach, I mean really
had the ability to get in touch with the student, helping them understand
their strengths and weaknesses from a positive point of view, trying to
create in the student someone who will go out and articulate a life making
art, not just creating "an audience."
But this artist, who wants to teach, sees people being hired because they are
a certain gender/race and they don't make waves, they FIT IN to the group
dynamic, or they are not that talented so they don't make the tenured
teachers feel small. And of course they don't bruise the sensitive self
esteem of the students, thus getting good student evaluations so they can get
tenure. Heaven forbid we demand too much of these fragile youths.
Greatness comes from demands that are put on us.
Someone has to show us there is a limit, a mark in the sand, show it to the
student, and say, you know, this is where you need to be, and truthfully,
this is only the beginning, once you get to this point, it is really the
starting line.
Is it an easy road to travel, no?
Do you know what my great teachers did for me, they believed in me just
enough so I could start to believe in myself. I don't see a lot of teachers
like that, oh there are people who are good teachers, and there are teachers,
who are good artists, but it is rare and getting rarer that you can find a
teacher who is both. And so many teachers are now just so self absorbed. How
many angles on the head of a pin, and oh I make chairs, but not to sit in,
they are chairs about chairs, and then, over here we have the desk chair
combo, not be used but to contemplate the meaning of life through. Oh I know
it looks like I am a furniture maker but I am really a fine artist, no
really. Here read this description I wrote about my chair desk combo and how
it relates to my growing up in the Midwest and watching my father work in his
home office. It's art that speaks about the ritual of everyday la la la la
la. I mean a chair is a chair and bowl is a bowl, no matter how you stack
it.
In the end, I was in academia for 8 years as a student, and I taught in grad
school and in up state New York, and I saw great teachers chewed up and spit
out.
I have seen great teachers retire and the new generation just scrape the
history away. Not honoring what came before and how that can enrich the
experience for the students today.
You know, education has gone down in the ceramic arts, oh there is more
information out there, and there are a lot of people who talk the talk but
can't walk the walk. And in a thousand years when they dig all this stuff up
and they don't have that fancy description to help it along what is that
culture going to think?? "I'm going to put my peas in this bowl"
Clay has a rich history, we need to honor it.
I have gone all over the place,
I just want to make pots, oh and I paint and make sculpture too.
Donn Buchfinck
San Francisco
Rebecca P on mon 26 aug 02
Well said, Donn Buchfinck.
Rebecca Pierre
OakIsland, NC
>From: Donn Buchfinck
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Re: MFA or No MFA-Donn's reply
>Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 04:06:53 EDT
>
>You asked about my comment about discrimination
>"Are you saying there is some discrimination against really talented people?"
>
>
>I want to ask, "you're joking right?"
>And you mean to tell me that you have never seen the group dynamic ostracize
>a talented person, the "tall poppy syndrome," "Playing to the lowest common
>denominator", the "it's not right but its ok" mentality.
>I want to have a knee jerk reaction and ask. What planet are you on. But I
>don't really feel this; I just know how it is in my world.
>
>Don't you think the gods on Olympus were ENVIED for their powers? How do you
>think it is for golfers who have to play against Tiger Woods, or Salieri felt
>being in the shadow of Mozart, as it is told he admired him and still went
>about destroying him.
>
>When I was in school, the people who worked hard were held up as a roll
>model. "Hard worker" I mean crap is crap, hard work doesn't turn coal into a
>diamond.
> In that environment they got ahead. But in art, in dealing with creativity,
>there is great art, and then there is all the other stuff. Either you speak
>poetry or you hack it out. Either you're in touch with the source or your
>not. Oh don't get me wrong I have my days when the clay won't stay on the
>bat, or the kiln seems to reduce and doesn't, life has a funny way to remind
>me that I am human. But when you are connected to the source, the sweet
>spot, that moment when that cylinder just raised of its own volition, you are
>speaking that language with a clear voice because you are connected to the
>source.
>
>What if you are a talented person and you don't play by the rules. Don't you
>think to be a truly creative person one would have to question the rules
>given them by society?
>The group dynamic rarely supports an individual. Individual's strengths show
>the weaknesses of the group. Groups move to have that person leave so the
>status quo is maintained.
>And then what if this talented person could/wanted to teach, I mean really
>had the ability to get in touch with the student, helping them understand
>their strengths and weaknesses from a positive point of view, trying to
>create in the student someone who will go out and articulate a life making
>art, not just creating "an audience."
>But this artist, who wants to teach, sees people being hired because they are
>a certain gender/race and they don't make waves, they FIT IN to the group
>dynamic, or they are not that talented so they don't make the tenured
>teachers feel small. And of course they don't bruise the sensitive self
>esteem of the students, thus getting good student evaluations so they can get
>tenure. Heaven forbid we demand too much of these fragile youths.
>Greatness comes from demands that are put on us.
>Someone has to show us there is a limit, a mark in the sand, show it to the
>student, and say, you know, this is where you need to be, and truthfully,
>this is only the beginning, once you get to this point, it is really the
>starting line.
>Is it an easy road to travel, no?
>Do you know what my great teachers did for me, they believed in me just
>enough so I could start to believe in myself. I don't see a lot of teachers
>like that, oh there are people who are good teachers, and there are teachers,
>who are good artists, but it is rare and getting rarer that you can find a
>teacher who is both. And so many teachers are now just so self absorbed. How
>many angles on the head of a pin, and oh I make chairs, but not to sit in,
>they are chairs about chairs, and then, over here we have the desk chair
>combo, not be used but to contemplate the meaning of life through. Oh I know
>it looks like I am a furniture maker but I am really a fine artist, no
>really. Here read this description I wrote about my chair desk combo and how
>it relates to my growing up in the Midwest and watching my father work in his
>home office. It's art that speaks about the ritual of everyday la la la la
>la. I mean a chair is a chair and bowl is a bowl, no matter how you stack
>it.
>In the end, I was in academia for 8 years as a student, and I taught in grad
>school and in up state New York, and I saw great teachers chewed up and spit
>out.
> I have seen great teachers retire and the new generation just scrape the
>history away. Not honoring what came before and how that can enrich the
>experience for the students today.
>You know, education has gone down in the ceramic arts, oh there is more
>information out there, and there are a lot of people who talk the talk but
>can't walk the walk. And in a thousand years when they dig all this stuff up
>and they don't have that fancy description to help it along what is that
>culture going to think?? "I'm going to put my peas in this bowl"
>Clay has a rich history, we need to honor it.
>I have gone all over the place,
>I just want to make pots, oh and I paint and make sculpture too.
>
>Donn Buchfinck
>San Francisco
>
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