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mfas and responses

updated thu 29 aug 02

 

e wilson farrington on wed 28 aug 02


Dear All,
Thanks for your candid responses to my question about the pros and =
cons of going to grad school. I certainly have gotten an earful! And =
if my naivet=E9 is showing just a little, that's OK. If I knew all the =
answers, I wouldn't be asking you guys! I want to be clear that I don't =
plan this as an either/or proposition. I embrace any and all methods of =
learning so I wouldn't choose one to the exclusion of another. I'm =
talking about two years of my life, not the rest of it. (Hopefully I =
won't drop dead when I graduate) At the risk of sounding naive (again) I =
have my own vision and have been around the block a few times, so I hope =
I wouldn't be artistically squelched by academia. If I can't be true to =
myself, for me the point of pursuing my art/craft either with an MFA or =
without one is lost. Most of the potters I know and admire don't have =
degrees, so I'm not looking at that as any type of gold standard. I only =
want to learn everything I can. I think I could benefit from the milieu =
of grad school; being immersed in new information and the intensity of =
it. If that degree opens doors for me--great! I get a little tired of =
working on my own, and although I'm pretty disciplined, it sometimes =
falls short. Workshops can be few and far between.... Money is a huge =
issue and if I don't get some type of scholarship, I won't be embarking =
on the school thing anytime soon!=20
I just wanted to know your experiences, particularly with galleries =
and having a degree vs. not having one. So--- thanks again for your =
input on the matter. I value your honest opinions!
Sincerely,
---Wilson
=20