Richard Mahaffey on thu 1 jul 04
Lili,
GO LILI GO! I loved it.
It is much harder to be constructive than mean when criticizing
another's work.
I like to start the critique of student's work by talking about the
strongest points and then moving on to what might be improved. I
find that the student is listening when I do this and is energized to
improve the next piece.
Thanks,
Rick
william schran on fri 2 jul 04
Rick wrote:>I like to start the critique of student's work by talking about the
strongest points and then moving on to what might be improved. <
I do basically the same approach for critiques of my students' work.
I stress the word "constructive" as we are trying to help the
individual to improve.
I ask my students to bring to each critique what they consider to be:
1. Most successful work
2. Least successful work
3. Most surprising work
I also ask what they would change in doing the project again.
Bill
Vince Pitelka on sat 3 jul 04
Rick Mahaffey wrote:
> I like to start the critique of student's work by talking about the
> strongest points and then moving on to what might be improved. I
> find that the student is listening when I do this and is energized to
> improve the next piece.
I strongly agree with Rick. Different students have different thickness of
skin, depending on how they were raised. Harsh criticism could be
productive for some students, and traumatic in a very destructive way for
other students. A critique that does not point out the problems in the work
would of course be fairly pointless, but it is always possible to bring out
the positive points in contrast to the problems. A teacher or critic can be
firm in their criticism while also being respectful towards the work and the
artist. There is almost always something positive to discuss in any art
work, and any teacher or critic who refuses to find the positive points and
instead dwells only on the problems is looking for an opportunity to pump up
their own ego by tearing down someone else's. Such people should not serve
as teachers or critics.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Snail Scott on mon 5 jul 04
At 02:25 AM 7/5/04 -0700, Gaayle wrote:
>...I give little credence to critiques given
>by people who have no experience with the media they are
>reviewing...
Actually, I find that critiques by people
unacquainted with the history, techniques,
or conventions of a medium are among the
most valuable, because they are seeing the
work as most viewers will see it. If they
are experienced critics, they will be able
to translate that layperson's perception
into a considered, articulate evaluation.
If your intended audience is the cognoscenti
of your particular medium, then a critique
from within that world will tell you what
you want to know. If you are trying to reach
beyond that, however, you need to know how
others perceive it. True, I've seen 'outside'
critics 'ooh' and 'aah' over inept craft,
or overused gimmicks which are new to them,
but it can be a useful reality check to see
such work as others see it, and to hear your
own work considered in the same light. It
may or may not lead you to modify your work,
and you can choose to dismiss it out of
hand, but it's still good to know.
-Snail Scott
Edwardsville, Illinois, USA, Earth
claybair on mon 5 jul 04
One of the best critiques I have participated in was
an exercise given by Robin Futera (sp?) at the Arvada Center in CO.
She had us select a cup from her collection, take it home and gave
assignments e.g. duplicate the rim, body , handle.
We would bring in the pieces we made and each of us gave a critique
of our own pieces first. It went without fail that we
were much more critical of our own work. We discussed
what worked & what didn't work without being torn to shreds.
Personally, I give little credence to critiques given
by people who have no experience with the media they are
reviewing. Conversely I have the most respect for critiques
given by people who have an intimate working knowledge of
media they are reviewing.
If you ever get a chance ... see Mel do a critique.
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vince
Pitelka
Rick Mahaffey wrote:
> I like to start the critique of student's work by talking about the
> strongest points and then moving on to what might be improved. I
> find that the student is listening when I do this and is energized to
> improve the next piece.
I strongly agree with Rick. Different students have different thickness of
skin, depending on how they were raised. Harsh criticism could be
productive for some students, and traumatic in a very destructive way for
other students. A critique that does not point out the problems in the work
would of course be fairly pointless, but it is always possible to bring out
the positive points in contrast to the problems. A teacher or critic can be
firm in their criticism while also being respectful towards the work and the
artist. There is almost always something positive to discuss in any art
work, and any teacher or critic who refuses to find the positive points and
instead dwells only on the problems is looking for an opportunity to pump up
their own ego by tearing down someone else's. Such people should not serve
as teachers or critics.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
| |
|
