Martie (aka the Kiln Priestess) on fri 9 jun 06
Greetings All:
OK, here I go again trying to repost a message.(How long does it take for
messages to normally appear? Should I expect them to miss the first couple
of listings? How long should I wait before sending the message in again? I
sent this in a couple of listserves ago so am trying again.)Sorry if it
shows up twice.
I have been most interested in the postings about the various merits of
how to best learn the art of ceramics because I am actively involved with
the setting up of a BFA program here in Hong Kong, with the idea that
later on the Hong Kong Baptist University Academy of Visual Arts might be
able to offer graduate degrees in art.
When I earned my MFA in ceramics at Texas Tech in 1994, I could not have
imagined that I would ever want to return to academia for a Ph.D. in art!
Also, I didn=92t earn my degree in Art Education, or Art History, but I
actually earned it in fine arts with a dissertation on kiln gods. At Texas
Tech and a few other universities around the world it is possible to earn
a doctoral degree in fine art. (I graduated from Texas Tech with my
doctorate in 2003.)
My reasons for pursuing the degree were simple. Curiosity and a desire to
write a dissertation about kiln gods (I had accumulated some data). The
degree was a tremendous amount of work, but it was worth the effort for me
because I now understand volumes more about philosophy (I had to take two
semesters of aesthetics), literary theory and art criticism, music,
theater and a whole lot of other stuff.
Maybe someday the degree will pay off in a monetary way, but I kind of
doubt it. This is because I didn=92t go back to school for the title in the
hopes that it would open up opportunities for employment. I don=92t want to
be an administrator and the type of teaching that I would like to do only
requires an MFA. I really went back to learn more about art and philosophy.
Like anything else, earning a doctorate can have its drawbacks. So far the
degree has caused me some trouble=97which in the long run has also turned
out to be a blessing in disguise. It seems that as soon as a person has a
PhD that they automatically get nominated to teach all the World Art
Survey I and II courses (this has happened to me several times at
different universities). After several years of teaching and working to
perfect my Powerpoint lectures, I can honestly say that I have really
become fond of teaching these courses, and that without my doctorate
coursework (I took a lot of graduate level art history courses) that my
teaching would not be as complete or organized. I don=92t just teach =93art =
in
the dark=94 I teach with a level of understanding that I did not have upon
completion of my MFA. This level of understanding has not just made me a
better ceramic or art history teacher, it has also helped me to enjoy and
understand art, literature and the world around me.
There were times when I really struggled to get through the doctoral
program. I had never had a philosophy course in my life, and all of a
sudden I was in a 5000 level course. It was like being in one of those
nightmares where you dream that you have signed up for calculus and you
cannot even do simple math, (which, I really cannot do either).
As a doctoral candidate at Texas Tech, I also took a couple of independent
studies with Juan Granados. Juan was very kind, but he had no idea of what
to do with me as a student because I already had an MFA. In the end he let
me work in the undergraduate area which was perfect for me because I
didn=92t have time to produce enough work to warrant a graduate studio.
Being a poor (money poor I mean) visual artist in an inter-disciplinary
doctoral fine arts program was also difficult because it meant that I
qualified for the kind of work study where they can use you as cheap labor
to work in the library photocopying slides and stuff like that instead of
teaching. In the end I lucked out because I was so poor that I was able to
work in the library and still teach art education.
Anyway, I am glad that I know what I know, (if you know what I mean) about
graduate school. I wouldn=92t trade in my educational experiences for all of=
the tea in China (and believe me, there is a lot of tea here).
Martie Geiger-Ho (aka, the Kiln Priestess)
www.kilnlore.com
Marcia Selsor on fri 9 jun 06
Thanks Martie,
Clayart gets really anti academia often.
Your reasons for futhering your education are what it is all about.
Thanks. A breath of fresh air.
Marcia Selsor
Professor Emerita Montana State University-Billings
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
PS
I know Martie from the late 70s when she was my student one summer
in Billings.
She has done amazing things before and since then.
m.mshelomi on sat 10 jun 06
Lee...
Your assessment of the folks on clayart disturbed me. Just wanted
to see if I was reading you correctly. Do you think that the people
that respond, are contributors or lurkers to the forum are
anti-intellectual?
miriam in muggy, hot, steamy Gulf Coast FL
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lee Love"
> I think it is more general than "anti academia".
> Anti-intellectual would be the better description. An orthodox
> technological stance is typical, but that is a particular kind of
> focus which side-steps philosophical/intellectual/emotional
> exploration. We are always confusing techie with science.
Lee Love on sat 10 jun 06
On 6/10/06, Marcia Selsor wrote:
> Thanks Martie,
I thanked Martie privately. If I went back to school, it would
be for the sheer learning experience.
> Clayart gets really anti academia often.
I think it is more general than "anti academia".
Anti-intellectual would be the better description. An orthodox
technological stance is typical, but that is a particular kind of
focus which side-steps philosophical/intellectual/emotional
exploration. We are always confusing techie with science.
> PS
> I know Martie from the late 70s when she was my student one summer
> in Billings. She has done amazing things before and since then.
Check out Martie's web page. The sculpture is very interesting:
www.kilnlore.com
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
http://mashiko.org
My google Notebooks:
http://tinyurl.com/e5p3n
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
Lee Love on sun 11 jun 06
On 6/11/06, m.mshelomi wrote:
> Your assessment of the folks on clayart disturbed me. Just wanted
> to see if I was reading you correctly.
Not all folks, but only a few vocal people.
The "anti academia" attitude that Marcia mentions, I was just
pointing out, is not isolated but is an expression of a larger
anti-intellectual bias of a very small number of people. For
example, when someone thinks you gotta be an "art Dork" if you ever
quote somebody else. Or when there is only a focus on the mechanics
of clay, and not the why and what for.
>Do you think that the people
> that respond, are contributors or lurkers to the forum are
> anti-intellectual?
I think the lurkers are here to learn. We are lucky in our
medium to have many ways to approach it. We don't have to belittle
one way to validate our own. When we do this, it just reflects our
our lack of confidence in what we do.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
http://mashiko.org
My google Notebooks:
http://tinyurl.com/e5p3n
"The accessibility of the handmade object in today's world seems vital
and radical, and hopefully tempers our hunger for 'progress' and
rationality" - , Michael Kline
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