The discussion of higher education, specifically graduate art programs, has been popular in recent years, as the number of both programs and matriculates has increased. A small number of these young artists are swept up by galleries at the end of every school year, sometimes having solo shows before they even have their MFA thesis exhibition. With such pressures, there are many who find themselves very critically conscious of this practice. Can an art school act as an educational facilitator for experimentation and development when such pressures exist? Considering the economic factors of the recession, many artists are finishing school with BFAs and little job opportunities. With very little art related opportunities, many artists are taking out loans and leaving their part time jobs (as art handlers and waitresses) to work towards something more productive while the recession continues. The question that this leaves us all thinking is, what is going to be any different when the artist leaves graduate school? With a very competitive job and art market, many graduates do not have the experience that others have in a given job field. The romantic notion many of these artists are relying on is the idealistic situation of being picked up out of school and represented by a gallery, resulting in a sustainable career. For those that succeed in this (or find themselves in the right place at the right time), the gamble has paid off, but for those in this mind set, who have yet to see progress, thinking twice about the accrued debt over the last two (or six) years is a commonality.
We have all seen the rise of youth obsession and the results of it in the art world. There are an unmentionable number of galleries that facilitate young artists, searching for undiscovered and “emerging” talent, and giving the opportunity for solo shows – not only at the gallery, but at international art fairs as well. We have continually questioned the future implications of such a thing, most relating to the artist’s long-term career and developmental state (similar to the notion of a one-hit-wonder). For many, I think this has become too analyzed on an individual level, and should be examined on a higher level. What can a commercial art world do for an artist that an institution lacks the capability of doing? In many ways we fear leaving the institution, as it should be something holy and reverent; a place with no marketable value judgments, instead pure analytical criticism. But this is not true all the time – leaving the institution might be something we see as a trend, following an economical collapse and restructuring of systems.
Kate Levant, a twenty-five year old MFA candidate at Yale, curated an exhibition at Zach Feuer Gallery in Manhattan this summer. The show, Blood Drive, was comprised of selected work based on the phrase, “Renewal of Perception”. In her previous semester at Yale, Levant began a proposal to have Red Cross visit a campus gallery to engage in a blood drive. As Levant learned, this became a complicated matter after Yale repeatedly said no to her proposal. Though Red Cross had no problem with conducting a blood drive in the gallery space, the school rejected the idea based on public perception and interpretation of the event at hand. Levant admitted that her blood drive was “backwards” and intended for the social interaction of the work to be analyzed. Understanding that Levant’s intentions where to subvert the charitable meaning of a blood drive, Yale refused to let this project take place on the campus. After word spread that Levant was interested in pursuing this project, even after the university had expelled it, gallery owner Zach Feuer invited her to curate and show the work at his 24th street Chelsea gallery. The project gained national attention, allowing the work to reach audiences that Levant could not reach on campus, and making the work more effectively criticized and analyzed outside of an institutional setting.
Levant’s project can be added to the long list of problematic situations that can be encountered in schools, private or public. Institutions, art colleges and university programs rely on their reputations, allowing for competition on a global level. Questionable practices, such as Blood Drive, raise red flags to faculty and board members as something that would bring up political problems on campus, reflecting negatively for the school and their job positions. Though this is a problem for schools, as they cannot facilitate a space for experimentation, artists with ambition will find a way around and through these issues.
Mark C. Taylor explained the complications of graduate programs in an article published in the New York Times earlier this year. End The University As We Know It , explains the hardship a student endures financially alongside the flaws of higher educational systems. Taylor’s main problem with how schools are run is in the division of subject matter. Schools are broken up into departments, and within the departments teachers focus on specifics relating to the subject, rather than allowing the crossover of disciplines. Realizing the potential of crossing boundaries, Taylor urges for the restructuring of schools to adapt and work more like a ‘web’ or ‘network’. Taylor proposes a situation-based curriculum that focuses its efforts on understanding and solving large issues and realizing the potential of learning all subject matter through critical concern and dialog of any one issue. As an example, he uses the future depletion of water to show that it is a scientific, ethical, philosophical and anthropological issue that could be covered in all aspects of study. This would allow not only departmental intermingling, but also for universities and institutions to cross paths, bringing together theologians, artists, architects, business, and marketing students to gain valuable knowledge that would be applicable in all fields.
In the early 1900s, an Austrian philosopher named Rudolf Steiner formed the idea of anthroposophy, a conscious experience of freewill that brings focus to the individual’s independents. Over the last hundred years, this educational philosophy has adapted itself to facilitate educational systems and social groups. Centered on adolescent growth, Waldorf Schools use this philosophy to instill self-reliability and inner curiosity. Students are exposed to many experiences before choosing what area interests them the most, leading to specialized course work, and collective construction of a curriculum. Options are given which allow for learning at one’s own pace. Influenced by peer review students are encouraged through self-responsibility and reflection. By focusing on a specific interest, each class learns different skills in science, math, reading and writing, while also developing a student’s motivation to be sociable and interested in their individual education. This practice is very controversial, as some students do not learn these principles in a timely manner; refuting the program and refusing to learn is apparent, sometimes just as often as success is. Much like the Waldorf Schools, The Camphill Movement is a community-based initiative started in the 1940s by Karl Koenig, attempting to imitate Steiner’s anthroposophic ideology. There are over one hundred of these communities now (some of which are in the United States), which rely on the individual to uphold the integrity of the group by supporting each other in daily living, just as the Waldorf program proposes with the classroom community.
Mike Wolf, an active member in the Chicago based artist space Mess Hall, contributed an article to Area Chicago concerning the question “Can Experimental Culture Centers Replace MFA Programs?” From his experience, community-based art organizations work very similar to how an art school should run. “There are four main elements that art schools currently provide to students,” Wolf explains: Space and time to work, critical thinking skills, networking, and qualification for employment are all listed. As our economic climate puts the squeeze on art related jobs in universities and other large institutions, the last element becomes irrelevant in today’s market. This also brings the financial element to mind, considering the time and effort to participate in an art center compared to the efforts to participate in an MFA program. Both depend on the individuals’ commitment and interest in receiving what they will. An artist can find time and space to build a community of peers to retain a critical discourse without the aid of institutions.
As new projects surface, including the Bruce High Quality Foundation’s ad hoc school and The New Museum’s Night School, it becomes apparent that there is an interest to educate and learn through experience rather than in traditional, fabricated institutions. It is only in the real world that art can be socially effective, crossing over into all aspects of life. As the recession continues, so will the discussion of higher education, as job markets become more competitive, and artists opt out of paycheck-to-paycheck living to rely on loans while attending school. Though some view this as a time to revaluate one’s goals and interests, others see it as an opportunity, searching for an alternative means of survival and practice outside the closed doors of institutions.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely of the Author and do no necessarily reflect those of Artanarki.com.
