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Early days of fine art degree.
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Message
Posted
First week of my grand daughters start a university studying fine art.
Oh I am going to enjoy this.
Her tutor introduced himself by standing barefoot with a bucket on his head for ten minutes on the rostrum...
Mmmmmmmmm I thought , ok, think outside the box , shock tactics, but she did notice him and won't forget.
Now she and a small group have a task of " den building" . So interfering G Ma has been looking up links and images of wonderful dens.
Do you think I can " ghost " her degree course ? .
Posted
Frankly, what was needed here was a metal-tipped wooden mallet, with which your granddaughter and selected classmates, with their very own mallet, would beat the bucket on this wazzock's head while stamping (frequently and with force) on his unshod tootsies. Nothing like joining in and getting creative, after all. He should welcome such an experience, if he ever gets over the tinnitus and fallen arches.
As to whether you can 'ghost' her degree course, while the wiser course seems to me to storm the place and release her and the others from the hands of the cretinous oafs who teach in it, it depends on what you mean - if you mean that you could piggy-back on it and put yourself through the same experiences, I am aghast that you should wish to. If, on the other hand, you are proposing to sabotage the course by providing instruction of your own, so that your granddaughter could show her tutors that she has learned something without owing indebtedness of any kind to the institution, and claim a complete refund of her course fees, I commend what seems to me a sound plan.
Posted
Talk about making the occasion "Screw you, look at me"
Having trained Paralegals to write contract legalese, and now teaching guitar students on their first steps into the world of performance music ...
I'd be talking to buckethead's boss right now asking him if the Uni had a tutor who knew how to teach a Fine Art degree.
Posted
Frankly Sylvia, it's insulting to the students and will instil no confidence both in this hapless tutor or the course, however, I am thinking 'Turner Prize' contender...
Seriously though, these students will be largely unemployable in any field of art bar teaching so this must be a worrying start for your GD. Sadly, as I have said in an earlier thread on drawing, this is how it is going in many of the colleges, luckily though, not all, my two old colleges still maintain and teach good solid and traditional skills, but that will be little comfort in her case.
Things may improve for her and her classmates, let's hope that there are at least a couple of sane tutors on board that have the ability to display good teaching skills.
Posted
When I was at college, many years ago, we were told if a tutor walks into a lecture theatre and says 'good morning':
If it is a technical college the students will write it down,
If it is a teacher training college the students will break up into groups and discuss it,
If it is a university the students will ignore it!
Maybe this tutor has developed his own strategy for overcoming the latter? But a metal tipped hammer, or a well heeled shoe, would be fun!
Posted
I wish I had the least faith in degrees in creative work, but I just haven't. I have known people with a degree in creative writing who couldn't write a shopping list; and fine artists with degrees whose incompetence is such as to leave you reeling. The point perhaps is to get your degree, which will stand you in good if unjustified stead when seeking work, but don't for one second take for granted that you have stopped learning or that your own investigations and work outside of the classroom or lecture hall should take second place either practically or theoretically.
However, the experience of being at college will be useful, you will make friends there, and contacts, and will be able to share your opinions of the lecturers. For good or ill.
Posted
I think it is far too pessimistic to state that students studying fine art degrees will be unemployable. Currently the courses offered in the newer combined universities are far more varied than when they were separate art school/technical colleges. One of my grand daughters graduated with a first from the University of Central England. She studied Interior Design and her degree show was a design for a 'space station' a forward looking project for when passengers could enrol and buy trips to outer space. At her degree show she was awarded a prize and a job offer from a company which works on large scale building projects worldwide. All of this shows there are art and design job opportunities in the city of Birmingham.
Edited
by robK2
Posted
I think that's well-observed, Rob - I have criticisms of individual courses and individual colleges, insofar of course as I know what's going on in any of them; but a degree is never a waste of time; and the contacts made are of great importance even if the course itself is of arguable value.
There are indeed jobs available to arts graduates, and they're simply unlikely to be available to unproven artists who are not. At the same time, I'm reasonably confident that when you were teaching, you never put a bucket on your head or removed your shoes in order either to make a point, or to distract attention from your presence. Left to myself, I think I'd invite that lecturer to move on to pastures new. In plumbing, perhaps..... or building work; where his pretentiousness would be the more cruelly exposed.
Posted
He survived longer than he would have done, if he didn't have one.
As far as I can tell, success in creative degrees, depends on the ability to produce something different to the rest. Whether this is good art or not is another matter. the ability to shock also seems to do well. Skill and expertise often go out the window at the expense of originality, so I can see the relevance of doing something unusual in the induction.
Being an old codger - it is not for me, but it is not me taking the degree.
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