Michel Hardy-Vallée
Membership Council
First, a little bit of grammar.
To do a PhD "in" photography is something rare, since Fine Arts diplomas (BFA and MFA), being practice-based diplomas, are usually terminal at the Master's level. I know of a few photographer friends who went on to a hybrid PhD later on, combining Art History and photographic practice, but they are few. Some universities have just begun to offer Fine Arts PhD.
For my part, I am about to start a "on" type of diploma this Fall. My topic is photography.
I have been accepted at Concordia University in Montreal in the Art History PhD program (an inter-university program, mixing students from other major universities in the province).
My thesis project is a critical appreciation of Canadian photographer John Max, who untwisted this mortal coil in May of this year.
There are plenty of things to say about Max, but I think the most important ones are: first, though he was recognized as one of the great (by people like Robert Frank, no less), there is very little published material about him, and no book of his pictures is in print; second, his work is an important landmark in the use of fiction and narration in photography. Finally, he is still very readable today, and worth a serious look.
It's a change for me, from a disciplinary point of view, since my BA and my MA are both in English, but it's nevertheless a very coherent continuation of my MA work on Graphic Novels. I moved from literature, to graphic narratives, to fiction and narration in photography!
There's a long way to go between now and getting that thesis out, and many, many things can change until then, but what I think is the most extraordinary thing right now is to be on that path, wherever it may lead.
Doing a PhD is often the kind of thing that is sorted in the "maybe" category, and can stay forever on the back burner. It's also a big elephant in one's life, and competes hard for your energies. Oh, and it doesn't guarantee you a job, either! But at least, it's a "now" reality for me.
I think I owe a shout out to the whole APUG community, among others, for having helped to nurture my interest in photography over the years, both as a practice and as an object of study. Yes, we keep wondering why our developer came out purple out of the tank, and which film is sharper when enlarged to 16x20, but I prefer to think of APUG as the rare photographic forum that truly cares about the art. Not just the hobby, the gear acquisition syndrome, and the prosumer, but really about the meaning and the expression, the history and future.
I will try to pass on interesting tidbits from the experience as they go along, should any of you be curious on the academic outlook on photography.
Some references:
The Stephen Bulger Gallery has good info on Max and a selection of photographs:
http://www.bulgergallery.com/dynamic/fr_artist.asp?ArtistID=28.
An excellent obituary (in French): http://www.ledevoir.com/culture/arts-visuels/322840/deces-du-photographe-john-max
A collection of materials on Max : http://aphelis.net/john-max-canadian-photographer-1937-2011/
To do a PhD "in" photography is something rare, since Fine Arts diplomas (BFA and MFA), being practice-based diplomas, are usually terminal at the Master's level. I know of a few photographer friends who went on to a hybrid PhD later on, combining Art History and photographic practice, but they are few. Some universities have just begun to offer Fine Arts PhD.
For my part, I am about to start a "on" type of diploma this Fall. My topic is photography.
I have been accepted at Concordia University in Montreal in the Art History PhD program (an inter-university program, mixing students from other major universities in the province).
My thesis project is a critical appreciation of Canadian photographer John Max, who untwisted this mortal coil in May of this year.
There are plenty of things to say about Max, but I think the most important ones are: first, though he was recognized as one of the great (by people like Robert Frank, no less), there is very little published material about him, and no book of his pictures is in print; second, his work is an important landmark in the use of fiction and narration in photography. Finally, he is still very readable today, and worth a serious look.
It's a change for me, from a disciplinary point of view, since my BA and my MA are both in English, but it's nevertheless a very coherent continuation of my MA work on Graphic Novels. I moved from literature, to graphic narratives, to fiction and narration in photography!
There's a long way to go between now and getting that thesis out, and many, many things can change until then, but what I think is the most extraordinary thing right now is to be on that path, wherever it may lead.
Doing a PhD is often the kind of thing that is sorted in the "maybe" category, and can stay forever on the back burner. It's also a big elephant in one's life, and competes hard for your energies. Oh, and it doesn't guarantee you a job, either! But at least, it's a "now" reality for me.
I think I owe a shout out to the whole APUG community, among others, for having helped to nurture my interest in photography over the years, both as a practice and as an object of study. Yes, we keep wondering why our developer came out purple out of the tank, and which film is sharper when enlarged to 16x20, but I prefer to think of APUG as the rare photographic forum that truly cares about the art. Not just the hobby, the gear acquisition syndrome, and the prosumer, but really about the meaning and the expression, the history and future.
I will try to pass on interesting tidbits from the experience as they go along, should any of you be curious on the academic outlook on photography.
Some references:
The Stephen Bulger Gallery has good info on Max and a selection of photographs:
http://www.bulgergallery.com/dynamic/fr_artist.asp?ArtistID=28.
An excellent obituary (in French): http://www.ledevoir.com/culture/arts-visuels/322840/deces-du-photographe-john-max
A collection of materials on Max : http://aphelis.net/john-max-canadian-photographer-1937-2011/
Congrats on getting accepted, and here's to hoping things go well for you in the studies!
