That's why I got a day job that matched my needs as an artist. I have a gallery that take 50%. Still a lot better than 100% of nothing.
That's why I got a day job that matched my needs as an artist. I have a gallery that take 50%. Still a lot better than 100% of nothing.The art world is a difficult one in which to make a living. Sure there are the super-stars whose work hauls in $$$, but they mostly burn out quickly. A lot of the high prices paid for art never goes to the artist. The gallery takes half, the artist in most cases gets zilch for resales if he or she is lucky enough to have made work that appreciates in value.....
... A can of soup better have more to it than just a fancy label.
You seem pretty angry and bitter about the whole experience...
I never met an art teacher who didn't bore me, with the exception of my aunt, who, despite her fame, did her best not to leverage me. Like I already hinted, I did enjoy certain Art History lectures. But I've always done far better at self-learning than any formal program, and realize that's not the case with everyone. I just find a lot of Art Academia to be highly pretentious. And I've had museum people poking fun at their own highbrow profession right at my own dinner table. Just another paycheck. That's why I avoided art as a formal career. I don't want anyone telling me what to do or how to do it. That would defeat the whole purpose.
If anyone mentions Warhol again I'm going to barf. He had his time and place, but now he's just another migraine commodity all over the place, and I'm sick of hearing the same ole stuck record, and seeing the same ole soup cans, over and over and over and over again. I could mention a photographer or two I'm utterly sick of too, but will defer lest I step on someone's favorite stuck record.
My aunt had four phD's, taught Art History and technique at major universities, had her own work in major museums in both the US and Europe
I never met an art teacher who didn't bore me, with the exception of my aunt, who, despite her fame, did her best not to leverage me.
I just find a lot of Art Academia to be highly pretentious.
That's why I avoided art as a formal career.
Really jawarden? If you think this Buffalo is going to run out of chips...What were her PhDs in? I'd like to see her work if you can share a link.
That's sad. I've found "art teachers" to be interesting, interested, connected people that care about the development of their students as people and artists. I guess we hang in different circles.
What did you do instead?
I checked wiki and that site and both report one MFA rather than the four PhDs you mentioned which is an odd omission for such an incredible accomplishment! This thread is about arts education and its value - one MFA makes a lot of sense for an artist (just my opinion), while four PhDs makes little sense to me for a practicing artist like your aunt. That's why I was wondering what all those PhDs were about.but a brief web synopsis on her life is at muralist.org.
. . . . .. I judge things with my eyes first; and if a teacher or curator doesn't do the same, they get darn little respect from me. I'm not against words combined with pictures. But nothing makes me despise academic art careers more than fishing expeditions on paper, that is, non-photographic paper - empty pretentious "art-speak". A can of soup better have more to it than just a fancy label.
jwarden - it's a secondary site by one of her students. Ask the Smithsonian, the Tate, the Whitney, the MMA. Ask any serious fresco artist in the entire world. Those phD's were picked up as a hobby while she was teaching, a teaching role she already had due to her fame as a muralist. She was already teaching art history before her phD in it etc etc. Do you know what the WPA was?
I agree with that and the large format images that you share are an excellent example of how it can be done Vaughn. It's not about showing the last amount of tiny detail, it's about sharing what you're up to and what interests you as a photographer. I figure if sharing images online is good enough for major museums and artists then it's probably good enough for me too.When people post images here, I pay more attention to the image composition than to the imaging-quality on the nuance-destroying computer screen. It is an unfortunate situation, but it does stress the photographers' skill in image-making rather than their PhotoShop efforts/skill in getting images into the net.
I would consider an art program to be valid and valuable path for the self-taught. It can also be a pleasant way to spend several years for those who just wish to be taught. I got a BS in Natural Resources Mgt, but worked for a couple decades or so for an Art Department at a CA State University where I ran the photo facilities for a photo program...about 125 to 150 students per semester in our photo classes. Programs can provide access to equipment and facilities difficult for an individual to have/maintain. And access to experienced photographers -- both in the form of advanced students and of visiting artists/teachers.
Colleges just provide the opportunity to learn -- how much a student learns and benefits from a program is tied directly to the amount of work they are willing to put in to it -- and a willingness to interact with the instructors and fellow students in a positive manner. It was easy for me to know which students were turned on by photography...they kept coming back to me for advice after sending them back into the darkroom to try it lighter/darker, more/less contrast...or asking them silly questions like "What do YOU want it to look like?" or "Why did you click the shutter?" The most fun part of the job.
I am a bit shy, so as a student, I did not pull as much out of my professors as I could have, though they were good enough teachers to make sure I got enough (Tom Knight and Thomas J. Cooper). Later as the lab tech, I made an effort to connect a little with the quieter students...I was around the darkroom more often the professors, and fortunately I enjoyed answering questions, demonstrating how to use equipment, and so forth. So make sure you use us!!!
I found the students who had the roughest time and usually ended up being the most disappointed were those who came into the program to have their image of themselves validated, rather than to learn.
Tom -- I was there starting in '72, but did not take photo classes until '77...graduated in '81. I was there when Cooper came back after his MFA to teach a few semesters before he headed off and started the photo program at Uni of Glasgow. Did you ever meet Harris?
Drew -- I believe Tom was referring to museum and gallery websites sharing images with the public. Hopefully they do not 'improve' the images with excessive saturation and sharpening.
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