Page 16 - Studio International - November 1968

As with everything American, it is difficult sag such incidents may seem extreme, but
to generalize, yet inevitable. The country is a they do reflect a conservatism and con-
continent, full of differences and extremes, formity so evident in America.
and without a national structure of education Of course, the great problem is finance, as
as we know it in Britain. art schools are not financed by the Federal
There are art schools, art institutes, art Government. Many schools are finding it
departments in universities and state col- difficult to survive; some are closing. Art
leges, museum schools—all with different schools depend on endowments and other
structures, finance, entrance requirements, gifts along with fees from students, so that
courses and standards. Through personal quantity becomes more important than
Up theAmerican experience in teaching, and visits to over quality.
forty art institutions throughout America,
The Art department of the university has to
vanishing point during the last year, it was this variation that conform to the narrow confines of the
was most obvious and confusing. Within academic system, concerned with credits,
these seemingly endless variations was one grades, production and achievement; a
similarity, the emphasis on the academic system not sympathetic to true education,
study of art, with every institution continuing particularly within the visual arts. Faced
Roy Slade
to teach anatomy, perspective, watercolour, with this situation many departments appoint
oils, modelling, sketching, life drawing and art historians to give the subject
all such subjects, all taught separately, and, respecta-bility and concern themselves with
unfortunately, usually within the narrow out-dated subject matter and restrictive teaching.
confines and traditions of yesterday. All this seems to satisfy the university
Such study means that there is a real dis- authorities, who always think of art first
crepancy between the studio of the school when it comes to financial cut-back. As one
and the studio of the artists, between the chairman of a mid-West university art
work being done in the school and the art department commented, 'art patronage goes
being exhibited in the galleries and museums. to museums concerned with investment in
American art needs no introduction to the objects, rather than in schools and people,
British public, who are fully aware, through because people can talk back'.
exhibitions and magazines, of current trends, The structure, appointment and salary of
often before the Americans themselves. The faculty is very different from Britain. Posts
work of the schools comes as a great sur- are not advertised, as the country is too
prise, however, and reveals virtually un- large, and there is no national press. Appli-
known aspects of America. cants write not for a particular post, but for
One subject is of particular fascination : the any job. Contracts can be by the semester or
drawing of the figure. The emphasis on this year, and come up for annual review. Re-
becomes paranoic and pathetic, for there is newal of contract can depend on many
no real tradition of life painting as we factors : number of students, satisfaction of
know it in Europe. There seems to be a students and authorities, or the whim of the
determination to compensate for this, so Dean. At a university art department it is
that there is 'overkill' of the figure. The most possible to get tenure, after some years at the
absurd fact is that, in the Southern States, department, if elected and ratified by one's
by State law, the model is not allowed to be colleagues. In such an archaic system there
nude. She wears a bathing suit or leotards, must be sympathy for the faculty members,
yet the students have to draw her as though who have to be careful and abide by the
she were nude. One daring lecturer in system. Little wonder that open argument
Alabama did get a male and female model,- and creative experimentation are difficult if
both nude, in the same studio, but there was not dangerous.
objection to this, even though the models The salary of each faculty member is
were wax dummies. In Florida, a faculty decided by the Dean, for there is no national
member commented ruefully that all his salary scale. The variation in salary is great,
students drew the breasts pointing skywards, not from one institution to the other, but
not realizing that without the support of within each department itself. Many salaries
bikini or bra the body may have a natural are low, particularly outside richer universi-

Contributors to this issue Roy Slade, painter and senior lecturer in the Fine Ian Dunlop is art critic of the Evening Standard.
Art Department, Leeds College of Art, has recently
returned from a year in America. He was awarded a David Thompson, formerly art critic for The Times,
Fulbright Travel Grant and was Professor in Painting writes regularly for Queen and Studio International.
at the Corcoran School of Art, Washington.
Gene Baro, a frequent contributor to Studio
Jasia Reichardt is assistant director of the Institute Inter-national, also contributes to Art International, The
of Contemporary Arts and a regular contributor to London Magazine and other periodicals, and is Lon-
Studio International. don Correspondent of Arts Magazine and Art in
America.