Page 17 - Studio International - November 1968

ties. The College assumes that faculty are screens, skeletons, plaster casts, anatomy Breder at the University of Iowa with his
practising artists, making their living through charts, and the dusty still life, with plastic illusions of infinity in aluminium and pers-
art rather than teaching, and this is very flowers and nailed objects. In the class are pex. A colourful happening by girls in cos-
possible with the opulent patronage of students of every age, from seventeen to tumes of phantasy at the Corcoran School of
America. Therefore, some staff regard their seventy : veterans, housewives, amateurs, Art, Washington DC. The private collection of
teaching as of minor importance, treating undergraduates and diploma students. All paintings and sculpture of Vance Kirkland
the school as an atelier where their presence full of honest endeavour but faced with many of the University of Denver. An exhibition of
as an artist is sufficient inspiration. problems : timetables, lessons, hours, credits negro poverty, photographed by a negro, in
The students differ also, especially in their and grades: studying each subject, or just the art gallery of the University of Alabama.
previous art education. Unlike the British one, a few hours a week. Never being Students discussing their work, and explain-
system of art in schools, from primary allowed to leave work out, but putting ing their aims, at the Tyler School of Art,
through secondary, there is no national everything away in racks and cupboards Pennsylvania. Faculty of the California State
system in America. It is not unusual to find after each lesson, as different classes will Colleges with exhibitions of crazy ceramics
art, as a subject, non-existent or poorly use the studio in the mornings, afternoons, and funk forms. An open forum of students
established in a school. Sympathy must be evenings and Saturdays. In the university of art, architecture and music at Auburn
felt not only for the pupil but for the faculty the student may have many subjects and has University, Alabama.
of the art school, frequently faced with to abide by the timetable; art history is of In Manhattan, no way representative of
students totally ignorant or ill-informed slides, postcards and reproductions ; practi- America, there are sculptures in the streets;
about art. Entry requirements vary con- cal work, fitted in for a few hours, becomes happenings in museums; EAT—Experiments
siderably. Some schools accept anyone. the acquisition of technical knowhow. These in Art and Technology; SMS, 'a portable
British art was as familiar there as American are the worst extremes. For there is growing gallery of contemporary hyper-awareness',
art is here, but there was ignorance of the awareness, and, among younger faculty published by the Letter Edged in Black
British art school, its methods and approach. and older students, unrest. There are ideas, Press; and involvement with intermedia, and
My many lectures became increasingly con- imagination and ability. Emerging are works all the possibilities that offer in art and
cerned with this aspect of the British art in new media; light, sound and movement: education.
scene, particularly the progressive work of in some schools, almost surreptitiously, There should be discussion, for argument is
the Fine Art Department of Leeds College of amongst the pencil sketches and water- sorely missed in America : one only has time
Art. There was genuine interest in the colour views. Schools are attempting to to be right. With distances so great, discus-
work and attitude. Although some faculty reconcile the many demands made on them, sion is difficult. There is a feeling of isolation,
showed open resentment, many were sym- and to meet many problems; inevitably, although this has its advantages.
pathetic, if not openly, then privately, for among them, finance. Art departments are To the artist, this lack of communication
their tenure was not secure. The students had attempting to establish their independence often provides the opportunity for long
no such reserve, and, even if not, in total and individual purpose. The difficulties are periods of concentrated work. This single-
agreement, would comment on everything : many, but so are the opportunities in a minded purpose and persistence is very
joy at seeing no easels; astonishment at wealthy country. apparent among American artists. Along
materials and equipment; excitement with There are those who do care. In all parts of with patronage, isolation could be one of
the work ; amazement at the permissiveness ; the country there is evidence of awareness the reasons for the strength of American
happiness with happenings and events; and and involvement: California has state col- Art. With patronage comes competition, an
envy at the opportunities available. All stu- leges where art departments are attempting inclination towards jealous guarding of new
dents were acutely interested and eager to to relate art to technology, the humanities ideas and a stimulation towards production
know more. Appreciated as much as any- and other disciplines. At Kansas City Art of work. There are real opportunities for the
thing was my willingness to talk, discuss, Institute huge sculptures on the campus and artists, unheard-of here. An artist can exist
and argue informally. For the relationship projects concerned with vast earth-moving on art alone, with teaching a secondary
between faculty and students, particularly schemes as sculptural form. The Art and activity—another reason for the present
outside the studio, can be very formal, Technology group in Los Angeles including situation, and for the discrepancy between
especially by British standards. artists, engineers, musicians, film makers, the art school and the art scene.
In the corridors of certain art schools one chemists, and even a dentist. Graduate Finding such discrepancies shows how
sees tired nude sketches in pencil ; conté students of the School of Art of the Institute dangerous preconceptions can be, for from
copies of the Swiss Alps from post cards; of Chicago with work in felt, plastics, metals, the experience of American art, one would
lifelike portraits of ladies in evening dress ; wood, lights, film, slides, movement, kine- expect a Utopian Art School situation. As
drawings showing how to shade properly; tics, psychedelia. Happenings and events in should be realized this is not so, and, al-
ballpoint scribbles of bony anatomy; and California. Progressive work at the Maryland though there is much evidence of change,
the vanishing lines of endless perspectives. Institute of Art. A brilliant lecture on Ameri- the pencil and easel could still symbolize
In the studios are the easels, thrones, can Art Education by Dan Flavin. Hans many American art schools.
q

Peter Schmidt, born in Berlin in 1931, studied at Gallery, and has just returned from Canada where he on a book on de Stijl ; Edward Lucie-Smith the
Goldsmith's College and the Slade School and since was one of the international jury judging the exhibits writer; Cyril Barrett, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy
1958 has taught at Watford School of Art. He has had for Canadian Artists '68. at Warwick University and a frequent contributor to
one-man shows at the Beaux Arts Gallery, Curwen art magazines; and Stephen Willatts the artist,
Gallery and Galerie Hans Mayer, Stuttgart. Dore Ashton, the American critic, is a regular con- who works in London and is Editor of Control maga-
tributor to Studio International. zine.
Andrew Forge is Head of the Painting Department
at Goldsmith's College. Charles Harrison is assistant editor of Studio Inter- Correction
national. In an advertisement for Redmark Gallery on page xii
William Turnbull, the sculptor, has had exhibitions London commentaries are by Paul Overy, who of our October issue Ruocco's name was misspelt.
recently at Waddington Gallery and the Hayward reviews art for The Listener and is currently working