Page 30 - Studio International - April 1972

Liberal existed in the classroom between those involved university and went to New York under a
in playing out the rules. I think each person had painting scholarship, to the Brooklyn Museum
art university notions about the interrelationships existing School. One negative aspect that is very
within the class and the rest of the school before apparent to me about my time spent in the
experiences: the game was played out, but the rule structure university art department is that I became
helped make these relationships more apparent. overly involved in the attitudes and methods of
David Askevold This is one example of my having set up a one painter there, to such an extent that my
situation for myself and for the students; at the attitudes about art-making started becoming too
in same time I thought it rather presumptuous of provincial. A frequent problem in art schools is
me to set up all of the problems or projects that they lack the direct referential contact with
conversation throughout the whole year, so I initiated a policy other disciplines. The advantages of an art
of inviting artists who were involved in art- school for me was that a period of time was my
with looked at my role as mediator; since art-making is own, to set up for myself working/problematic
making to set situations for the students. Then I
habits. That cannot be considered a general rule
Paul McMahon in one context and art information is in another, for art schools, since there still exist strong
one of the things I felt I could do best was to offer
opinions on production of a particular kind
information about what was going on currently within a course and attitudes of keeping everyone
in advanced art. The best way to do this was to busy with something within the studio. Ideally,
invite the artists themselves, and so avoid an art school should provide time for the student
second-hand interpretations. I also wanted to to become self-interested, and should provide
avoid a singular point of view which is inevitable enough thought-provoking information
if one person is dealing with a group of students referring to his own sensibilities. Since each
throughout an entire year. studio case is situational, there are no rules for
It simply made more sense to me not to talk type and quantity of production. I have
extensively about, and show slides of work by, encouraged, in my teaching, a neutral studio
artists who interested me, when they themselves space, not relegated or designed for a particular
were prepared to visit for a period of time. Visits kind or method of production.
to the school ranged from a few days to a few I have regarded it as a meeting place and
months, and included talks to students in the not an individual production space although it
relevant courses. Second-hand interpretations, can be used for that. I dislike the factory aspect
meaning no direct personal contact with the of studios which restrict someone to carry out
material itself or with the artist, were thus partly his activities in one place that is designated for
avoided through these invitations. Garry one activity, and overseen by someone in charge.
Kennedy, the President of the College and Gerry A studio run this way can be a convenient
Ferguson, past Head of Art History Studies, production operation, but for positive art-making
and present Director of the lithography has little relevance.
workshop, were well aware of the geographical Ideally each course's time and the interval
isolation of the school and recognized the benefits between meetings should be determined by how
and the validity of personal contact with much has to be said or stated, to whom, where
practising artists, and so helped make this and by whom. I can recall times when some
programme feasible and workable. classes were disastrous simply because the
This year five artists are conducting the weekly meeting shouldn't have taken place.
projects course, each staying for five weeks, People visiting my class made it easier for me,
which I think allows students enough time to in terms of organizing the presentation,
become familiar with the approach of each, and descriptions or explanations of material, and
also allows the person directing the course time also helped regulate meeting times.
enough to determine what he can or cannot do As a student in a liberal arts college art
[In this article David Askevold particularly with that particular group of people/students in department, what are some ofyour thoughts,
refers to his experiences at Nova Scotia School of the time. Just how successfully this will work out, Paul, concerning classroom/studio aspects ?
Art and Design, Halifax where he has been without one person there all the time as a Pm : I spent a period of time in a drawing and
teaching.] mediator, will be determined by the total effect painting course which was very structured. It
on the students who have been there the full demanded regular attendance and regular
PAUL McMAHON: Why have an interview ? year. production of work by me according to quite
DAVID ASKEVOLD: To clarify some of my ideas PM: Why should a person go to an art school as specific assignments. There was a lot of drawing
concerning my mixed role as an artist and as a opposed to a liberal arts college ? from life, something which I was not really
teacher. DA: I don't think I can answer that in any interested in. I am required as a student to take
PM: What are you trying to get across ? What absolute sense since the fact exists that artists a certain number and a distribution of courses to
kind of inflow, information to go out ? come from diverse educational backgrounds and graduate and this was the main reason for taking
DA: The information right now can begin from refer to numerous sources, including preceding this course. I do not believe that I should be left
the artist/teacher—good/bad graph. Can you do and present art. entirely alone by the school, but I don't see the
both things equally well, or can you make PM: What do you feel you got out of both art and point of required work which does not relate to
teaching more analogous to art-making, or liberal art schools (both good and bad) ? one's interests. The course was basically about
should they be two separate activities ? My far- DA : My liberal art university experiences skills which were not very challenging, nor
sight-near-spot game is an example of an exercise involved some concentrated studies in other encouraging to some of my ideas. A thought
in visual diplomacy, which I think was fairly fields, especially anthropology. It wasn't until I about the difficulty of forming a class oriented to
successful in dealing with aspects of competition had made the decision that I wanted to be contemporary art ideas at a liberal arts college is
winning and losing— attributes that already engaged full time in art-making that I left the that the amount of interested and knowledgeable

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