Page 47 - Studio International - October 1972
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history, a neurotic need for the academic   through faculty and students working in the   necessary dissolution of the institutions, they
         pervades, together with the feeling we should   community. In Dallas, Los Angeles, Kansas   never can be so.
         compensate for the lack of tradition within   City, Washington D.C., and many places in   Art education in Canada is no exception to
         European terms.                           America, art communities, artists and galleries   this. This is particularly tragic since Canada has
           Yet American art emerges from a different   emerge of importance to and relevance to   comparatively no cultural past to hold it back,
         sensitivity and situation, involved with   American art today.                       no heavy art history to crowd the vision. Canada
         processes and presentation rather than content   Potential and problems reflect the extremes   is all future. That is where the seeds of its
         and context. Although, of course, both these are   and contrasts of America. Concern gives way to   ultimate value for art lie. A few artists and
         important for the emergence of art in America.   change. Alternatives and attitudes opposed to   thinkers in Canada realize this, but in art
         American artists are almost in the position of   the academic and accepted continue through the   education the concept is simply ignored.
         creating instant history, without a restricting   challenges and changes within American art   Nevertheless because it is culturally a new
         tradition. The community wants to expose the   education today. q                    country, because of the energy and diversity of
         citizens to art and culture through local art   ROY SLADE                            its people and the thrust and energy of its major
         galleries and museums. Unlike in Europe,                                             cities, there is a good possibility that if the
         towns do not have old castles, ancient churches,   Art education in                  breakthrough in the new visual creativity is to
         and the ruins of history. In a pioneer country   Canada                             come, if there is any hope for a radical
         culture must be created. People seem to care                                        remodelling of education throughout the
         about art. The American artist can contribute to   Education in the form we have known it seems   system, this country is where it can happen. The
         identity and image, as can the institution.   to have had its day. It is no longer relevant; and   recent Wright Commission on Post-Secondary
           Many different institutions exist. Among   the futility, the lack of imagination and failure to   Education presented many bold and imaginative
         them is the museum school, situated in the   encourage intellectual daring and innovation has   proposals. Changes are afoot or being debated in
         larger city, which contributes, with the gallery,   caused many students and professors to abandon   other provinces outside Ontario. It is not naive
         to the cultural life of the community. The   the universities. Other teachers, themselves   optimism to say that change is on the way,
         Corcoran School of Art is a part of the   conditioned by the system, have no idea how to   though it would be foolish to assume it will occur
         Corcoran Gallery of Art, sharing the same   make the necessary changes and some may even   overnight. In some ways I should be the last
         trustees and building. In the last century   have been unaware of the need for change. Art   person to hold out any hope for art education in
         W. W. Corcoran founded the Gallery 'to    education is a part of this wasteland and has   Canada. In June of this year a well-organized
         promote and encourage the American genius'.   long been so.                         coup in the governing Council forced my
         The founder wrote that a school 'should do   The alternative for education is art, creativity,   resignation as president of the Ontario College
         much to further national prosperity and enhance   that special quality of mosaic, non-linear visual   of Art, the largest and oldest college of art in
         the national reputation'. Far sighted aims for   learning. It is not usually to be found in art   Canada.
         nearly one hundred years ago.             schools or colleges. Instead art education today   In one year we had totally restructured the
           The Corcoran School of Art is just one such   is a mindless affair, entropic, cautious, tedious   curriculum, redefined the aims and goals of the
         museum school, and is self-supporting, not   and as far as any sense of growth in human   college, taken on nearly forty new faculty artists
         funded by local or federal government,    personality and awareness is concerned, simply   and thinkers from a wide range of disciplines —
         unthinkable in Britain. Other schools were often   dangerous. It keeps the individual student   mathematics, mysticism, behaviour sciences,
         founded before the museum and have a long   locked into the past, compartmentalized in the   literature, planning and so forth, and brought
         tradition from the last century. In rural   present and shut up in himself. There is no   vitality and meaning into what, by general
         America there are many huge universities   sense of inventing problems, inventing    agreement, had long been an inert and dying
         situated and isolated in small towns. Many   alternatives — structures, systems, images or   institution. I have no wish here to sing the
         universities have large and thriving art   human relationships; no sense of inventing the   praises of what we accomplished in that short
         departments. Such institutions, particularly if   future. Art education is still concerned with   time. Nor am I bitter about the destructive term
         accredited, are funded by foundations and the   examining and reflecting experience rather than   of events, having spent many years after the
         federal government. Divergence and        creating new experiences. There is no sense of   Ealing experiment battling with educational
         differences in every way characterize American   thrust, tracking down the unknown and   inertia in England. Though I am sad for the
         art education.                            exploring the frontiers of visual thinking. The   many brilliant teachers who identified
           As far as developments within the studio are   art schools and departments of art have, for the   themselves during that period, and for the open
         concerned, these reflect all the latest fads and   most part, rigid archaic structures based on the   and adventurous students who give much
         fashions of Art Fashion. Students are working   old guild and craft divisions of labour — painting,   promise for the future of Canadian art.
         with video, electronics, events, and the Earth. At   sculpture, graphics, dress and so forth. The   What we were developing at OCA was taken
         the same time students have a stubborn interest   courses are technique-based and    by many as a model of what might happen in
         in the academic, reflecting of the conservative   technique-dominated.               other institutions across Canada — given, that is,
         conformity apparent in America. Also an     These institutions are not seen as whole   that one could overcome the bureaucracy and
         interest in crafts, through the hippy culture,   systems and are not designed as interactive   academic bloody-mindedness of administrators,
         reflects an inherent desire for a return to basic   organisms capable of change and growth. They   faculty associations and other institutional
         values and human survival.                do not breathe life. There is no vision in visual   inhibitors. At OCA we had a headstart with the
           A recent development is the emergence   education. The colleges could be triggers to   support of the provincial government, the
         of art communities throughout America. New   cultural and social change; seeds planted in cities   goodwill of the media and the enthusiasm of the
         York may still dominate as the market place of   to change the living situation, models of new   art community. We were defeated ultimately,
         art but art activity, diversity, and creativity   worlds, generating new human values. Of course,   partly by fear of the unknown on the part of the
         increase throughout the continent. The art   they are not, and without radical restructuring   technique-bound teachers and partly by a
         schools and institutions are furthering this    and rethinking of the entire system, and the    residual body of dedicated reactionaries anxious
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