So the driving question of last night was "what does that mean?"-- I'll tell you more. So I was at the Department of Art Education dinner last night and we had a guest attendee by the name of Jerome Hausman. This amazing man was the first editor of the wonderful scholarly journal "Studies in Art Education". He spoke briefly to the whole group about how the future of art education is in our hands- (he was very inspiring and I felt like running home to make a valient attempt to save the world). However at the end of the dinner I approached him to share what an honor it was to hear him speak and how essays from that journal are referenced all throughout my thesis. I asked him if he had any advice on my research topic-- and he said something that I need to keep in mind as I develop my research is that the most remarkable thing during his career in art education is that he witnessed such a change in what it means to be an artist. I feel that I have this discussion often when I am at work and we discuss it in certain classes, but to hear him point this out as one of the paramount changes in the field of art education was really exciting. We then went on to discuss that although being an artist is now rooted in many definitions, disciplines, outcomes, etc., however it is so important to remember what being an artist meant in the past. I seem to be concluding that weaving this historical lesson into the contemporary practice of art education in creative and engaging ways is of paramount necessity.
Oh and the house where this wonderful conversation took place was amazing- built entirely through the use of green technology. It was featured in the New York Times so take a look:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/03/12/garden/0313-CHICAGO_index.html
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Jerry is a fantastic guy and a true gem in the field. His stories are hilarious and inspiring, and I'm glad you got a chance to chat with him.
ReplyDeleteI think that for lots of folks, answering the question 'what is art' and therefore also 'am i an artist?' is the key to moving forward their personal practice. it doesn't really matter what the answer is, as long as you answer the question for yourself, and place that at the heart of your work. your practice is exactly that, YOUR practice, and because it complements, contradicts, and echoes the practice of others, we can have a field of art education that engages everyone in conversation. Wouldn't it be boring if everyone did the same thing and thought the same way?
this is really on my mind right now. both for my personal practice and for my thesis on teaching artists. thank you for sharing this and ray, for your comment as well.
ReplyDeletewasn't that show and tell dinner fun??? :)
Very inspiring.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I do wonder why I'm never invited to Art Ed Dept stuff... was this for everyone?
Thanks for sharing this. I had to miss the dinner and appreciate the recap.
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