"One's life begins on so many occasions, constructing itself out of accidents derived from coincidence compounded by character (only the last is ordained, if it is ordained)."
-Donald Hall, from Unpacking the Boxes
Over the years, I have received a lot of opinions about potters going to graduate school. Just last post,
Dan Finnegan brought this question up again. There really is no answer, just as there no answer to what a correctly made pot is. I have heard people with MFA's describe non-degreed potters as envious, and working potters describe academics as poor makers.
Working potters tend to feel like they earn their bread more honestly and academic potters seem more willing to embrace conceptual pots. I'm generalizing here. The grass does always seem to be greener on the other side of the fence.
Would you trade your health insurance for more time in the studio? Do you require financial security over independance? Do you make things that people want to buy? Are you an excellent teacher? Have you got a bad back? Debt? Can't stand young people? How much do you even want to think about the objects you make? In what context? Potters don't need to go to graduate school. Everyone needs different things in order to continue producing at a high level. Maybe you need a new roof more than a challenging change in artistic direction? Teachers and working potters are both vulnerable to life's necessities sneaking into their artistic work. An MFA also does not equal teaching at the college level. In light of these questions, i'm going to post most of my letter of intent to actually get into school. I had never seen one of these before writing mine, so maybe this will open up the attic door a bit:
"Rather than narrow my focus, I will broaden my perspectives by taking risks and exploring old and new work in order to better inform my own practice. I have been influenced by David Pye’s book, The Nature and Art of Workmanship, in which he refers to two types of working: “the craftsmanship of certainty,” and “the craftsmanship of risk.” I have come to believe that a sustainable studio practice requires a balance of both. I want to use my time in an MFA program to take more risks that will in turn influence the balance of these vital elements in my own studio.
At the same time, I am hungry for the opportunity to articulate and defend the aspects of pottery that I find essential. This will help me to identify and shed the non-essential and build skills to crystallize how I think about my work. I will examine the historical context in which my work falls, explore themes beyond utility, and further investigate brushwork as a surface treatment. In researching these avenues, I will evolve as a craftsman and produce work that more accurately reflects my vision.
Functional pottery seems abundantly relevant to me and requires little or no internal justification. However, in the past several years I have found myself in communities that are largely indifferent to the handmade object. In collaboration with the faculty and other students, I want to investigate the cultural relevance of making utilitarian work.
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a professional potter. I believe that craftsmanship and thoughtful making are the foundations not only of a successful studio practice but also of a rich life. For the first time, I know that I am prepared to enter an MFA program. I want to ask difficult questions of my pots, stretch intellectually, and incorporate new sources of inspiration into my work."
So there it is. Could one have accomplished all this at home in three years? Perhaps. I knew that I couldn't. I don't know why other potters go to graduate school, but there are my reasons. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year.
Aaron
4 comments:
I've been wanting to push you (and a few others that have recently gone back) about your reasoning for pursuing your Masters.
I am one of the envious. I've long put academia and hard work up on a pedestal, but I also see the reality that it's up to us to create change and growth. Sure, external catalysts are helpful, but change ultimately has to come from within. I guess it's up to each of us to set-up the conditions for motivated pursuit of a new ideals. Guess it's really hard to find a good, well meant butt kick'n when you really need one too, eh?
One request... post more images of the world you've immersed yourself in. You're on an adventure... Share it please!
Everyone has their reason for going to grad school. Growth is certainly a legitimate reason. I think the most common is to be able to teach out of fear that they might not be able to hack it on their work alone. I'm doing it to teach...I already have a teaching gig but I had to obtain my masters to stay. I don't think I would have pursued it otherwise. The crits have def been an eye opener...it's really good to be in that enviornment sometimes, see and hear and do things you wouldn't otherwise...growth in a community without real world restrictions, it's great.
It seems the days of the apprenticeship are waning and the replacement is the MFA...not sure that this is a suitable substitute. I agree with Dans point that potters don't need an mfa, I think the reason most pursue it is because they don't have a solid body of work/experience to jump from academia to the real world. They want more experience, more crit, more time to delve in without restriction. Unfortunately academia is a bubble that rarely gives a glimpse of real life. Slip cast doll heads may be genius in grad school... Academia doesn't adequately prepare students to be potters. Given the cost of everything nowadays, what is the choice? MFA or an apprenticechip.
I don't think you need to make/give any excuses for going to grad school, so long as it's not a cop out of some sort, which given your letter of intent, it isn't.
Well put, Brandon. I also feel sheltered, in a good way, from the demands of the marketplace. It is hard to make a living just selling pots. I say the more tools you have in your belt, the better.
I think the whole MFA thing blurs the real question which,(in my opinion,) is "What does it take to turn an amateur into a professional? (in the best sense of the word...) There are many people who have natural talent with no sense of history or craftmanship. There are historians or technicians with little talent. Being able to express oneself is not the problem. Being able to express oneself in a way that is useful, evocative, ethical, technically sound, collegial, etc. is the measure of the professional. It might take an MFA to get an academic job, but the measure of the program has everything to do with the program's final product, (and not the art), the artist. The measure of the non-academic potter should be the same via a mentor or an apprenticeship.
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