This summer, Topics students talked a little about whether or not it was a good idea for artists to begin exhibiting while they are still in grad school. The panel at the beginning of the summer - and the article in the New York Times about "hot" grad programs had no doubt gotten a few people thinking, but when I saw an interview with Chuck Close (whose self-portrait appears at right - see, we're getting all artblog with the images!) in the current CAA News, I thought I should post a little bit for everyone to consider.
What do you think of students exhibiting their work before they graduate?
Part of the problem is that schools require students to make consistent work instead of encouraging them to bash around and try a lot of different ideas and different styles. Young artists should resist zeroing in on their vision so early…
I absolutely believe and always have believed that artists shouldn't go public with work until they are ready to lay their necks on the line - which means that anything an artist did before going public is nobody's business. But the minute you decide to go public, an artist sets a specific trajectory and seems to truncate other options. I think it is really good to bang around for a while and really be sure you can love with the work that you make for a long time before you decide to show it.
2 comments:
Can you really know what you'll be doing in 10 years? It might be less about knowing what you're in love with at the time and more about possesing confidence in the knowledge of who you've become - assuming you attain an understanding of yourself at some point in your education.
The most anyone can do is achieve a better understanding of the lay of the land through self-knowledge – no one can know how they'll traverse it. You can plan your next step – and after taken – the terrain will appear different.
-Richard B. Cheney
(statement taken in the tank after his 3rd drunk driving arrest)
Define "young artist".
It appears to me that grad student implies fresh out of undergrad - a 20 something.
But many of us on the Uarts program have been
out of undergrad and showing our work for some time. I imagine this is the case in many grad schools- especially those set up for working adults.
Although I agree with that experimentation is a valid approach- why not do it in the public eye. What's the worst that could happen? A bad review?
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