Part II of II: Are apprenticeships realistic in 2008?
15 September 2008 4 Comments
By now you’re wondering what installment one of this short series had to do with apprenticeships.
I’ve mentioned the idea of apprenticeships for artists a few times before, but haven’t really fleshed out my thoughts on the idea yet.
I regularly wonder why and how apprenticeships more or less died off. It seems to me that such an opportunity to study for a given period of time under one or more master craftsmen would offer an educational experience on par with that of a university. Don’t get me wrong, I loved college (though I was ready to be done with UNL when I graduated). I miss it and want to go back; hence all the talk here on the blog about an MFA. But what I liked most about college happened outside of the classroom.
Sure, you’ll say, it’s that way for a lot of people. But I didn’t drink and philander like the people you might be thinking of, and it was still a blast.
Moving on.
The one aspect a lot of university programs falter on is the practical. They’re great when it comes to exploring theoretical concepts, but getting down and dirty with the nitty gritty details of how things come into being usually lacks. For instance, as an architecture student, none of the courses in the program actually taught us how to go out and put up a building. None of my graphic design classes, after I changed majors, taught me how that poster I threw together actually goes to and comes off of a press. (I was fortunate enough to work in the pressroom on campus, though, and learned this on my own.) And, despite all the good things I have to say about the University of Nebraska’s ceramics department, I wasn’t taught a lot of the technical aspects of ceramics.
This despite taking a semester-long course called “Technical Ceramics” (which was more specifically a glaze-making class). Not once was I show how to fire a kiln. Granted, I didn’t take every class in the ceramics emphasis, but I took most.
I get the sense that someone in an old-fashioned apprenticeship will not miss out on learning some of these more basic aspects of a craft. An apprentice starts out as the grunt, and learns as he goes along. This, of course, may leave a person weak in the creative and theory departments compared to their college-bound counterparts, depending on the ability of the employer to teach.
But they’ll probably know how to fire a kiln without blowing up all of its contents.
A final note, college is becoming — indeed already is — prohibitively expensive for many people. Some of these people might be incredible assets to parts of culture, but they might not be able to influence those said parts without a proper education. Will we begin to see viable alternatives to universities as a means to higher education in the near future as the cost of college continues to rise so much more than inflation? Or will the proliferation of a debt-strapped culture win the day as we carry more and more student loans into our adult lives?
I learned almost no craft in undergrad art school (University of Texas). Quite a bit more in grad school University of Iowa) in certain subjects, none in others. I always found this disconcerting. i am all in favor of apprenticeships and would happily work with younger artists to share my knowledge.
I also have thought it would be advantageous to teach artist a trade at the same time they are learning art skills. Who can make a living coming right out of art school unless you teach, and those jobs are far and few? If you could come out of school and work part time as a plumber or electricians assistant, or a locksmith, etc. Some job that paid a living wage. You could work half time making enough money to live and still have time and energy to paint half time. Instead most college art graduates end up getting a minimum wage job having to work their butts of just to barely make ends meet and paint in their spare time. That is really hard to do and most people finally give up. I have worked as a billboard painter, a dept. store window dresser, house painter, taxi driver, plumbing and hardware salesman, shipping clerk, offset press operator, purchasing agent and building manager. I have always worked full-time since I got out of school and painted in my spare time.
That’s a good idea Jim, a direction I hadn’t thought of. I’ve also had a bunch of different jobs (painter, construction, pressroom grunt, mowing lawns, landscaping etc) though most of them at this point in my life had been summer jobs in between school years.
Being fluent enough in graphic design, I could possibly use this trade like the ones you suggested half-time. Friends of mine in NE are doing something similar which they explain here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl-ZwXxM7mI
Shameless plug, that video is one I helped produce for the missions mobilizer I work with as we try to get our long-term mission website, PreparingToGo.com up and running.
Jim, your experience mirrors mine. My art education was heavily conceptual, with very little focus on craft or improving one’s skills.
I have to say, I got more technical help (craft) in my undergrad years than during my graduate work.
I would also be happy to work with some younger artists, but scheduling is the tricky part. I think there needs to be an element of mentoring in any respectable art program – someone who takes the time and trouble to learn about the student and help them discover what kind of artist they really are.
Most instructors just don’t have time for that. Or don’t take time.
I got lucky and learned a fair amount about construction and detailing while I was in school. Not a lot, not a lot at all, but we had to think through at least a couple details on each project. It helped.
But I also took it upon myself to intern at firms. Every summer and most winters, and sometimes a bit during school, too. By the time I got out, I really knew something.
At least about producing drawings. Now I’m over four years out of school, and have REALLY had an education in the hard stuff. Not just construction administration, but dealing with the client and mediating between the rest of the A/E team, the construction team, the badly-trampled design intent, and the client. Talk about eye-opening. Just like it always is, the more I know, the more acutely aware I am of my own ignorance.
I’ve also seen lots of people come out of art school with little-to-no technical understanding of their craft. As an architect approaching clay, I’m naturally intensely interested in both the materials and the product… kind of rare phenomenon.