“I think I should have gone to community college”
… after today’s discussion, I wonder how many of use were thinking that,
Or “crap! The world of design has deceived me.”
Maybe I came into the world of art a bit naïve. I decided to study design initially because it was the logical course of study to satisfy my interests, which were form and typography. I wanted to make art using those elements to communicate beautiful ideas. It wasn’t until later in my education that I realized this world of design has an entirely different element involved that I wouldn’t willingly engage with. Commerce. Yuck! Why are we required to bow to the corporate machine and crank out work that can “yield profit”? Is this what we thought we were getting into when we had the dream of graduating with a degree in design?
Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that attending a school of design has taught me to think conceptually and visually solve problems, it is an exceptional skill to possess, but I am really disillusioned about the commercial applications of our craft and how we will choose to engage with the inevitable questions that will arise as we are sent into the world. I wonder how many of us will stick to our guns. I certainly hope I do.
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course materials
- syllabus -- chapin
- syllabus -- galloway
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- READING / LECTURE :: advocacy history
- graphic agitation
- the design of dissent
- emory douglas and the black panther party
- lecture: history 27mb
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- receptivity gradient handout
- lecture: audience research 4mb
- audience analysis worksheets by katherine mccoy
1 comment:
As an alumni of Highland Community College (Home of the Scottie Dogs just in case you were wondering) i felt that my education there was extremely helpful in creating the person i am today. I feel that i got a well rounded art education in two years. While at HCC i had two different art instructors and one photography teacher. The art instructors were a husband/wife duo that really knew what they were doing and balanced each other very well. He knew the technical computery stuff and she had the great eye for design. They were sticklers for CRAFTSMANSHIP and when i say craftsmanship i mean craftmanship, and at the time i was as well. I will be the first to say that my craft has taken a complete nose dive in the past two years. The photography program was also something that was incredibly strong for such a small place. I had hands on work and help with a smile for the most part whenever you needed it, and that is a major credit to my photography skills to this day. I remember we once took a field trip during my sophomore year towards the very end of the year to kansas city. we did some photo studios and then we ended the trip at the H&R Block Space for the senior BFA show. I can still remember some of the comments that were made about the show in general...something along the lines of no being able to believe that this was work from a senior level at an intensive art institution. the craft was extremely poor and the work seemed like everyone was trying to do something even weirder than their next door neighbor. I don't think people even thought to clean their negatives before producing 18x24 sized photo prints. Not going to lie, it scared me, but i thought, oh that won't be like that when i am there. It puzzled me as to why a prestigious school would show work like this at a senior show. A majority of the work would not have even been considered worthy to put in the Yost Art Gallery in podunk Highland, Kansas 66035. I will state at this point in my blog that I have attended KCAI as well (just incase someone is reading this blog out of context of the visual advocacy course) and will be graduating from this institution as well. That being said, i have finally come to the conclusion as to why the work looked as it did at that show back in 2004. KCAI leaves you never knowing if you have done something that is really good work, because we are constantly hearing of ways that we could have done it differently or asked why we didn't do something a certain way. We are taught to be unsure of ourselves and to constantly think that something could have been done better. This is something that is never talked about, but something that we all have felt at some point or another. Atleast it is that way for me and this is my blog damn it! Is this something that the corporate design culture is yurning for? Or do they want someone that feels confident in their work. I will say that I have got many numerous design skills here at KCAI, backing up the ones recieved at HCC. And just like everyone else I will put my bachelors degree from Kansas City Art Institute and will include work from it in my portfolio, but along with that i will be putting my associates degree from Highland Community College, with just as much work from it as well. Both have added to the person I am today, good or bad, red or blue.
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