[alt-photo] Re: new MFA program in alt!

[Paul Viapiano]

Judy et al,

I agree with a bunch of what you said. I'm a small collector as well as 
photographer, and I just can't bring myself to buy an inkjet print no matter 
how much I like the image, I just can't do it especially at the prices I've 
seen. And it seems like everything out there is inkjet these days.

I like inkjet for a few things, to make little books at home, family snaps 
for relatives, little greeting cards with my images...mostly digital 
negatives, which I still feel a little funny about making.

A friend who teaches photography at a big art school here in LA tells me 
that the darkroom is no longer taught, or is glossed over in an afternoon, 
alt is not taught at all...mostly concept and photoshop.

It really pains me to hear this because if you substitute my other 
discipline, which is music, and decide not to teach Bach and the rest of the 
canon, plus don't teach how to play an instrument and just substitute 
electronic sampling and sequencing...well then, all bets are off for the 
future of music.

As far as schools go (for anything), I hear that students are not interested 
in history, of what came before, they are looking to be original. They don't 
understand the value of a foundation. Just take a look at the work 
proliferating out there and it'll confirm this.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Judy Seigel" <jseigel at panix.com>
(A while back I mentioned that more
> than 3/4 of the contemporary prints for sale in some recent issue of 
> whatever it was -- fundraiser of some kind -- were classified as 
> "inkjet.")
>
> So, as I say, what ARE they teaching in photography courses these days? I 
> know there are so-called "alternative workshops" -- even teach some, but 
> not for years in a certified *academic institution.*  So OK, OK, they can 
> teach handling a camera, exposure, history (probably great, with lots of 
> countries, processes and geniuses), theory (LOTS of "theory"), etc, etc., 
> while showing slick prints of recent wars and bare asses. But what do they 
> teach for process????
> >
> Finally, about folks sneering at the "fetishism" of "process" -- .... how 
> do you say "sour grapes" in photo talk?
>