From: Darryl Baird (dbaird@flint.umich.edu)
Date: 08/29/00-07:54:30 AM Z
> Does anyone disagree that today, with a few exceptions, it is more
> important
> to have a degree vs having specific knowledge, from an employers point
> of
> view? Any degree with experience seems to be the desired resume
Ken, yes, I do disagree, but only in part. Read on.
By the mid 90s CAA was publicly stating the desirability and need of
hiring only MFA students in art programs. This simple change to the
"rules" of the job game prompted me to switch from an MA program with 36
hours completed (I was already at work on my thesis) to another school
in the area, losing 24 hours (and 1.5 years) in the process. I doubled
my debt, got my degree and had a job offer before graduation. I WAS
dedicated to the idea of getting a job and pissed many of my faculty off
for being so anal. I did everything Ivan said to do, plus was already
teaching as much as possible without the degree...I wanted more.
To be an "artist" I didn't need the degree, I needed it to be and artist
AND a teacher. And yes, my skills and portfolio were VERY important to
the ultimate job, I've been told by those who hired me that my skills in
the digital and alternative processes were important factors in their
decision. I've always exhibited and always will teach myself whatever I
want or need to know.
Simply put dedication and desire are strong personal attributes for an
artist (really any successful person), but the MFA degree is a minimal
"hurdle" for the system of education. If approached with a mind to
bridging the gap between art and commerce, it also happens to be the
equivalent to a professional school for artists. You have to know this
in advance to develop and exploit this reality of MFA programs, as most
are in some part hard wired to the broader art world/market.
-- Darryl Baird Assistant Professor of Art Photography & Graphic Design University of Michigan-Flint
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