From: Sarah Van Keuren (svk@steuber.com)
Date: 02/05/00-03:24:51 PM Z
Thanks to everyone who responded. Here are the names of some of the
institutions that surfaced: Savannah College of Art and Design, Clemson,
Utah State University in Logan, San Francisco Art Institute, University of
New Mexico, SUNY New Paltz. Perhaps I will hear from students or teachers
at other universities.
David Stein wrote:
It's been some years but I'd look at:
Cornell
University of Texas at San Antonio
Actually, any grad student should be able to create their own interest in
this area. A good teacher goes with what the student wants to bring out,
not
just ratify what they are. Sure, this stuff is technique-rich, but I'd like
to feel any good university photo professor would say: "Great, let's go for
it; we'll learn together."
I think David Stein makes a good point but, on the other hand, life is
short. Why shouldn't undergraduate students who know that they want to
continue to work in non-silver have the benefit of pre-existing non-silver
facilities in graduate school, equipment such as actinic light sources,
contact frames, a non-silver darkroom, drying racks, a fume hood, scales,
non-silver chemicals? And more importantly, why shouldn't these students
benefit from the experience of teachers who have trod these paths earlier? I
benefited from the experience of those who taught me non-silver and I hope
that my students benefit from my experience and manage to go beyond what I
have been able to do.
There is an attitude associated with non-silver, a cultivation of patience,
a sensitivity to materials, a connectedness of hand and eye, of paper fiber
and photographic image, that goes beyond technique. Non-silver is a vast
area. Gum bichromate alone, as I can see in the 'threads' of this alt-photo
group and in Post-Factory Photography,is grist for many mills, a medium for
various temperaments. I don't think it is realistic or fair to expect the
photo professor who only works in silver and the graduate student in the
year 2000 to start from scratch with the exploration of non-silver. Two
years is not long enough.
We don't tell the photographer who wants to work digitally to reinvent
Photoshop. Graduate school is such a sacrifice for many students, leaving
them saddled with debt for the rest of their lives. Let's give them
something more than a genial willingness to puzzle things out with them.
Let's give them wings so that they can fly in the future.
Thanks for the forum,
Sarah
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