From: Bob Kiss (bobkiss@caribsurf.com)
Date: 10/17/01-06:39:21 AM Z
DEAR SHANNON,
I had to face a similar question when offered a full time teaching
position at the College where I taught. I felt that my experiences as a
working photographer, constantly
striving to grow artistically, would help me be a better teacher and NOT
the converse.
Most of the artists (in what ever medium) who teach full time have stopped
producing their personal work. IMHO part time teaching and full time
photographic artist is the way to go...but then I have owned my own business
since I was 25 years old and enjoy the independence which others refer to as
lack of security.
It is very much a matter of assessing your own propensities and seeing
which would be a better fit; the security of a full time teacher striving
to manage time to do your own work or full time artist with a part time
teaching life net. Please don't get me wrong. I LOVE TO TEACH
PHOTOGRAPHY...I also love my work as a photographer and this particular
balance fits me well.
CHEERS!
BOB KISS
----- Original Message -----
From: shannon stoney <sstoney@pdq.net>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2001 9:25 AM
Subject: graduate schools in photography; artists in academia
> I am thinking of applying to an MFA program in photography this
> winter, and I wonder if anybody on this list has any suggestions
> about where to apply. I am going to apply to some schools in Texas,
> but I am open to suggestions about other places, particularly schools
> where people are doing some alt-process work. At present at U of H I
> am the only one doing this; the emphasis in our program is on big
> color prints.
>
> I am also wondering about what I want to do long-term. It seems that
> some of the teachers in our dept at U of H are not flourishing as
> artists in academia. We never see any of their work, and I think
> maybe some of them have not produced much since their MFA show. They
> seem stuck in whatever art school ideology was prevalent when they
> were graduate students and haven't moved much beyond that. They
> don't seem to read much about contemporary art. They also seem
> sometimes threatened by their own students' creativity and a bit
> envious of it. If this is what happens to you when you get a job
> teaching at the college level, I don't want it! But surely it's not
> necessary to become a fossil. I know some people on this list teach
> art, and I wonder what your experience is about this.
>
> --shannon
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