From: Gary Miller (gmphotos@earthlink.net)
Date: 10/17/01-08:57:27 AM Z
I received my MFA in photography from the Academy of Art College in San
Francisco, and I have been teaching there for about a year and a half. Most
of our instructors are only part timers, and I am pretty much in the same
situation as Christina. By making instructors mostly part time, although I
still have 15 hours of teaching time per week, the college saves millions by
not paying us benefits and insurance. Unlike Christina, I cannot find time
to squeeze in doing my own work at the school, because the faculty is not
allowed to use the facilities. This has forces me, good and bad, into more
digital work, which I can produce at home. I also believe that students are
not forced to learn the history background in most photo programs, focusing
more on the product. But there are other programs that I feel are only
academic, where people rarely touch a camera. Some programs are very
technical, others very fine art. The bottom line is to find out why you
want an MFA, and that will help you decide where to go. If you can define
an area of study; i.e. alternative, then someone whom you might like to
work, then go to the place where they are. I went for my MFA so that I
could teach. But while I was in school I studied lots on my own and in the
end came out with a good fine art and a good history/academic/theory
background. But I did that within the framework of the school. They never
forced me down that road. In fact, now you just need to present a body of
work to graduate at the Academy of Art. I decided to present a body a work
and a 100 page thesis. So you can make any situation work for you.
Gary Miller
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