An Alumni Survey of VSA-ECCA Graduates, 1975 to 1979. INTRODUCTION An alumni survey was undertaken in the summer, 1980. The objective was to make contact with former graduates to find out how they are and what they are doing. Specifically, we wanted to know about the nature of their art/design activities, their means of financial support and what they had to say about their experiences as students and as graduates. Questionnaires were mailed, 245 alumni; 98 (40%) alumni responded. This is a relatively en- thusiastic turn considering that the average response rate for mail-out questionnaires in the range of 28% to 30%. 1) Art/Design Related Activities: A large majority (91%) of the respondents reported that they are currently engaged in art/design activities on the average of 26 hours weekly. While time averaging on a weekly basis makes nonsense of the time commitment of those who work in non- weekly or other time patterns it gives an impression of average work time. More female alumni indicated active art/design involvement but for shorter time periods than the male alumni. The majority (630) have exhibited their work since graduation. They participate on the average in two group exhibits annually. The average annual number of individual exhibits is slightly under one. Alumni were not requested to provide information on where they had shown their wokr. While more women (69%) have exhibited than men (51%) they have had slightly fewer shows than the men. The date about exhibits is not necessarily ap- plicable to graduates whose orientation is more ap- plied. Possibly the percentage of graduates exhibiting would be greater if that question had been limited to fine art oriented individuals. Many graduates are relying on several sources of income. The majority (76%) are able to use their art/design skills to some extent for financial gain and employability, however a similar percent (72%) rely on other training and skills too, though the average proportion of income earned through art/design is 40% the actual range is very wide. Some 25% receive no income and another 25% receive all their income from art/design activities. While 56% noted that they would like more employment, a few respondents wrote that they preferred having time available to work on their own art. As one graduate explained, ‘‘this is a continuing dilemma’’. Inventor Hides Secret of “Death Ray” PIGEONS on the wing instantly killed by death rays from a machine four miles away—that is the feat reputedly ac- complished by a deadly apparatus developed by Dr. Antonio Longoria, of Cleveland, Ohio, who recently announced that he had deliberately de- stroyed the lethal ma- chine for the good of humanity. The Cleve- land inventor declared that he had stumbled on the deadly rays while experimenting in the treatment of cancer with high-frequency ra- diations. The action of the fatal rays, he de- clared, is painless and they work by changing the blood into a useless substance, much as light tre salts in photographie proce group of scientists, it is rep ave demonstrated that the radiations would kill chamber. The ray could kill human beings just as easily. 4) Feedback: Commitment to Art/Design: In response to the hypothetical situation of starting over again with the advantage of present knowledge, an overwhelming 94% indicated that they would still go into the art/design field. 24% of the respondents would pursue their interest in art/design but would also focus on a means of assuring some economic security. 5) Additional Feedback: VSA/ECCA graduates wrote eloquently and fairly profusely about their experiences as students and what it has been like after graduation. One invitation that they picked up on was, “‘what advice would you give to current art students?) Here ' dear reader, is, ADVICE TO ART STUDENTS FROM FORMER STUDENTS. Sample as many areas as possible — you may discover you belong in an area you had not con- sidered before entering art school. Set yourself profes- sional standards from the start. Produce as much work as possible and exhibit whenever possible. Look _at art and read about art, from the artists’, dealers’ and collectors’ points of view. To design students (as fine art is different) know as much as possible about all areas. Unless you have a VERY specific talent or interest, do not specialize, in school anyway. And draw, draw, draw. Quit being trendy and start thinking about con- cepts. Quit being so narrow-minded, e.g. going without any notion of science, history, etc. To realize as most do that one should go to an art school to expand their knowledge to spend their time doing what they LOVE TO DO — not because it is a career — it is a way of living. The important thing is to keep working (making art) if that is what you want to do. You have not got forever. Life is very short. Get your act together. Do not get sucked in by teachers, they are NOT gods. * THE BLACK POEM cry . . . black shadows that play in the corner of my eyes ‘‘she said’’ ‘‘she’d be a doctor’”’ i didn’t smile because i knew the sort of training killed then this became known as my black poem because i dreamt of black dogs black cars and barns i’ve never visited days previous my body cried mourning a death in this world and the birth of too many clean machines too many clean machines “‘she said’’ ‘‘she’d be a lawyer’”’ and i smiled her smile instead. x LAIWAN CHONG rabbits, even when the ani- ed in a thick-walled metal ‘ays, Dr. Longoria believes, Be resourceful — be open-minded and persevering about your work. Learn to adapt to different ideas and conditions. Waste no time finding out which area attracts you most and then go for it with total focus and concen- tration. Gather as much information — inspiration, from outside your classes as possible. Do not be afraid to be different or of failures. You can’t be perfect. Keep your personal goals realistically within your limits or you will just end up depressed with yourself. Spend most of your time just being aware — open your eyes and see. Try to have your financial trip together before schooling starts, so that it does not interfere with your art studies. I think artists should create their works not to fill a gap in the art market but to fulfill their ability to hear visions, see sounds and taste words. If you can’t draw you can’t see and seeing is the foundation of visual art. Practice infinite patience, avoid thinking in terms of anything other than the ac- tual. Read the classics if you haven’t already and work your way back and forth through history to develop a sense of time and place. Use your time as a student to develop the backbone you will need when you are released from the artificial world. Backbone I mean background. Students should try not to become isolated in their own particular area. Contacts in other disciplines become harder to make once you have left school. Students should also try to exploit as much of the resources (Human and material) made available to them, as possible. Do not think art is everything. Don’t try to find meaning in art. There is meaning in life. Art may have emblematic or symbolic meaning but true meaning happens in real life.