by Noelle Horrocks Noelle: There's a lot of confusion about who owns a student's work. And some concern, too. Is it true that the College owns everything a student makes here? Maurice: That’s a tricky question. For one thing, we are giving this question another look and we have a lawyer working on some policy proposals. Also, there’s a bit of a difference between the policy and the practice. The College has taken the position that work made for College courses, using College facilities and resources, with faculty supervision, is College property. With those conditions, we have that kind of claim to the work. But our practice has always been to waive that right and to leave the students with their work. So we don’t take even a cut from the print or ceramics sales or even what sells at the grad show. And we don’t tell a student that his or her work has to stay here when they leave. The work goes with the student. Noelle: Well, if that’s your practice why do you have that other policy? Maurice: The College statement of ownership of student work has some point. It means that if a work is stolen or lost the College will not be held responsible for it. We do everything we can to protect the stu- dent’s interests, but we simply can’t afford to assume that kind of re-_. sponsibility. Also, it avoids the concern that significant personal gain might be made from works done using resources paid for by public taxes. Noelle: Why are you having lawyers go into this now? Maurice: Well, on the one hand, we’re very sensitive to the rights a creator should have over his or her work. But we also have to protect the College’s interests. Also, the question has grown more complex with the development of our design programs. There we often have classes doing projects on assignments by outside companies and there may me some important commercial results. So we need to have a more formal and comprehensive procedure in place in order to protect the student, the College and the outside party, everyone involved. Noelle: But right now the College says it has some ownership rights to student work but it doesn’t take possession of it, is that it? Maurice: That’s about it. Noelle: What about a faculty member’s rights to a student’s work. Can a faculty member keep a student’s work or show it without the student’s permission? I mean, some work can be very personal and the student may not want it shown around. Maurice: You’re right. That’s a very good point. I think this issue is not so much a legal one as a question of professional ethics. No, a faculty member cannot simply keep a student’s work. That would be exploita- tion. And a faculty member should ask a student for permission to show his or her work. Often a teacher likes to document student work to show other classes how a particular problem was solved. I think anyone who keeps slides of a student’s work should inform the students in advance that the work will be documented and exactly what use will be made of it. A student who does not want his or her work shown should have the right and the opportunity to refuse that use. Noelle: Is there also a copyright problem here? Maurice: I suppose sometimes there might be. If an academic steals an idea or phrase from a student’s essay and passes it on without acknowl- edgment, that’s a breach of professional ethics. [ suppose there might be a similar impropriety in art or design if a student’s work is appropriated without credit or permission. This is a very tricky area, because a college is a place where we need a free and open flow of ideas. Mutual inspiration, cross-fertilizing, has to happen here. It should be possible to have people freely using ideas they’re getting from others, in crits or in conversation, without losing their hold of their work. But we should also feel secure from exploitation at the other extreme. ~~ Js ~~ fs oe Art=Fred's Friend by Chris Thompson A day’s thoughts at ECCAD. | want my work to hit home. Peo- ple should feel the work before they understand it. | don’t want people to have to intellectualize a work before it has an effect. Art should accomplish a response from the subconscious first. That is mnot to say that it should not have intellectual content; on the contrary a work should be loaded. That way an audience can use their, personal background to experience a piece more fully. People are an integral part of any work. Artistic intention is important; however, it takes a back seat to the audience. Most people don’t care what | think, the general public is so busy thinking what they are going to say next that they don’t hear. For this simple reason a work should attack a viewers subcon- scious. Someone once said that, “what we are speaks so loudly, people can’t hear what we are saying”; this applies to art as well. It should shout what it is before anyone has a chance to say anything. For this reason | also strongly believe that a work should be independent of anything | have to say about it. After an audience is willing to listen my reasoning must add another dimension to each piece. By providing a work with its own con- text | allow an audience to tap their seperate ideologies and their own opinion of an art work. | don’t care what they feel about my art as long as it is not indifference. Any publicity is good publicity. | want people to know I’m here. Like most people, | want a place in time. My ego drives me. 1 also don’t believe that it is necessary to give people what they want. As an artist | must determine what they need and only give that much. People are greedy and will consume me; so | give them enough, just enough to keep them coming back. Humans are addicts whether they realize it or not. Many people are cruel and want to depose the person in the spotlight. | don’t let them. | have to take control of the situation but not demand this con- trol. The audience will resent me if they feel forced. At times | have to stand back and allow the audience to run freely. The directional tangents others percieve sometimes create a new dimension to my work that | may have never considered. | have also learned not to value my work too highly. Being too caught up in the content of a piece blinds me. The content of a work should scream while it is being created; however, emotional detachment is needed after its completion. The piece is of the utmost importance. My thoughts on my own work need not be defended. It is only a personal opinion, not worth anything to anyone but me. If | become defensive about a piece it detracts from that work. Confrontation is no way to get people to appre- ciate my work (unless that is my intention and people understand that of their own accord). Just a thought. by Noelle Horrocks Noelle: There's a lot of confusion about who owns a student's work. And some concern, too. Isiit true that the College owns everything a student makes here? Maurice: That’s a tricky question. For one thing, we are giving this ‘question another look and we have a lawyer working on some policy Also, there’s a bit of a difference between the policy and the e College has taken the position that work made for College courses, using College facilities and resources, with faculty supervision, is College property. With those conditions, we have that kind of claim to the work. But our practice has always been to waive that right and to eave the students with their work. So we don’t take even a cut from the print or ceramics sales or even what sells at the grad show. And we don't tell a student that his or her work has to stay here when they leave. The work goes with the student. Noelle: Well, if that’s your practice why do you have that other policy? Maurice: The College statement of ownership of student work has some point. It means that if a work is stolen or lost the College will not be held responsible for it. We do everything we can to protect the stu dent’s interests, but we simply can’t afford to assume that kind of sponsibility. Also, it avoids the concern that significant personal might be made from works done using resources paid for by public taxes. Noelle: Why are you having lawyers go into this now? Maurice: Well, on the one hand, we're very sensitive to the rights a creator should have over his or her work. But we also have to protect the College's interests. Also, the question has grown more complex with the development of our design programs. There we often have classes doing projects on as: by outside companies and there may me some important co and comp wrcial results. So we need to have a more formal procedure in place in order to protect the student. the College and the outside party, everyone involved, Noelle: But right now the College says it has some ownership rights to student work but it doesn’t take possession of it, is that it? Maurice: That’s about it Noelle: What about a faculty member’s rights to a student’s work Can a faculty member keep a student's work or show it without the student’s permission? I mean, some work can be very personal and the student may not want it shown around. Maurice: You're right. That's a very good point. I think this issue is not so much a legal one as a question of professional ethics. member cannot simply keep a student’s work. That would be exploita: tion. And a faculty member should ask a student for permission to show his or her work, Often a teacher likes to document student work to show other classes how a particular problem was solved. I think anyone who keeps slides of a student’s work should inform the students in advance that the work will be documented and exactly what use will be made of it A student who does not want his or her work shown should have the right and the opportunity to refuse that nse. No, a faculty Noelle: Is there also a copyr Jht problem here? Maurice: I suppose sometimes there might be. Ifan academic steals an idea or phrase from a student’s essay and passes it on without acknowl edgment, that’s a breach of professional ethies. I suppose there might be a similar impropriety in art or design if a student's work is appropriated without eredit or permission. .e where we need a fre y tricky area, because a and open flow of ideas. Mutual college is a ph inspiration, cross-fertilizing, has to hay It should be possible to have people freely usin, they’re getting from others. in crits or in conversation, without losing their hold of their work. But we should also feel secure from exploitation at the other extreme. rw st ~——, LI Ae Art=Fred's Friend by Chris Thompson A day's thoughts at ECCAD. | want my work to hit home. Peo- ple should feel the work before they understand it. | don’t want people to have to intellectualize a work before it has an effect. Art should accomplish a response from the subconscious first. That is mnot to say that it should not have intellectual content; ‘on the contrary a work should be loaded. That way an audience can use theit personal background to experience a piece more fully. People are an integral part of any work. Artistic intention is important; however, it takes a back seat to the audience. Most people don’t care what I think, the general public is so busy thinking what they are going to say next that they don’t hear. For this simple reason a work should attack a viewers subcon- scious. Someone once said that, “what we are speaks so loudly, people can’t hear what we are saying’; this applies to art as well. It should shout what it is before anyone has a chance to say anything. For this reason I also strongly believe that a work should be independent of anything | have to say about it. After an audience is willing to listen my reasoning must add another dimension to each piece. By providing a work with its own con- text | allow an audience to tap their seperate ideologies and their ‘own opinion of an art work. | don’t care what they feel about my art as long as it is not indifference. Any publicity is good publicity. I want people to know I'm here. Like most people, | want a place in time. My ego drives me. 1also don’t believe that it is necessary to give people what they want. As an artist | must determine what they need and only give that much. People are greedy and will consume me; so | give them enough, just enough to keep them coming back. Humans are addicts whether they realize it or not. Many people are cruel and want to depose the person in the spotlight. | don’t let them. Ihave to take control of the situation but not demand this con- trol. The audience will resent me if they feel forced. At times | have to stand back and allow the audience to run freely. The directional tangents others percieve sometimes create a new dimension to my work that | may have never considered. have also learned not to value my work too highly. Being too ‘caught up in the content of a piece blinds me. The content of a work should scream while it is being created; however, emotional detachment is needed after its completion. The piece is of the utmost importance. My thoughts on my own work need not be defended. It is only a personal opinion, not worth anything to anyone but me. If! become defensive about a piece it detracts from that work. Confrontation is no way to get people to appre- ciate my work (unless that is my intention and people understand that of their own accord). Just a thought.