2 Planet of the Arts / March 1997 Volume XII — Issue 3 PoA's 75 Current issue Contributors ADRIENNE lai ALAN hoffman ALAN mcmillan ° ALEX duff ALICIA fennell BARB choit BETH cowie BRIAN gallant BRONWYN masson CELEST brown CHAR hoyt CHRISTA kaufmann CINDY spence CRAIG stewart DAWN buie DAWNE starfire DENISE cordrey DENNIS burke DORIS yen EDMUND jordan EDWARD M. joe EMMANUEL ho ERIN gillgannon GLENDA watt GRACE salez ILEANA mckenna ILZE bebris ISAAC king IVAN tang JAMES baker JASON mclean JEN eby JENNIFER witvliet JIM breukelman JOAN liddicoat JONATHAN middleton JUDY chartrand KAREN myskiw KATHERINE dodds KATHRYN mussallem KEN hughes LESLEE ayley LILY bautista MAEVE doyle MARIANNE bos MARLENE madison plimley McKINLEY morris MELODY young MIA cunningham MICHELLE mcgeough MICHAEL agrios MONIQUE salez NADIA myre NANCY bleck NATASHA kalra NEFERTITI sanchez © PAXTON downard PAUL morstad PETER george (jr.) QUOC trinh RICH sinclair ROBERT hong RODNEY sanches RON holmes ROSE wan RYAN schweitzer SANDRA semchuk SUSAN stewart SUZANNE holland TAGNY duff TERI snelgrove VIZARD WILLIAM ngan XERO ZUZANA kulhankova Advertising Coordinator ANTONIA allen April issue bookings: March 24th; Camera-ready art: March 28th; Design services are negotiable. Tel: 844-3861 Computing Resources STEVEN brekelmans General Co-Facilitators / Editors ERIN gunther HARALD gravelsins JONATHAN lander LING chiu image Co-Facilitators DYLAN surridge REBECCA pasch SHEILA turner About PoA Planet of the Arts is an organic publication that is funded through advertising sales and registration levies from students at Emily Carr Institute. We welcome unsolicited contributions that address the general concerns of our readers. Please contact a facilitator by March 17 if you are interested in making a contribution to our April issue. Writers are asked to submit their work on diskette (Macintosh format) and on paper, and to be prepared to discuss their submission as appropriate with a facilitator (Tel: 844-3861; Fax: 844-3801; E-mail: poa@eciad.bc.ca). We welcome discussion and comment on our editorial decisions. Mailing Address Planet of the Arts c/o Emily Carr Institute 1399 Johnston Street Vancouver, British Columbia Canada V6H 3R9 Editorial copy: room 242 Publisher: room 122 World Wide Web http://www.eciad.bc.ca/~poa iVWWWV Editorial Let’s Be Bauhaus West, Even (Or Especially) If This Is Hollywood North Asserting The Art and Design School Legacy Art and Design, some more beneficial, and some more timely, than others. Through a combination of wisdom and folly, the school resides between a cement factory on one side and luxury homes floating upon the waters of False Creek on the other side. There could hardly be a better set of neigh- bours to reflect the scope of ambitions and undertakings that Emily Carr students aspire to share with the world through their art and design activ- ities. The context of the Institute has shifted considerably since its founding in 1925 under the name the Vancouver School of Applied and Decorative Arts. In general terms, the age of mechanical reproduction has given way to the age of digital image manipulation. Locally, public funding for education is being tied more closely to measurable outcomes, and to ideologies that seem to make change a goal in itself rather than a path to higher ends. When the outcome in question is art, how do you go about measuring it? Cultural theorist Walter Benjamin referred to the “aura” of the work of art in his 1936 essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” and spoke optimistically of the reconciliation of art with technology. But he never got around to telling us what the “aura” of art looks, smells, sounds, feels Mi any influences impact the configuration of Emily Carr Institute of century, a publicly funded art and design school is still saddled with the dilemma of explaining to a perplexed public that an art curriculum is about more than creating aura, with all the New Age flakiness that now attaches to the term. Or about more than indulging one’s ego at the expense of other people's egos or their tax dollars. Maybe the problem of justi- fying the existence of a publicly funded art and design school would go away if someone finally came up with a conclu- sive definition for art, and then told us whether art is something that can actu- ally be taught? Then again, even if such an explana- tion were available in an easy-to-digest format not everyone would take the time to listen or care. It takes longer than ten minutes to properly consider the arguments that address why society should fund an art and design school when there is poverty and homelessness. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs tells us that food and shelter are more important than drawing a pretty picture. We already knew this without Maslow, who fails to give us information about how social institutions came into existence and what col- lective needs they address. tion-based undertakings until all base level individual needs are satisfied, there is no room to fund an art and design institution with tax revenue. It takes years to build such an institution, and during this time poverty and injustice will have undoubtedly continued to exact their toll on members of society. Poverty and its tragic consequences have abounded for as long as anyone can remember. Art too has been with us for as long as anyone can remember. With or without the support of the public treasury, art has found outlets for expres- sion and has devised mechanisms to transmit its techniques and traditions. And politicians, despite the negative stereotypes about their crassness, have shown recurring interest in endorsing the crucial role of the public art and design school as an institution that makes constructive, long term con- tributions to the quality of social self-understanding and public policy dis- course. In a democracy, the most immediate result the art and design school owes to its political patrons is a regular, fair and equitable admissions process. Appraisal of other aspects of the art and design school by interest- ed outsiders, if it is to be conducted responsibly, requires a much higher degree of competence in history than in economic measurement-making. Besides its relationship to public officials, there is also an inherent value in the art and design school regularly showing the public at large what springs forth in the school’s studios and workshops, even if the quality of the dialogue that results is extremely uneven and often seems superficial. The importance of history and its relation to practical undertakings is something Emily Carr students hear much about from the very start of the First Year Program. This emphasis on history continues in upper level courses in each department. The historical importance of the Institute and the art and design school generally can be asserted with the same vigour and consistency. Such an assertion does not seem to have been made lately at Emily Carr Institute, at least not in any apparent and sustained way, despite the issues of capped government allocations to the school’s operating budget and severe limits on equipment funding. For the sake of the community of apprenticing and teaching artists at Emily Carr Institute as well as the community at large, let's change this. Using historical sources to assist in the development and articulation of an art project has many purposes. Obviously it is a source of information about techniques and iconography. More directly, it contextualizes specific goals and practices by pointing out affinities with previous work and by illu- minating assumptions that might otherwise enter work uncritically. The art and design school itself is an art project, albeit a perpetually unfinished art project with massive proportions and a large cast of creative n any public policy framework that calls for postponing higher, institu- or tastes like. Nor has. anyone else. In the late twentieth When the outcome in question is art, how do you go about measuring it? contributors. If the use of history sharpens the understanding that artists bring to bear on art making, Emily Carr Institute can be improved through the active and self-conscious employment of history to sharpen the under- standings that inform the collective direction of the school. : There is no single historical case study that ought to be adopted ahead of any other as a point of reference for reflecting upon the situation of Emily Carr Institute. One that | believe would be highly useful on many levels, however, is the Bauhaus, an art and design school originally located in Weimar, Germany. Walter Gropius, an architect by profession. The reorganized institution brought together studio-based teachers of painting and sculpture, workshop-based craft practitioners, and a design curriculum that took a positive stance towards industrial and commercial applications. The human and physical infrastructure of Emily Carr Institute parallels and updates the Bauhaus fusion of disciplines concerned with investigating, experimenting with, and creating meaning and use through visual and material resources. The Vorkurs, the mandatory preliminary course introduced at the Bauhaus by Johannes Itten, combined systematic explorations in two and three dimensions of colour, form, line, texture and tone with more eclectic and risk-taking exercises. The overall goal was to foster a critical, engaged and practised stance among Bauhaus students for the remaining three years of their apprenticeship. Any exhausted First Year student at Emily Carr Institute can attest that their Program resonates with the same objectives, while benefiting from subsequent pedagogical advances. The Bauhaus was a re-launched institution that embodied the aspira- tions of educational reformers whose concerns included labour force adjustments, new technologies, and international economic competition: Bauhaus students were trained to combine advanced aesthetic knowledge, social analysis, and focussed practical competence in order to graduate into facilitating roles in the cultural and economic transformation of German society. As much can and ought to be said about Emily Carr Institute graduates in the context of British Columbia and the Pacific Rim. The mutual dedication of the members of the Bauhaus community to the curricular ideals of their institution was a crucial enabling condition for vigorous dialogue and sustained practi- cal exchanges across conventional fine art, design and craft boundaries. High levels of risk-taking and professionalism were expected. In the hothouse atmosphere that - arose through these institutional strate- gies, tradition and innovation collided as frequently as personalities did, often to good effect and with enduring results by the general estimate of art and design historians. The “cosmopolitanism’ of the Bauhaus was not, however, to the liking of local or national political rulers in Germany, who cancelled their financial support and ultimately decom- missioned the school in 1933. The new conception of economic and cultur- al transformation favoured by the German political regime was narrowed to canvasses representing Aryan virtue, monuments asserting a new 1000- year worldly dominion, and films depicting Hitler’s greatness. We learn from history in order to recognize the creative work that needs to be done to resist mistakes from being repeated. Long live the art and design school. <@s T« Bauhaus school was reorganized in 1919 under the direction of Harald Gravelsins February 23, 1997 2 Planet of the Arts / March 1997 Volume XII = Issue 3 Pon's 75 Current Issue Contributors: satin Brown men Sina Lt Sows ory Beas tute Eoin rd fhrnaote fe ole Dating: Mah 205 ‘Smee oa Computing Resources Image Co-Facilitators About Pon meperinepiecm Saeeeene Saou tide you re itretied n nal ‘Seti Ate er {ocean oma soo pee sto feaeecaca mete Sasen Malling Address World Wide Web (WW Editorial Let's Be Bauhaus West, Even (Or Especially) If This Is Hollywood North Asserting The Art and Design School Legacy any influences impact the’ configuration of Emily Care Institute of ‘Art and Design, some more beneficial, and some more timely, than others. ‘Through a combination of wisdom and folly, the school resides between ‘a cement factory on one side and luxury homes floating upon the waters of False Creek on the other side. There could hardly bea better set of neigh bbours to reflect the scope of ambitions and undertakings that Emily Carr students aspire to share with the world through their at and design activ ities, The context ofthe Institute has shifted considerably since its founding in 1925 under the name the Vancouver School of Applied and Decorative At, In general terms, the age of mechanical reproduction has given way to the ‘2g¢ of digital image manipulation. Locally, public funding for education is being tied more closely to measurable outcomes, and to ideologies that seem to make change @ {90a in itself rather than 9 path to higher ends. When the outcome in question is art, how do you {90 about “measuring it? Cultural. theorist. Walter Benjamin referred to the aura” of the work of atin his 1936 essay “The Work of Artin the Age of ‘Mechanical Reproduction” and spoke optimistically of the reconciliation of art with ‘technology. But he ever got around to telling Us what the “aura” of art looks, smells, sounds, feels, or tastes like. Nor has ‘anyone ese inthe late twentieth century, a publicly funded fart and design school i stil saddled with the dilemma of explaining to a perplexed public that an art Curriculum is about more than creating aura, with all the New Age flakiness that now attaches to the term. Or about | more than indulging one’s ego at the expense of other people's egos or their ‘tax dollars. Maybe the problem of just fying the existence of a publicly funded art and design school would go away if someone finally came up with a concls= Sive definition for art, and then told us whether art is something that can actu: ally be taught? “Then again even if such an explana: tion were available in an easy-to-digest format not everyone would take the time to listen or caret takes longer than ten minutes to properly consider the arguments that address why society should fund an art and design school when there is poverty and homelessness. Masiows hierarchy of reeds tells us that food and shelter are more important than drawing a pretty picture. We already knew this without Maslow, who fails to give us information about how socal institutions came into existence and what col lective needs they address. tion-based undertakings unt all bas level individual needs are satistied, there isno room to fund an art and design institution with tax revenue. It takes years to build such an institution, and during ths time poverty and Injustice will have undoubtedly continued to exact thei oll on members of Society. Poverty and its tragic consequences have abounded for 3s long as anyone can remember. ‘Art too has been with us for as long as anyone can remember. With or without the support of the public treasury, art has found outlets for expres sion and has devised mechanisms to tansmitits techniques and traditions ‘And politicians, despite the negative stereotypes about their crassness, hhave shown recurring interest in endorsing the crucial role of the public art and design school as an institution that makes constructive, long term con tributions to the quality of socal seltunderstanding and public policy dis In a democracy, the most immediate result the art and design schoo! ‘owes to its politcal patrons is regular, fair and equitable admissions process. Appraisal of other aspects ofthe art and design school by interes. ed outsiders, if it is to be conducted responsibly, requires a much higher ‘degree of competence in history than in economic measurement-making. Besides its relationship to public officals, there i also an inherent value in the art and design school regularly showing the public at large what springs forth in the schools studios and workshops, even if the quality of the dialogue that results i extremely uneven and often seems superficial The importance of history and its relation to practical undertakings is something Emily Carr students hear much about ffom the very stat of the First Year Program. This emphasis on history continues in upper level courses in each department ‘The historical importance ofthe Institute and the art and design schoo! ‘generally can be asserted with the same vigour and consistency Such an ‘assertion does not seem to have been made lately at Emily Carr institute, at least not in any apparent and sustained way, despite the issues of capped ‘government allocations to the school's operating budget and severe limits ‘on equipment funding. For the sake of the community of apprenticing and teaching artists at Emily Car Institute as well as the community at large, lets change this. Using historical sources to assis in the development and articulation of an art project has many purposes. Obviously itis a source of information about techniques and iconography. More direct, it contextuaizes specific {goals and practices by pointing out affinities with previous work and by il ‘inating assumptions that might otherwise enter work uncritical The art and design school itself an art project, albeit a perpetually Unfinished art project with massive proportions and a large cast of creative I: any public policy framework that calls for postponing higher, institu: When the outcome in question is art, how do you go about measuring it? contributors. Ifthe use of history sharpens the understanding that arts bring to bear on art making, Emily Carr institute can be improved through, the active and self-conscious employment of history to sharpen the under- ‘standings that inform the collective direction ofthe school There is no single historical case study that ought to be adopted ahead ‘of any other as a point of reference for reflecting upon the situation of Emily Carr institute. One that | believe would be highly useful on many levels, however, i the Bauhaus, an art and design schoo! originally located in Weimar, Germany. 1e Bauhaus school was reorganized in 1919 under the direction of T Walter Gropius, an architect by profession. The reorganized institution, bbrought together studio-based teachers of painting and scuipture, workshop-based craft practitioners, and a design curriculum that took a Positive stance towards industrial and commercial applications. The human and physical infrastructure of Emily Carr institute parallels ‘and updates the Bauhaus fusion of disciplines concerned with investigating, ‘experimenting with, and creating meaning and use through visual and ‘material resources, ‘The Vorkurs, the mandatory preliminary course introduced at the suhaus by Johannes itten, combined systematic explorations in two and three dimensions of colour, form, line, texture and tone with more eclectic and risk-taking exercises. The overall goal was to foster a critical, engaged {and practised stance among Bauhaus students for the remaining three years oftheir apprenticeship. ‘Any exhausted Fist Year student at Emily Cor Insitute can attest that their Program resonates with the same objectives, while benefiting from subsequent pedagogical advances. The Bauhaus was a re-launched institution that embodied the aspira: tions of educational reformers whose concerns included labour force adjustments, new technologies, and international economic competition Bauhaus students were trained to combine advanced aesthetic knowledge, Socal analysis, and focussed practical competence in order to graduate into facilitating roles in the cultural and economic transformation of German, society ‘As much can and ought to be said about Emily Carr Institute graduates inthe context of British Columbia and the Pacific Rim. The mutual dedication of the members of the Bauhaus community to ‘the curricular ideals of their institution was a crucial enabling condition for vigorous dialogue and sustained pract ‘al exchanges across conventional fine ‘art, design and craft boundaries. High levels of risk-taking and professionalism were expected. In the hothouse atmosphere that arose through these institutional strate- ies, tradition and innovation collided 235 frequently as personalities di, often to good effect and with enduring results by the general estimate of art ‘and design historians ‘The “cosmopolitanism’ of the Bauhaus was not, however, tothe liking of local or national political rulers in Germany, who cancelled ther financial support and ultimately decom: mmissioned the school in 1933. The new conception of economic and cultur- {al transformation favoured by the German political regime was narrowed ‘to canvasses representing Aryan virtue, monuments asserting a new 1000- year worldly dominion, and films depicting Hitlers greatness. ‘We learn from history in order to recognize the creative work that needs to_be done to resist mistakes from being repeated. Long live the at and design school. Harald Gravelsins February 23, 1997