Documentaries about studying for a MFA

[liebkuchen]

This is a few years old now but some of you younger ones might not have seen it.

 

There was a fascinating documentary about the 2009 graduating class from Goldsmiths University in London. It follows a small group of students through the last few months of their course. Some are quite conceptual, one is either completely workshy or an evil genius.  Made me think that I'd love the community and chance to bounce ideas off peers of art school but I'd want somewhere less 'contemporary' in its leanings.

 

First part of first episode here:

 

There's a really old one about the RCA but it's from 1999:

 

 

Does anyone know of anything similar from elsewhere? Documentaries made by outside tv or film companies rather than anything promotional? 

 

 

[beriredux]

I don't know of any, but I agree that it would be great if there were more.

 

The issue about programs that are 'contemporary' or those that are "'less 'contemporary'" as you say, is an interesting one. If by that you mean a more traditional program, then that is one thing and I'm not particularly interested (there will be others who are :-)), but if you are asking about programs that encourage a move past or out of the stalemate of what has come to be called 'contemporary art' (art that is both of its time, and means whatever anybody wants it to mean) then that is another.

 

What would the characteristics of a program that encourages a move past this stalemate be? 

 

Suhail Malik (who perhaps ironically teaches at Goldsmiths - not sure how long he has been there tho) makes an interesting argument for art with explicit intentions. One thing he suggests for art to "exit" what he call "the genre of contemporary art" is for critiques to focus on whether an artwork actually does what it sets out to do, rather than rewarding the most ambiguous artworks.

 

Is this where you wanted to go with your post liebkuchen? If so, I'd love to hear what others thought.

Edited October 28, 2014 by beriredux

[beriredux]

Wow! I hadn’t seen the one on the RCA before. The blatant pandering to the market and lack of institutional criticality is shocking! 

 

Here we see bad, or misguided intentions feeding the system.

 

I saw the Goldsmiths one a long time ago...not sure how I'd feel about it now. 

Edited October 28, 2014 by beriredux

[liebkuchen]

@beriredux- I hadn't given it too much thought beyond the lack of representational work that contemporary exhibits and how I wouldn't fit in, compared to other schools of art where painting and drawing feature more (although not necessarily in an overtly traditional sense). However, I do agree with the quote you gave and I will look into Suhail Malik as this matches my own thinking.  

 

However, my OP was just meant to try and find some more documentaries out of curiousity as to the learning experience of post-grad visual arts courses.  

[beriredux]

 

However, my OP was just meant to try and find some more documentaries out of curiousity as to the learning experience of post-grad visual arts courses.  

 

Oops, right, sorry!!!  I got excited when I saw contemporary in quotes because I had been thinking about this quite a bit lately. 

Edited October 31, 2014 by beriredux