Radio host Leonard Lopate recently interviewed the Dean of Columbia University’s School of the Arts, Carol Becker, to discuss the value of art school education. With the economy looking so gloomy and the costs of college in general leaving so many graduates with student debt, the obvious question arises: is it worth it?
Economically it’s a tough question. But as Becker points out, instead of going for a safe bet, art school is all about taking risks and re-imagining the world.
In this global world of economic and political uncertainty, where new ideas of how to address the problems of the future are desperately needed in the present, what could be more exhilarating—and potentially powerful—than an environment that caters to deep thinkers, adapts easily to new technologies, moves readily between disciplines, cultivates resilience, believes in the importance of play for problem solving, and engages issues resonant to social contexts? It is no wonder that leaders in other fields are trying to understand and replicate the ambiance that art schools so organically create.
In the stacks:
Painter speaks : artists discuss their experiences and careers / edited by Joan Jeffri ; introduction by Judith M. Burton. – ND205.P35 1993
School of Visual Arts guide to careers: Careers in the visual arts : a guide to jobs, money, opportunities, and an artistic life / Dee Ito – N6505.I86 1993
101 things to learn in art school / Kit White. – N325 .W49 2011
Rethinking the contemporary art school : the artist, the PhD, and the academy / edited by Brad Buckley and John Conomos. – N345 .R48 2009
Art school confidential – directed by Terry Zwigoff – V-F Z843 Art DVD
