Don't you dare read this until you read Part 2.
Just when I think the whole thing is going away, I am called into the Dean of Students office. I mention this to two of my friends from class and they can’t believe it. So, after a sleepless night I go the Deans office the next day. I’m thinking they are going to have campus security escort me off campus after this meeting. The meeting is at 3 PM and I arrive 15 minutes early. As I’m sitting in the outer office one of my supporters is coming out of the office and another one is going into her office. They had taken it upon themselves to defend me.
I go into the office and she is really nice and friendly. She tells me that 6 girls have signed a petition to have me removed from the ceramics studio. She has a list of accusations. I leered and letched at the girls and stared at their breasts. I brushed by them touching them inappropriately. One girl said she was afraid to work next to me. They said I was overly critical during critics. There was a number of things they said that was blatantly untrue. They said the instructor put them up to this and told them to write the petition and the accusatory remarks. He had denied that. Funny, but, the two girls who came to see her told the Dean that I was always helpful and friendly. I never looked at them inappropriately let alone touched any of them. I, of course, denied all their accusations and was only guilty of being much older than them.
She also wondered aloud why I wasn’t allowed to do an independent study, why I was made to take the senior level class forcing me to interact with them on their level. Clearly my educational needs were different than undergraduate students. The Dean agreed with me that they were in the wrong. At the end she asked me if she should call them in for a discussion. When I asked why, she was going to tell them to stop harassing me. I told her not to, that the class was almost over, that I got a lot out of it and calling them in wasn’t going to help anything.
As it turns out, I knew her daughter and her boyfriend well. I fire my Raku pots behind their house. I’ve been friends with her daughter’s boyfriend’s parents for a long time and they could vouch for my character. Plus, she is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where I had done the Long’s Park art fair a few weeks before. We got along famously. If she hadn’t been married I might have asked her out. Lol!
I mostly told the story of the ongoing drama that was heaped on me when all I wanted to do was learn something. I think it’s amazing that the college experience gets in the way of learning something. I did get a lot out of it.
Professor Kakas has an international reputation in the clay world. He has won a number of international clay competitions. The Korean Bienalles has a top prize of either $25,000 or $50,000. There are many of these competitions and I plan on entering some of them. Even if you don’t win a prize, these competitions allow the ceramic artists to get exposure to the right people.
As I am doing the Florida shows and being ignored by the masses, I keep hearing this voice in my ear telling me I have to show my work in the right venue. I have to be seen in the right places. There are places where the knowledgeable collectors and galleries go to buy work. For half the semester, I didn’t do any of the written assignments. I’ve written many artists statements, resumes, etc. I didn’t think any of this applied to me. We had to do something called a Curriculum Vitae that is different from a resume. I didn’t even know what a CV was.
About a third of the way through, I started to do the written assignments just to placate him. He would always send it back with written criticism, in red, and I would have to make the revisions and turn it back it. It was part of the grading which I cared nothing about. However, once I started turning in the artist statements, the Curriculum Vitae, etc. my written record, which I display at art fairs, and send in with applications, started looking much more professional. I started to buy into what Brian had to offer. He really knows his stuff.
Soon, it was obvious that I was getting more out of this class and what he had to offer, than all of the students put together and I told him so. At the end of the semester, I gave a final presentation of all my 300 test tiles, with a written analysis of what I learned about the raw materials I was using. I’ve started to understand what materials cause what colors and textures at cone 6. I only printed one copy of the final analysis. After my final presentation everyone wanted a copy of the results of my work. Of course, only a few people got a copy. Payback is a bitch, isn’t it!! And, I never bothered to find out what grade I got. I could care less.
Comments
Barry, this was a wonderful story, and I appreciate your sharing it. You took a lot of hits during the process, and I learned lots from the way you handled yourself and your learning curve, the difficult but ultimately effective teacher, and the rules and restrictions of the class. The students do sound clueless and humorless, and that doesn't surprise me - but they will do some living, and maybe that's where they'll find their smarts and their souls. At any rate, it was an inspiring read, and I'm so glad you took the class and shared the experience with us.
Love it Barry, thank you for sharing your experience!
Good for you, Barry...all in all it sounds like it was a positive experience and I know we all enjoyed reading about it. It's especially cool that you want to do it again next fall, I admire your drive and fortitude.
Barry, you're a real Gunga Din among students. Those younger ones have a lot to learn from your fine attitude and work ethic.
Great read, Barry. Going back to college, for free, seemed like a good idea at the beginning but after reading your story, I'm not so sure. I forgot about the angst and drama...still worth thinking about though. Is KaKa his real name or did you make that up? Kinda funny...
Thank you for sharing this great experience. It was a wonderful read. I looked forward to the next part of the story as it went along. I have no doubts that it will all benefit you in the long run.
This was great. Thank you so much for writing about it. Never having been in an art program, ('m an Occupational Therapist by training), it was a fascinating peek into what I've always envied. I'm not sure that I could handle it very well, but I sure admire you!
Barry, I I loved reading about your experience. You put up with a lot but you learned a lot too. I don't know if I would have just thrown in the towel...so much drama. Nevertheless, you got more out of it than you expected. My daughter jut got her MFA, so I have lived the life of a grad student through her, for the last two years. It seems to me that Upper Education is filled with wonderful professors but also with a big dose of narcissism and paranoia that gets in the way of good teaching. Not that there aren't great artists teaching out there, but to be both there is a selflessness that needs to be present and from my vantage point I don't see a lot of that out there in academia today unless you are at the undergrad level and not threatening to someones ego. This is not meant to be a blanket statement....there are many fabulous artist/professors in academia but just my personal opinion. ...Your experience is similar. Thanks again...what a great read.
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