Credit where...

This last year the department has felt like it did when I first entered the wgas back in the 1990’s. One can hardly move without running into a new visiting artist who is willing to not only give a lecture but do studio visits.

When I first arrived we were the beacon department – of course this is before it became faddish to take every other semester off due to the strain of teaching and way before the wgas became a realtor and tried to buy out the Loop.

This last year has been really impressive in the people who have passed through especially in its breadth. I was chair when I had to delete the names of many of the former people who had come through as no one really had been in the department for a decade. This was a manifestation of how the department was disappearing.

When someone was in town we used to hand them some money and they would give a talk at lunch. It happened quite a lot but there was little interaction after that. Of course we had visiting artist positions where faculty would stay for two years and we would rotate people in and out of this to keep the department dynamic and vital.

BDG actually put together a symposium of four artists during a semester that was great. It wasn’t Goldsmiths’ but close to it.

I dare say this is even better. Most of those brought in are having studio visits with the grads, as well as a talk and so many are going through that I am afraid that the grads may take this for granted. I am sorry that I haven’t taken part in this at all.

I am also sorry that the grads are the ones who took this on. They went to the administration for funds, they asked those in the know in the school about honoraria, they even invited and booked the visiting artists - and there have been a slew of them - as it seems that the faculty couldn’t (be bothered to) get it done. We are still trying to fill a position from the loss of a faculty member to another school. I think – know – that the grads did a great job. It is a pity though that they had to take their own education in hand like this when it should be we the faculty who are providing them with these chances freeing them up to make work and have it critiqued in the short time that they are here.

I fear burnout on their part for the magnificent job that they have done and really sheepish that we faculty can only moan about the people chosen rather than supporting them 100% and worrying about the inordinate amount of time it must take to have such a full docket.

It seems instead that we were passive until it was up and running and only now start to complain about minutiae when we couldn’t be bothered to even initiate something that comes close – but be fair how could we be expected to do this amount of work when we are only here one semester in two.

I hear – it could be a rumour – that now the higher ups at the wgas are upset at the money spent - upset at money spent to provide an excellent education – maybe there is a building whose rent is due who knows - and are also complaining. My guess is they fear that other departments will demand the same of their faculty and school.