Description
Book SynopsisArtist Scholar: Reflections on Writing and Research is part history, introduction and discussion for artists and designers entering, graduating and employed by the contemporary art academy in the United States. The evolution of art education in the university continues to expand in the twenty-first century as the variables of craft, skill, technique, theory, history and criticism shift and expand as the perspective of arts-based research is introduced into this professionalized environment. Given this context: what can MFA students do to improve their understanding of writing and research without sacrificing their commitment to their studio art process?
Through a series of essays, the text argues for better writing at the MFA level with the purpose of becoming better artists. By contextualizing art practice in the university and providing a foundation for future artist scholarship, it serves as an invitation to artist scholars to push their work further and develop the confidence to situate their art in the university context.
Trade ReviewThis work is indispensable to any artist, inside or outside the academy, who wishes to understand the historical and cultural roots of the contemporary view that research and art making are inextricable. What makes Daichendt's argument potentially generative for artists is that it is centered in the author's belief that research and writing can be powerful ways of strengthening and deepening artistic production. The reader will find a broad range of clear and usefully provocative insights that frame research not a substitute for art making, but as a tool for better art making. --Nick Jaffe, musician, teaching artist, Chief Editor of the Teaching Artist Journal As an artist, scholar and educator, Daichendt draws upon his research and personal experiences to present the importance of reflective writing in graduate visual art studio programs. His insights about how the MFA candidate can use visual and verbal scholarship methods to enhance their own and others understanding of the art-making process make a significant contribution to the literature about university art education. Judith W. Simpson, Ph.D. Director of the MA in Art Education on-line program Boston University
Table of ContentsPreface: Scholarship and Art's Ambiguous Objects - John Baldacchino
Introduction
Chapter 1: Artists and Scholarship
Chapter 2: The Professionalization of the Visual Arts
Chapter 3: The Status of Artistic Scholarship
Chapter 4: Artists and Writing
Chapter 5: Reflections on Knowledge and Understanding
Chapter 6: Practicing Reflective Scholarship
Chapter 7: Revisiting Writing and Research
Appendix A – Putting Writing into Practice
Appendix B – Banksy Hearts NY
