I have never been good at drawing. Whenever I try, I consistently draw lines that are supposed to be behind other objects and only realize it when it is too late. You cannot draw a man sitting on a couch by drawing a complete couch and then drawing a man on it. I have trouble thinking ahead and visualizing the final product when it comes to drawing.
But just because I cannot draw does not mean that I am not artistic. I like to take photographs and build sculptures, but I have not been able to take classes on these forms because of a rigid prerequisite in the studio art division of the Art Department.
In the midst of recent discussions to overhaul core requirements and make departments more fluid, members of the Vassar community should rethink the structure of the Art Department.
Currently, there is a single, year long, basic drawing prerequisite in order to take any other class in studio art. Vassar should remove or change this requirement to make art classes more accessible to non-majors.
One option would be to have a wider variety of 100-level classes that meet a prerequisite requirement in art. Students could take an introductory level class in sculpture, painting, drawing or photography with the emphasis on skills that could be utilized across different art forms or mediums. The Art Department could have a number of prerequisite choices in the same way that Vassar offers a number of Freshman Writing Seminar options. The more specific prerequisite courses could require adherence to guidelines not present in other classes.
For instance, an introductory level photography class could have a by-the-week schedule in which students talk about what makes a good black-and-white portrait and then turn in their portrait photographs the following week, at which point they move on to color photography. Or it could be a different sort of progressive and structured course.
Any prerequisite in the Art Department should also be one semester. The current basic drawing prerequisite is a year-long course, meaning that if you do not decide to take it as a freshman—a decision you would need to make before arriving at Vassar—you are left with fairly limited options in the Art Department.
You would take the prerequisite your sophomore year, thus leaving you with only three semesters to explore other art classes, assuming you go Junior Year Abroad. This is less of a problem if you are a major and only want to take Art classes, but Art majors should surely have the option to explore classes outside of the department in their final semesters. Isn’t that kind of thinking supposed to be encouraged at Vassar?
Non-majors surely suffer the most from this prerequisite, though. The student with a casual interest in photography, sculpture or painting has almost no way to explore and expand these creative outlets without giving up two full units of class time first. Furthermore, many students figure out their major around the end of sophomore year and beginning of junior year—often leaving themselves with very few free credits to take extra classes like sculpture or photography.
This past year I participated in ArtSwap, an event open to the entire Vassar community in which artists of all levels submit pieces in any medium and then trade them after a weeklong gallery showing and a big swapping party.
It was great. A friend of mine and I built a sculpture from wood, wire and photographs and had a great time doing it. I was amazed at how much it relaxed me and how good it felt to work with my hands.
It reminded me of how I felt upon returning from my semester abroad—that the education I have received at Vassar has been very valuable, but it is also inherently limited. Sometimes you learn more from picking up a hammer or sticking your fingers way down in the dirt than you ever could from a book.
If Vassar made it easier for students to pursue interests in sculpture and photography, the College would be encouraging a more well-rounded education. Requiring any and every student who is interested in art to take a year-long basic drawing course is pedantic and clashes with the creative forces that drive people to create art.
The basic drawing class would surely improve my drawing skills, but I’m not interested in becoming proficient with a pencil, and I do not need to know how to draw to build inspired sculptures. The current requirement suggests that a student must have a set base of knowledge and be learned in the basic drawing class to creatively produce any form of art.
I am reminded of the scene in The Dead Poets’ Society where the “greatness” quotient of a poem can be deduced from a graph plotting the poem’s “importance” and “perfection.”
Robin Williams has the entire class rip out that page of their textbook—and rightfully so. A mathematical formula cannot deduce the greatness of poetry, and basic drawing skills are not necessary to be a great sculptor or photographer. Vassar should remove or change this requirement to create more accessibility to the wonderful intermediate and advanced art classes offered here.
10 comments
As an art history major with interest in studio art, this requirement has been very limiting. Since both Studio Art and Art History fall under the same department, taking an extra year of art credits limits my possibilities to take 200 level courses in studio art without going over the maximum possible classes in my concentration.
Furthermore, it is also very limiting for students who go JYA and must carefully choose classes that are offered each semester, or classes that are offered every other year, to take a year long requirement.
As an art history major with interest in studio art, this requirement has been very limiting. Since both Studio Art and Art History fall under the same department, taking an extra year of art credits limits my possibilities to take 200 level courses in studio art without going over the maximum possible classes in my concentration.
Furthermore, it is also very limiting for students who go JYA and must carefully choose classes that are offered each semester, or classes that are offered every other year, to take a year long requirement.
As an art history major with interest in studio art, this requirement has been very limiting. Since both Studio Art and Art History fall under the same department, taking an extra year of art credits limits my possibilities to take 200 level courses in studio art without going over the maximum possible classes in my concentration.
Furthermore, it is also very limiting for students who go JYA and must carefully choose classes that are offered each semester, or classes that are offered every other year, to take a year long requirement.
As an art history major with interest in studio art, this requirement has been very limiting. Since both Studio Art and Art History fall under the same department, taking an extra year of art credits limits my possibilities to take 200 level courses in studio art without going over the maximum possible classes in my concentration.
Furthermore, it is also very limiting for students who go JYA and must carefully choose classes that are offered each semester, or classes that are offered every other year, to take a year long requirement.
As an art history major with interest in studio art, this requirement has been very limiting. Since both Studio Art and Art History fall under the same department, taking an extra year of art credits limits my possibilities to take 200 level courses in studio art without going over the maximum possible classes in my concentration.
Furthermore, it is also very limiting for students who go JYA and must carefully choose classes that are offered each semester, or classes that are offered every other year, to take a year long requirement.