FRAMEWORK

Images from stud(wall) (November 2003) by brian balderston

Transformer, in partnership with George Washington University, is pleased to present:

FRAMEWORK Panel #7 - Art School, Confidential: Rethinking Art Education

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
6:45 - 8:15pm

George Washington University
Smith Hall of Art, Room 114
801 22nd Street, NW
Washington, DC

• Video of Framework Panel #7 (85mb Quicktime)
• Audio of Framework Panel #7 (38mb mp3)
• Blog discussion of Framework Panel #7

Transformer kicks off the new year with Art School, Confidential: Rethinking Art Education, the 7th installment of our dynamic FRAMEWORK Panel Series. Designed as a facilitated discussion focused on the changing values and practices in the sphere of art education, Art School, Confidential: Rethinking Art Education brings together an esteemed group of area artists and professors in a dialogue about the influence of art schools in the lives of artists and on the direction of contemporary art-making within the larger arts landscape.

Featuring panelists Billy Colbert (Adjunct Faculty, American University), Maggie Michael, Brandon Morse (Associate Professor of Digital Media & Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Art, University of Maryland, College Park, MD), Renee Stout, and Rex Weil (Professor of Art Theory, University of Maryland, College Park, MD), and moderated by Dean Kessman (Assistant Professor of Photography, George Washington University), the panel discussion will be followed by a thirty minute question and answer segment with the audience.

Attendance for this event is free. Seating will be on a first come, first seated basis.

Participating panelists in FRAMEWORK Panel #7 - Art School, Confidential: Rethinking Art Education will address questions such as: To what extent can art be taught? Is the responsibility of an institution to transmit information or to set up a flexible support system that facilitates the making of art and exchange of ideas? How are art school practices affected by: the changing marketplace, increasing emphasis on measurable post-graduate success, rising tuition fees, and the growing mandate of art as refined informational platform? What potential value is offered by newer "DIY" art schools that forgo curriculum for more experimental, interactive projects and environments? How is the BFA, MA, MFA, etc. comparable to other non-art degrees?

Launched in December 2002, Transformer's FRAMEWORK Panel Series seeks to expand critical arts dialogue while simultaneously engaging and developing Washington's contemporary arts audience through moderated panel discussions with a diverse cross-section of cultural leaders and experts. Previous FRAMEWORK Panel topics have included: The Importance of the Curator, Financial Stabilization and Economic Opportunities for Artists, The Role of Community Organizations in Supporting Emerging Artists, Artist as Activist, The Role of the Arts Writer: Critiquing Arts Criticism and Collecting the Work of Emerging Artists.

Click here for the full press release in PDF format.

Special Thanks to Marissa Long, Transformer's Framework Panel Coordinator, for her great work in organizing this and our Framework Panels # 5 and #6 in 2007.

The FRAMEWORK Panel Series is designed to engage community leaders and artists in creating together a field guide to engage, stabilize and support the individual emerging artist in our community.

If you are interested in supporting this program, please email: info@transformergallery.org