Wicked Problems in Visual Arts Education

Wicked Problem #1
How do we prepare students for the lack of sustainable job opportunities and professional placement in arts related careers?

• Better awareness of the opportunities that DO exist
  ie: grantwriting; tech skills; promotion through school/community connections
• Improve networks
• Effective tracking of jobs that align to skills developed through art/design education
• Better instruction in professional practices/applied learning as part of the currciulum
• Capitalize on the current popularity of “design thinking” which is already inherent to visual arts study; better branding
• Focus less on artwork and more on “thinking”
• Articulate process in accessible ways
• Focus on pedagogy and interdisciplinarity
• Utilize existing data that suggests job opportunities do exist in arts
• Allow students to create their curriculum/learning–is this a viable approach?
• Building confidence and demystifying career pathways and opportunities
• Change the culture of art programs to be more open-ended, and not a set track
• Highlighting value of an art portfolio and skills
• Arts-administrative-like curriculum that is real-world oriented; discuss art-business; museum/curatorial knowledge; abilities to talk to funders and collectors
• Co-op more effective/desirable opportunities than internships
• Instill value of collaboration
• Debunk “myths” about what it means to be an artist today
• Supplement coursework with panels, conferences, exhibits, etc. in order to learn what it takes to be competitive
• Create expectation of engagement
• Demonstrate relevancy
• Location relevant to programs in art

How do we create an educational pipeline that will introduce and encourage more diverse populations to pursue arts-based careers?

• What do we mean by diversity?
• Inclusive; Equitable
• All internships should be paid
• Should paid internship be weighed more or less against unpaid internships?
• Are credit hours the same as paid?
• How do we evaluate resumes when it comes to internships?
• Should internships be required?
• How do we evaluate colleges  on resumes? (Why are some schools weighted more than the person)
  • Take away college names on resumes?
  • Only include GPA and coursework?
• Problems with transferring internships to 4-year schools
• Institutional support for students applying for internships
• Linking artist to students for mentorship
  • existence of a role model—who is similar to you?

 

How do we best counsel students wishing to pursue a Ph.D. in Art History?

Posed by Amanda Wangwright, Julian Adoff, and Hannah Wong, on behalf of CAA’s Students and Emerging Professionals Committee (SEPC)