E-JOURNAL #2
• COMPLETE-JOURNAL #2 - REFER TO READINGS PAGE AND READ PREMNATH'S "CRITIQUE AS UNLEARNING". WRITE A 1-2 PARAGRPH E-JOURNAL COMMENT SUMMARIZING YOUR RESPONSE TO THE READINGS ON THE CLASS BLOG. INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION. (DUE NO LATER THAN BEGINNING OF CLASS ON 9/14).
MALLORY: I enjoyed this article very much. From what I got out of it, it seems like the author is trying to get people to realize self-expression and self worth from learning on their own. There is only so much you can read and teach about. It is about the journey of undiscovered, finding the truest self for art. I like that she says she has changed her mind when it has come to other theory’s she has written about. It is fresh to hear that when it comes down to words, they are just that and they are ever changing. When the artist talks about what is the point of even going to school is art has free reign in a sense, but there is so much knowledge teachers leave out for us to find. That was a great point because an art teacher is more like a guide to me, they are there to lead you down certain paths and push you to go further but essentially its all up to you if you want success. The article does mention how art institutes have their negativities but to me this article opened my mind to the appreciation of having someone there to help not necessarily reprimand but encourage.
ReplyDeleteHow do you feel about the art system at Rollins? Do you find similarities in the article that compare to your experiences here?
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ReplyDeletePremnath's article deals mainly with critical theory in the era of privilege, modern politics and changing ideas. As she states, the purpose of critical theory "has always been to denaturalize our assumptions about the world", and her desire is for everyone to "use the studio critique to model and exercise a skeptical and analytical mindset that probes and questions what it sees". Of course, as Premnath reminds her audience, this is difficult to achieve in today's world.
ReplyDeletePremnath makes the reader aware of the situation of private universities, something of which I immediately connected to our situation at Rollins. On this campus, privilege is a hot-button issue of which we must remind ourselves to be aware. We cannot let the dynamic between students who are fortunate enough to be able to afford to attend the college and professors who work for average or small salaries affect how we learn. Premnath says, "In order to unlearn privilege, we must create a space within the critique to articulate and recognize the power relations that structure the student-teacher relation. Making power and privilege visible is a step towards unlearning it". I have some questions for the class surrounding this topic. Do you feel that privilege affects the relationships you have with your professors? Have you been able to overcome the boundaries of privilege? How can Rollins, as a private college, engage its students and professors in what Premnath calls "critique as unlearning"?
Emily R: Sreshta Rit Premath uses Spivak's "unlearn one's learning and unlearn one's own privilege" as a foundation for discussion. Through this text, she evaluates the artist as a creator and the response to their artwork in the context of studio critique. I appreciate that the author took a critical point of view on the subject of studio critiques and artist statements because I have also noticed that the processes are rigid and "stilted" at times. Since art instiutions attempt to instill these practices in their pupils, but this leads to the repetiive, unoriginal formula for describing their artwork.
ReplyDeleteInstead, the author argues that teachers should focus on "self-actualization" in which the students can focus on solely their work and practice versus following the generic career path of "artist." I agree with this reading because I often believe that even though teachers are providing lessons, they also have a set agenda to follow which makes it diffucult for students to truly explore themselves as artists. According to Premath's ideas, if we are not making "art-for-art's-sake," who or what are we making it for?
I found this article to be really interesting because it is something that is apparent but also so disguised that unless brought up in this context is often overlooked and not discussed. I got out of this that there has been this idea that a learned process has been constructed where it has become very alike in how things are done and that is where this 'unlearning' comes into play. I think that it's really important to take notice how she does not simplify the task and how this is something that would not be an easy fix but notes the ways in which the benefits out weigh that possible struggle. I really like how to conclude she uses the term from Spivak, "a suspension of unlearning rather than her recommendation that we must suspend learning". I think this is a good way to go about this in a way that seems to have promise to this change.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What would the difference in approach be, if there is one, for how we at Rollins might implement this as opposed to a larger, less privileged institution?
ReplyDelete