graduate publication 2013
University of Reading
As the postgraduate representative on the Publication Committee, I campaigned for the introduction of academic papers by the History of Art & Architecture postgraduates.
Dr Rachel Garfield, the Head of Postgraduate Studies, supported the initiative, as she explained in her introduction:
This initiative - for the History of Art and Architecture and Fine Art students to come together for their degree show catalogue - was suggested and overseen by Robyn Appleton from the Masters of Fine Art programme. Robyn and I met with the HoA&A students in the Autumn term to introduce the idea of some form of con- tribution. They met this approach with great enthusiasm mixed with a little trepidation and went through a process of visits to the Fine Art studios and discussion about how to proceed, thinking through different models. The initial idea was for the Art History students to write about something of interest to them, that they would be doing on their course, perhaps. However, a suggestion soon emerged for a direct dialogue to take place between the Fine Art and Art History students, a dialogue in which the art historians would write about the work of the artists.
Great generosity of spirit has been shown by both sets of students who gave their time and focus to this. It takes courage to write about living artists, who can speak back, disagree and feel misunderstood. It also takes courage to trust someone you don't know to write about your art and look at it when it is still in process and hope that it is understood, or at least has an empathetic ear. Happily, the development of the relationship from discussing to writing, was amicable throughout and the result of this can be seen here: Katie Ackrill, Gerry Wyld, and Rachel Coles have written pieces about the work, contextualizing the concerns of Ed Quick, Robyn Appleton and Bob Geal respectively.
I would like to thank the Fine Art BA students who allowed the joint BA/MFA catalogue to go ahead without any additional funding. I would particularly like to thank the MFA students and the History of Art & Architecture students themselves. This catalogue is a result of considerable effort and a leap of faith by them both, to see the value in overcoming their self-consciousness and concerns and opening their ideas and work up to people whom they didn't know before. I think it has paid off and I look forward to many more initiatives and collaborations of this sort in future years.
Dr Rachel Garfield, Director of Postgraduate Studies
www.degreeshow2013.com
Dr Rachel Garfield, the Head of Postgraduate Studies, supported the initiative, as she explained in her introduction:
This initiative - for the History of Art and Architecture and Fine Art students to come together for their degree show catalogue - was suggested and overseen by Robyn Appleton from the Masters of Fine Art programme. Robyn and I met with the HoA&A students in the Autumn term to introduce the idea of some form of con- tribution. They met this approach with great enthusiasm mixed with a little trepidation and went through a process of visits to the Fine Art studios and discussion about how to proceed, thinking through different models. The initial idea was for the Art History students to write about something of interest to them, that they would be doing on their course, perhaps. However, a suggestion soon emerged for a direct dialogue to take place between the Fine Art and Art History students, a dialogue in which the art historians would write about the work of the artists.
Great generosity of spirit has been shown by both sets of students who gave their time and focus to this. It takes courage to write about living artists, who can speak back, disagree and feel misunderstood. It also takes courage to trust someone you don't know to write about your art and look at it when it is still in process and hope that it is understood, or at least has an empathetic ear. Happily, the development of the relationship from discussing to writing, was amicable throughout and the result of this can be seen here: Katie Ackrill, Gerry Wyld, and Rachel Coles have written pieces about the work, contextualizing the concerns of Ed Quick, Robyn Appleton and Bob Geal respectively.
I would like to thank the Fine Art BA students who allowed the joint BA/MFA catalogue to go ahead without any additional funding. I would particularly like to thank the MFA students and the History of Art & Architecture students themselves. This catalogue is a result of considerable effort and a leap of faith by them both, to see the value in overcoming their self-consciousness and concerns and opening their ideas and work up to people whom they didn't know before. I think it has paid off and I look forward to many more initiatives and collaborations of this sort in future years.
Dr Rachel Garfield, Director of Postgraduate Studies
www.degreeshow2013.com
