Thanks David, Abbi and Rob for your comments. Partner is back at work now, 6 weeks since falling ill. Still needs an afternoon nap, but since she works school hours, that’s possible.
Amid the flurry of urgent work callouts I remembered I’d agreed to present a lecture on dream interpretation to the Hampshire Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists, near Winchester. Torn between cancelling and presenting a badly prepared lecture, chose the latter (the money was the deciding factor), and later regretted it. Not much customer satisfaction … normally hope for more work to come from each lecture, but I don’t think there’ll be anything stemming from that one.
Took the kids camping over half term, while my partner recovered on retreat in North Wales. First day we visited a friend who was dying of Motor Neurone Disease, then moved on to camp in Devon and take my Mother out with the kids for a couple of days. On the first day received a message that our friend had died 24 hours after our visit. Just returned from the funeral this evening.
After Devon, took the kids to visit friends in Herefordshire who, alongside a publishing business, run a small-holding. Lots of fun with sheep shearing, quad bikes, etc. Nice camping in a field with the sheep.
Exhausted after half term, and struggling to wade through the backlog of work, and get my accounts up to date (No money left in the bank, living off the credit card until I get my invoices posted out).
Was flattered to find that AN took the trouble of publishing a reply to my letter; despite exhaustion, sent a letter in defence of my indefensible position. It makes more sense than the first letter, and doesn’t take quite such an extreme stand, so probably won’t get published. Prepared to be surprised, though. Wondering why I feel so strongly about the issue, though, as I don’t feel I have any vocation as an academic lecturer, Fine Art or otherwise.
I guess the little experience I’ve had of H.E. in recent years has been rather dire, finding myself in an environment in which the wellbeing of the students comes a weak third, behind the financial viability of the department and the career development of the lecturers.
Thus, reading all the adverts for Fine Art courses in AN really pisses me off, as they’re so clearly such poor value for money. The Community Arts sector – really professionally run studios such as the Oxford Printmakers Co-op, or the Oxford Film & Video Co-op, clearly outstrip many University departments:
Members have a wealth of skills which they’re prepared to share for little reward beyond the satisfaction of teaching.
There’s more potential to form long-term community-based relationships and partnerships with other practitioners.
There’s hugely more realism about the financial aspects of working as an artist.
There’s hugely more acceptance, and promotion of, non-mainstream contexts, and much more support in creating your own context on a shoestring.
There’s immediate access to all kinds of contemporary art events and exhibitions – not just the headline stuff that goes up at Modern Art Oxford, and 2 or 3 other trendy galleries … the real experimental, whacky, fringe, forward-looking work that inevitably informs the future, because it’s challenging the status quo.
These outfits often have access to equipment as good as, or better than, what’s available in a University Department.
You can pick-and-choose the development of your practice as you go … you’re not limited to whoever happens to occupy the lectureships at the moment – want to develop another direction – just join a different community group.
The only thing that’s missing is a qualification … the dreaded accreditation. Wait for the next edition of AN for my personal take on that, and if they don’t publish it, I’ll post it here.
So Fine Art courses can claim “Learn your skills in the community, do a BA/MA to get something different”. Problem is, the “something different” costs a small fortune, and yields very little. Don’t do it!
Long live Anarchy!
Time to turn in. Hoping to get my accounts sorted tomorrow. Then, next week, I should have a few hours to start picking up the threads of my fragile creative life, and keep my fingers crossed that there are no more crises for a few months.
