tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810530569984483994.post186592027605237640..comments2024-02-15T15:07:32.032-07:00Comments on Molly Elkind : Talking Textiles: Paths to becoming tapestry artistsMolly Elkindhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01023697000956664007noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810530569984483994.post-63129722938425581092021-03-19T07:56:19.367-06:002021-03-19T07:56:19.367-06:00It is interesting breaking down exactly what an ed...It is interesting breaking down exactly what an education in creating art with tapestry entails. There is the technique and there is the art. Technique is a skill that can be learned while the art element requires one to be responsible for the history of art and expressing ones self in a way that is not redundant, it is an individual expression. We use design elements as a way to express ourselves through visual communication. In other words, we are learning to spell, put words together to make sentences, and putting paragraphs together to express ideas.We need to remember that Mind, Heart, and Hand working together allow us to create objects that are intellectually, emotionally, and technically balanced.David C Johnsonhttp://arachneweaving.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810530569984483994.post-29742729862785000912021-03-18T07:48:40.956-06:002021-03-18T07:48:40.956-06:00Hi Molly. Thanks for your informative and instruc...Hi Molly. Thanks for your informative and instructive blog, and for calming the heat in this degree/no degree issue. I do have an MFA from Syracuse University majoring in printmaking. Having that degree was/is required in order to teach within the college/university systems in the US, and that was my goal. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to teach undergrads while enrolled in my degree--another credential to add to teaching applications. It prepared me for my teaching career and for developing an art and design program for a community college.<br /><br />An additional value of attending a graduate program was the weekly rigorous critique, when professors and other grad students questioned and challenged our creative work. The discussions addressed the reasoning behind and intent for the work. Having now retired from teaching, I look to online courses for new creative challenges, and Rebecca Mezoff's builds on the weaving courses I took in undergrad. But those graduate conversations (often not as polite as the word "conversation" suggests!) still speak loudly to me. I value those voices.<br /> silkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139813652025932413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810530569984483994.post-43535320992218665262021-03-17T15:10:13.316-06:002021-03-17T15:10:13.316-06:00Thanks for carrying on the conversation Molly! It ...Thanks for carrying on the conversation Molly! It occurs to me that in my original prompt on the BTG blog, I failed to be more specific about the kind of education. I don't think there are perhaps any university programs that offer a concentration in tapestry specifically in the USA and other countries take more of the workshop approach to learning tapestry. Also university systems elsewhere in the world are very different than the USA. I referenced the MFA in that blog post. In the US, the MFA is a terminal degree in art--the highest degree a studio artist can get. Degrees mean different levels of study in other countries (not that it really matters!). Just another thought to add to the pile! If you go for an MFA in fibers, you're not necessarily going to have anyone there who can teach you the language of tapestry. And that brings us right back to finding our own language, doesn't it? Still, learning the language as you so perfectly say it here Molly, is important. So as many of us do, just start, build a community, and the individual path will be come clearer if you do the work. (Also, if I do decide to go get an MFA in 10 or 20 years, don't throw this back at me! *wink*)Rebecca Mezoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16138972934775842473noreply@blogger.com