Why is crap in now?

Well, that's life. crap, crap and more crap.

Incompetence and ignorance are common things in our life now. Alas!

Probably you need to be more careful in choosing place/teachers to study in/with. Don't go in some school because it's cheap, or you have a deal, or somebody told you it's cool, or school people tell everyone how great they are...

Look for REAL stuff.

If a teacher waves hands and talks too damn much nonsense, but can not really show anything himself(!), only keeps on 'shaking air' - stay away from it. Talks are cheap. There are too many idiots around are saying right things, anyway.

Look for a teacher with impressive and interesting works of HIS own, with solid portfolio, for teacher, whose students produce something noteworthy, whose pupils did achieve something in the field after graduation.

[in other words: for one who can create (!) and can teach (!) as well; one ability is not enough - both are required, whereas one so-called 'teacher' you described has neither of these]

Weaving the Conundrum -=NOUMENON |=-

Reminds me of my high school teacher - it amuses me still and friends I tell (who've known me as an artist forever) that my only failing grade in h/s was in art class.... Sally Milo http://www.milodesign.com Tucson, Arizona

Why not see if you can do better - try being more famous for being famous. Now, there's an ambition.

Is it my imagination or does it seem that instructors who teach classes called 'Design in 2 and 3 dimensions' and that type of thing (first or second semester only) have a tendancy to try and bullshit their way through the class? I'm sure that not all of them do, but it seems from my own experience and from hearing other people gripe, that this particular type of class is just more prone to teachers who haven't a clue. The one I had back when, just assigned 'clever' projects and graded them without giving any instruction of any kind, other than a definition of certain terms in the first week of class(dictionary type thing). We never knew why we were making 'a large papier-mache sculpture of any inanimate object' or a 'portrait of a famous person, from a photograph, in unnatural colors'. I can see where such exercises could foster useful skills and techniques. It would however, have been lovely to know that, as well as what skills we were supposed to be developing, as a lowly clueless freshman.

Its not your imagination. These so called courses are 95% bullshit. The other 5% can best be learned from books in a tenth the time. Its all a substitute in order to take up time and not teach the necessary drawing skills which these teachers don't have.

Sounds like your school might be the usual Bauhaus Kindergarten. The best test is to take a look at the work of the senior students. Ignore the gimmicks. Can they draw? Can they produce professional looking work?

If you feel that they fail at this try to find an art school that isn't a scam. A school that teaches produces professionals not failures.

Tired of Modern Art? Check out my web page

I hate to sound like Mani... but why go to school at all?? (unless you're being forced to.)

I, like thousands and thousands of others, are self taught. So was Da Vinci, I think. (not sure - don't care either).

You go to art school to learn about working with other artists and to become part of the peer group and for critical discourse between other students and practicing artists. Art school will expose you to practicing artists - visiting lecturers - and will open up a number of avenues which you are probably unaware exist. It is in art school that you start to develop contacts with other artists at the same stage as you, and where you find, inevitably, that if there are dynamic personalities amongst them then after art school things will start to become interesting. Trying to go it alone in the *art world* is a lonely business and few succeed but many graduate groups succeed. You also use art school for the facilities, especially access to the library, because once out you will soon find out that the local libraries idea of art is *how to paint a vase of flowers*. The computer suites and printing facilities are also important to many of today's students. Oh and you get cheap materials, and concessionary entry to exhibitions and talks

Alison A Raimes

'famous for being famous' - is that like two no's make a yes - famous for being famous is not famous.

keith