| The Importance
of Student Art Competitions
This April I was given the opportunity
to attend the gallery opening for the Cerritos College student art show.
This show was organized in a very professional manner. The galley was
hung perfectly, with plenty of space between pieces and each piece was
identified with a clear ink jet label.
However the show was more than simple well organized and well sponsored.
The show was a celebration;
A band provided music, dinner was provided
with a bank of barbeques, in attendance were students, parents, family,
ex-students, faculty and administration. The judge was the director of
the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California. Everything
about this event spoke to the importance and value of student work.
To read more about this event, please see our profile HERE.
Art Competitions:
I believe that school art competitions are important. It dismays me to
hear teachers discuss art education as a non-competitive subject that
students should attend in order to learn to express themselves. Certainly
there is and should a certain element of creating for creativity’s
sake and to build self-esteem in a non-judgmental setting.
However school is a very competitive institution and students compete
over a wide range of activities. It may well be true that the AP Calculus
student with a bookshelf full of athletic trophies is also a fine artist.
It can equally be true that a school’s finest art students do not
necessarily excel in other academic and athletic endeavors. To conduct
an art class as purely an exercise in creative self-expression without
an emphasis on craftsmanship and excellence is an exercise in shortchanging
those students most deserving and most in need of recognition for their
artistic talents. An art show to showcase the best work of all of the
students may bring much needed recognition to those students who have
not received attention in other areas.
Here in brief are my three reasons for
proposing that all schools should develop art competitons:
Recognition – Art students desire the same opportunities
for recognition for their success and abilities as students excelling
in other activities such as school athletics or conventional academics.
Motivation – The opportunity to compete and win
recognition motivates students to excel. The potential of a public display
of work concentrates attention on craftsmanship and hand skills as well
as creativity and idea development.
Community - Friendly competition fuels idea sharing and
builds community. Students find that putting an idea up in visual form
requires them to also be able to communicate the message and explain their
meanings verbally. This fuels an exchange of ideas and sparks an increased
interest in moving beyond and developing a maturity in their work.
Some issues for schools and suggested
solutions:
Gallery Space:
Unfortunately many schools do not have appropriate space to stage a galley
of two- and three-dimensional artwork. An alternative to a gallery space
in the school is to go off campus. An example of how this might be accomplished
is the hosting the student show from the Los Angeles County High School
of the Arts at the Rose Café in Venice, California. Other examples
besides coffee bars include libraries, artist’s associations (many
of these have been profiled on this website) and other community based
venues (Airports, banks, shopping centers). By placing the gallery-off
campus the show becomes more than a school event, it becomes a community
celebration.
Judges:
An independent judge with credentials the students will respect is recommended.
Artists from artists’ societies have participated in many competitions
and therefore have an understanding in how to clearly explain to the students
the methods and justifications for the choice of awards. If you would
like a reference to an art society near your school, please contact me
HERE.
Student art competitions can be wonderful opportunities to invite graduated
students back, bring families into the program and increase community
interest in a school’s art programs. The Cerritos College student
show was, for me, an example of how to organize a student show correctly
and an inspiration to advocate an increased emphasis on art competitions
for all schools and school districts.
As has often been stated, everyone can
learn to draw; if so, then everyone can aspire to technical excellence
in an art class. Art education should be about many things, but certainly
one of the educational goals should be training in a foundation built
on craftsmanship and technical skills.
Camlin's quote for May "The healthiest competition occurs when average
people win by putting above average effort." Colin Powell - Secretary
of State 2001-2005
Read our January essay : Art
History and the Internet
Read our March essay: Ink
Jet Printers and the Color Wheel:
Brought to us by Camlin North America, Register
to receive a merchandise award for your next juried exhibition or fund
raising event: CLICK
HERE
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how we can improve - Jim Chandler barrchan@earthlink.net
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