Yesterday I received a phone call from the director of the continuing education program at the college I teach at. Seems NY state has reclassified some of the courses. The course I teach was under Professional Development/Vocational Pursuits but is now being reclassified as a Personal Enrichment course. Bottom line, it's a craft and there is a big drop in the pay scale for instructors in that area. They are even sub listing it under CREATIVE PROJECTS. At least they could have put it under ARTISTIC EXPRESSION but no. Of course Floral Design is still under Vocational Pursuits. What really ticks me off is that part of the course requirement is to take all the students to a professional glass studio and demonstrate for them how to setup and run a glass business. I have a meeting with the director today to talk about wither or not I will teach this semester.
More than the pay cut involved with this has me ticked off. For whatever stupid reason, glass is seen as more of a craft than art by many galleries, museums and people in general and that doesn't seem to be improving. I was once approach to join a large local art league here on the island. When they asked about the medium I worked in, I proudly said glass and they promptly said no thank you. They were a group of "artists" after all and weren't looking for craft people. I tried to politely explain that I did indeed paint and sculpt, I just use glass instead of paints or clays. Well bottom line....I'm not a member of that league. By the way they did have a fabric artist in the group as well as some pottery artists and wood workers so it wasn't just painters.
I went into a gallery with some of my best pieces once only to be told they only represent artist. Didn't bother replying to that. She asked if I painted as well and although I do I told her that glass was my main medium of choice. The owner did buy two of my peices for herself. She loved them and has been to a few of my open houses over the years and bought several other pieces. Again...FTF"!
This whole craft crap has me crazed this morning. Glass is not a hobby for me. I make my living creating with glass. I stopped doing shows a few years ago because number one, the island is inundated with a ton of them and the juring processes is a joke anymore. Pay your fee and you have a booth. The last one I did had a woman selling the same imported stained glass sun catchers all shrink wrapped on cards that I periodically get the catalog for in the mail. Another was selling the imported glass flowers I saw that morning in the local dollar store and yet another was selling tube socks. Between vendors like that and people coming into my booth saying things like, "Is this glass?" (no it's concrete) "Who makes this" (Little elves) "Oh I used to make stuff like that. You bake it in the oven" (really....darn I wasted all those days cutting glass and working in the heat of the kiln for nothing) I couldn't take it any more. Mark, bless his soul, actually threw one nasty vendor out of my booth who had the nerve to come in with her friend and take picture of some of my pieces and discuss how they were going to make some for their next show. He needn't have bothered. I saw their work and they wouldn't have been able to replicate mine. It was sweet of him though.
I am not trying to say that I am a master artist in glass but I am striving to get my work to the highest level I can. The picture above is not one of my best but the only one I have on the computer right now. I have been fortunate enough to study with some of those I feel are and it just unnerves me to no end that these extremely talented people are creating such wonderful pieces in a medium that has to fight to be seen as art.
Some in the glass world say that by teaching my art to people who do just want to do it as a hobby is part of the problem. Do people painting pictures as a hobby down grade all those paintings in museums every where to craft projects? I don't think so. There will always be so called "crafters" in every medium. Why can't we also recognize that there are also artist in every medium as well?
More than the pay cut involved with this has me ticked off. For whatever stupid reason, glass is seen as more of a craft than art by many galleries, museums and people in general and that doesn't seem to be improving. I was once approach to join a large local art league here on the island. When they asked about the medium I worked in, I proudly said glass and they promptly said no thank you. They were a group of "artists" after all and weren't looking for craft people. I tried to politely explain that I did indeed paint and sculpt, I just use glass instead of paints or clays. Well bottom line....I'm not a member of that league. By the way they did have a fabric artist in the group as well as some pottery artists and wood workers so it wasn't just painters.
I went into a gallery with some of my best pieces once only to be told they only represent artist. Didn't bother replying to that. She asked if I painted as well and although I do I told her that glass was my main medium of choice. The owner did buy two of my peices for herself. She loved them and has been to a few of my open houses over the years and bought several other pieces. Again...FTF"!
This whole craft crap has me crazed this morning. Glass is not a hobby for me. I make my living creating with glass. I stopped doing shows a few years ago because number one, the island is inundated with a ton of them and the juring processes is a joke anymore. Pay your fee and you have a booth. The last one I did had a woman selling the same imported stained glass sun catchers all shrink wrapped on cards that I periodically get the catalog for in the mail. Another was selling the imported glass flowers I saw that morning in the local dollar store and yet another was selling tube socks. Between vendors like that and people coming into my booth saying things like, "Is this glass?" (no it's concrete) "Who makes this" (Little elves) "Oh I used to make stuff like that. You bake it in the oven" (really....darn I wasted all those days cutting glass and working in the heat of the kiln for nothing) I couldn't take it any more. Mark, bless his soul, actually threw one nasty vendor out of my booth who had the nerve to come in with her friend and take picture of some of my pieces and discuss how they were going to make some for their next show. He needn't have bothered. I saw their work and they wouldn't have been able to replicate mine. It was sweet of him though.
I am not trying to say that I am a master artist in glass but I am striving to get my work to the highest level I can. The picture above is not one of my best but the only one I have on the computer right now. I have been fortunate enough to study with some of those I feel are and it just unnerves me to no end that these extremely talented people are creating such wonderful pieces in a medium that has to fight to be seen as art.
Some in the glass world say that by teaching my art to people who do just want to do it as a hobby is part of the problem. Do people painting pictures as a hobby down grade all those paintings in museums every where to craft projects? I don't think so. There will always be so called "crafters" in every medium. Why can't we also recognize that there are also artist in every medium as well?
Ok I am done ranting for now and need another cup of coffee before I go take on the director.
2 comments:
Coy and I have the piece you sent us proudly displayed in our dinning room window. Everyone who comes over comments on what a beautiful piece of art it is and Coy always proudly tells them that his sister created it. I hope you rip the director a new one...
Thanks Sal. I really needed that. The meeting didn't go well and I told them to find a new instructor. I had to laugh while I was in her office I noticed a copy of the continuing professional vocation catalog on her desk. The back ground of the cover was a picture of a beutiful piece of stained glass. I couldn't help laughing out loud and pointing it out to her. I'm still torn because 21 people signed up for the course and I feel I am letting them down but Mark pointed out that if I rolled over on this one who knows what they will pull next time. A 25% pay cut is like a slap in the face that I shouldn't take and I guess he is right. Oh well....
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