Career Services and the College Art Association

As mentioned in my previous post I spent the majority of last week attending the College Art Association's annual conference. While the presentations and sessions covered a variety of topics I spent a great deal of time attending events held by Career Services. Although the photography related presentations where interesting and insightful, I decided to write about my experience in these workshops and mentoring sessions. I hope you enjoy my take on the CAA conference and next week I promise I'll be back to posting as normal.

A large part of the annual College Art Association (CAA) conference focuses on the quest for full time employment. Artists and art historians attend the conference, and the related Career Services events, with the anticipation of securing a coveted interview or a follow up meeting. At the 2013 conference I spent a great deal of time attending Career Services events. I enrolled in workshops, perused the interview hall, and engaged in a career development mentoring session. As someone who is actively applying for various positions I was excited to speak with professionals, and to gain some insight into this competitive market. During the CAA conference, when not running between paper presentations and poster sessions, I was attending Professional Development Workshops. These workshops, because of their “specialized” nature had an additional fee, which at the time seemed worth the money.

Registration Tables

The first workshop on my list was lead by David M. Sokol, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois. The course, “Job Hunt 101: Essential Steps in Securing a Job in the Arts,” seemed promising enough. The first thirty minutes of the two-hour workshop were devoted to explaining professorial rank and going over depressing statistics concerning the number of job openings in the field. Sokol then gave a few pointers on the application process and reminded us to do our research before an interview. We then transitioned into a question and answer format for the remaining hour and a half. And that was it. Fifty dollars for a course that was a glorified question and answer session. To Sokol’s credit some of the information he presented was helpful. He delved into a nice discussion on interview tips, and also presented us with standards and guidelines for writing a CV (this information is also free on the CAA’s website). As the workshop wrapped up I could not help thinking that the presentation was outdated, and at times irrelevant. Disappointment set in even further when Sokol simply discussed academic jobs and did not explore museums or alternative career paths. The instructor clearly had many years of experience, but failed to explore tools for navigating the online job search, and the role social media has in networking. While some new information was gained, for the most part I felt this workshop was a waste of time and money. 

Luckily, the rest of the conference proved to be fruitful and I was able to spend Thursday moving between sessions. It was refreshing to listen to new scholarship, to observe academic discourse, and to witness innovative sessions such as "CAA THATCamp: What Happened and What's Next," and "Rock the Pedagogical Boat: Open Mic." On Friday morning I attended my second Professional Development Workshop, “The Syllabus: Mapping Out Your Semester.” After Wednesday’s experience, my expectations were needless to say low. The session however, was an informative two hours. The workshop, lead by Steven Bleicher from Coastal Carolina University covered lesson plans, course objectives, assignments, grading, and general classroom policies. Bleicher presented interesting ideas and shared his past teaching experiences. The course prompted me to think about my pedagogical style and to develop goals for my future students to achieve. The instructor also emailed his presentation to all those that attended so we that could revisit the session at our leisure.

Steven Bleicher's workshop, "The Syllabus"

Though the information presented in “The Syllabus” was useful, I was troubled that the course, much like the rest of the Career Services was focused on artists and those with MFA degrees. Where was the focus on art historians? Bleicher’s presentation, which included a section on developing good critiques and safety procedures in the studio was helpful to artists, but was lost on me. I do not blame the instructor, but rather the CAA and Career Services for not providing accurate descriptions of their workshops. During the week of conference, I was shocked by the lack of useable and relevant resources for emerging art historians and museum professionals. I was also surprised that the CAA didn’t have an equal number of workshops targeted to educators focusing on the history of art. After all, the majority of the papers presented at traditional conference sessions are written by professors of art history, critics, curators or other museum professionals. And as was pointed out in Victoria Scott's paper, "The Art History Guild," shouldn’t the CAA be promoting art history, the humanities, and providing resources for those who want to keep the field relevant, alive and vibrant?

While it is clear from several sessions at the conference, the CAA has plenty of new challenges to face. However, I wish to end this post on a positive note and to share a highlight from my Career Services experience. On Friday afternoon I had the pleasure of participating in a mentoring session with James Farmer from Virginia Commonwealth University. Our thirty minute workshop was a welcomed opportunity to meet a professional working in the field. Farmer’s candidness allowed for a comfortable yet honest discussion, and we were able to cover a variety of topics. He briefly examined my CV and asked spoke to me about future plans. He offered advice on how to get published and specifics to look for in doctoral programs. Although this session was short, it was extremely valuable and lent an optimistic tone to the day. It was refreshing to receive real and useable advice from a respected source.

Attendees between sessions

I do not regret participating in the Career Services aspect of the CAA conference but will not register for their courses in the future. In addition to the workshops and the mentoring sessions that I attended, Career Services also offered Roundtable Discussions, Brown Bag Lunches and Mock Interviews. However, due to previous commitments and my desire to also attend a variety of sessions I was not able to take advantage of these opportunities. I am curious to hear what other emerging professionals thought of the offerings and am interested in see what changes (if any) are made for the 2014 conference.

CAA February 13-16

This year the College Art Association’s annual conference will be held in New York City from February 13th to the 16th. The conference with over 6,000 attendees, will host discussions and presentations exploring the history of art and visual culture. The conference serves a forum for artists, students, art historians, critics, collectors, educators, and museum professionals to discuss developments in their fields and to present new ideas.

I will be attending the conference this week and look forward to sharing with you some of the highlights from the photography related lectures. I will also be tweeting from presentations and workshops, so be sure to follow along @rlwomalley and #CAA2013. If you are attending the conference I look forward to seeing you there.

God Made A Farmer: A Historical Perspective

On Sunday, millions of Americans gathered around their televisions to watch one of the most highly anticipated and commercialized events of the year. Known for over-the-top performances, expensive commercials and immortal acts of athleticism, the Superbowl is as American as Thanksgiving. And without a doubt, Superbowl XLVII was one for the books.

Between the retirement of Ray Lewis, Beyoncé's heart stopping performance and the ensuing stadium blackout, the four hour event was more than just a game. Breaking up the series of passes, touchdowns and flags were some of the most expensive and inventive commercials of the year. Corporations touted their branding power, prowess and accessibility with multiple camera angles and special effects. They appealed to the emotions of the viewer and often prompted the requisite laughter. While every commercial had its role in sculpting the audience's opinion, one advertisement struck me as more provocative then others.

Dodge Ram’s two-minute long commercial, which spotlighted the American farmer, proved that aestheticism is still relevant in our media. The commercial, narrated by the late right-wing radio broadcaster Paul Harvey, effectively combined sound and imagery to create a visually appealing statement. While the commercial is not without criticism (a point I will address shortly) one cannot deny the powerful nature of documentary photography.

Images from Dodge Ram's 2013 Commercial

The images used in this advertisement depict hard working Americans, farming the land that our country is so proud of. The video, although clearly created for the purpose of selling trucks reminded me of a much earlier agricultural initiative from the 1930s. Created in response to the Great Depression and as part of FDR’s New Deal for America programs, the Farm Security Administration (FSA) hired photographs to document rural life. During this time, photographers such as Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Gordon Parks captured some of our countries most iconic images. 

Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother.

The FSA and the photographic program’s original goals were to educate farmers, and to show middle-class urbanites the problems plaguing the less developed portions of the country. The documentary photographs taken while the FSA was operational (1935-1944) have been appropriated countless times. They have become illustrative not only of the Great Depression but of American history, art, and human struggle. One has to only look at a few of these images to see a visual connection to the commercial. While the composition and subject matter of the FSA and Dodge’s images are closely linked, the message the photographs present and the context in which they are viewed is strikingly different.

Russell Lee, Hands of a Farm Woman.

Walker Evans.

Walker Evans.

Walker Evans. Floyd Burroughs, Sharecropper.

The photographs used in Dodge Ram’s commercial, like those of the FSA were chosen for their ability to sell. The images not only present the idea that every good farmer needs a powerful truck (in this case a Ram), but they also encourage the noble thought that farmers, and the agricultural industry, are closer to God. To some this commercial could be seen as a harmless advertisement for trucks and a broad stereotype of our agricultural community. I do not believe that anyone would deny the important role that farming has in our country. I shop at grocery stores, support local farms, and have friends and family members who have at one time or another grown and sold produce. What troubles me about this advertisement, is that this commercial presents a rather anachronistic view of America, especially when it comes to our diversity and the environment. When speaking so highly of the land, and the labors of love associated with cultivating it, shouldn’t we be promoting and demanding cleaner farming practices, not encouraging consumerism and pollution? And what about diversity? Where are the thousands of Latino farmers that carry the agricultural industry? In the entire slide show, by my count thirty-four images, only four represent women and minorities. It is shameful that a corporation as large as Dodge could not come up with a more comprehensive view of America. Especially when our country is more diverse then ever. Even during the 1930’s FSA photographers were encouraged to document diversity. In fact, Roy Stryker, head of the FSA’s photographic program practically demanded it, and that was before the civil rights movement. I find it troubling that such a well executed and powerfully narrated advertisement could fail to equally represent those invested in the industry it claims to support.

Marion Post Wolcott. Men Unloading Tobacco.

Sharecropper.

As a proponent of art, photography and education I believe this topic deserves further exploration. It is important to think critically about our visual culture and to examine what is presented to us by the media. By looking at commercials and advertisements through a historical lens one can get a sense of perspective that is often over looked. Dodge Ram’s commercial while beautifully executed and narrated could have presented a more progressive and inclusive message. Especially if it wanted to connect with those living in urban environments. The goal of this post is not to attack Dodge Ram’s message but to simply encourage others to think critically, and to remember that documentary photography continues to be powerful medium, even in the twenty-first century.