“I speak with authority, I have an MFA!” says someone with low art skills EVERY DARN DAY. I mean they don’t say that word-for-word, but that’s the gist. They proudly mention their degree as “proof” of something, but that’s not how it works. The artist’s actual body of work proves their expertise better than anything else. Mentioning one’s degree shouldn’t even be necessary; the quality of work should be doing all the talking!
I’m in the not-so-unique position of having attended a fancy ooh-la-la art school, while not having a degree in art. In retrospect, it was an advantage, because I got to choose who I wanted as my teacher and what I wanted to study, and fortunately I didn’t waste my time on “fluff” classes, but stuck to the fundamentals.
“Your portfolio is your degree” said one teacher at the fancy school, when I asked him if it really was okay to just get the schooling without the degree. And he has proven to be right.
No one changes their mind and suddenly wants to buy an artist’s work as soon as they find out they have an MFA. If the quality of the work grabs them, they want it. If it sucks, an MFA isn’t going to suddenly make it less sucky.
That’s why ateliers are on the rise. Because the good ones teach you the skills that many of the ooh-la-la colleges won’t, and for a lot less money.
For further reference, please read Noah Bradley’s “Don’t Go to Art School!”
