And so it's over. Graduate Collaborative Studio is coming to a close.
I must admit, this class has not been what I expected. I thought the course would be more concentrated on partnered studio executions. Instead, we seemed to focus more on appreciating and basking in the glow of collective artwork. I think of this class as an artistic Intro to Yoga; we didn't come to blow away calories, but to because mentally and physically equipped for something more. We now have a set of mental tools we may later employ to mediate, invent, self-enlighten, or even burn fat, if we so choose.
While not homework-heavy, this class has been, at times, intellectually taxing. It has forced me to increase my mental flexibility in ways I didn't realize I could- or should- be flexible.
If I may be very honest, I was skeptical about this second project. I was wondering if it was "our" project or just Mark's with which we students were assisting. I felt the students did not have much creative control, but rather served as a sounding board and toolbox with which Mark could flesh out and fix his conceptual idea.
Since it's execution, however, I feel differently. Sure, I still think the project was 'Mark's' more than ours, but it was not devoid of education for us students. (In fact, it was shockingly cool.)
Perhaps the whole intention of the exercise was to bring us to the truth collaborative spirit. That is, being in art collective often means supporting the team, not necessarily getting equal influence. After all, sometimes co-authors serve more as assistants and reinforcements. If all the work goes under the name of the collective, in this case called the fall 2008 Graduate Collaborative Studio, who cares who has the most intellectual input? Maybe Mark has been trying to teach us a lesson about the aesthetic greater good.
Then again, maybe he just wanted some free help.
At the Tootsie Pop owl says, "The world may never know," but if we choose to learn from this, who needs to?
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