Your Brain on Art

I'm very excited this year to have the privilege of participating in the Guggenheim's Learning Through Art program as an artist assistant.

For the last 40 years, LTA has been integrating visual arts into the academic curriculum at art-starved elementary schools throughout the five boroughs.  The program is even more remarkable when you consider the caliber of artists who have participated in the past, including Robert Rauschenberg, Paloma Picasso, and Keith Haring.  

Earlier this week, I attended a professional development workshop for LTA at the Guggenheim that featured a talk by Laurel Schmidt, educator, author, and advocate for arts instruction in the school system.  She was an engaging speaker, discussing the importance of art and inquiry in the classroom through the lens of recent neurological research that suggests that our brains achieve satisfaction through the release of dopamine, triggered by novel experiences, and cortisol, triggered by challenges.  She makes a compelling argument for moving away from the barren, test-laden approach favored by No Child Left Behind, towards an arts-rich model that encourages students to think.

As a fellow educator, I applaud Ms. Schmidt's approach and sincerely hope that administrators heed her advice.

The Caste System of Arts Employment

Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer Above the Sea of  Fog

In April, the New York Times published an article about the legal crackdown on unpaid internships, causing many organizations including my employer, a small historic house and arts museum, to scramble to bring their operations into compliance with the previously under-reported laws that govern such positions.  But as someone who's been searching for low-experience or entry-level positions in the arts, I can tell you that six months later, the unpaid internship is still thriving in New York. 

Why is this such a problem?  Of the 200+ openings currently listed on the New York Foundation for the Arts website, more than one-quarter (60+) are for unpaid internships, or "paid" internships that do not meet minimum wage requirements. 

In order to be considered for "entry-level" positions in the arts today, it is increasingly necessary to have several internships on one's resume.  However, this practice fundamentally constricts the labor pool to a tiny percentage of qualified candidates, namely those who are willing and able to work for free indefinitely.  We must recognize that by limiting potential museum employees, we limit the vision of our organizations.  If we want to be relevant to the middle class and working poor in an age of declining museum attendance and funding, perhaps we should start by examining our institutional diversity, or lack thereof.

Welcome!

Welcome to Fractylic Hexameter!  In the coming weeks and months, I'll be using this space to blog about the contemporary art world, particularly in New York City.  Among other things, I plan to explore current exhibitions, programs, and events at local museum and gallery spaces, as well as issues relevant to arts professionals like me who are working (or hoping to work) in these areas.