University Art Museum hosts symposium

By John Caldwell
Daily Forty-Niner

The state of graduate-level art programs and how they impact contemporary culture will be discussed in a free, all-day symposium Saturday in the Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall at Cal State Long Beach.

"Contemporary Discovery: Consequences of the New," will be presented by the University Art Museum. Two separate panels will offer viewpoints from educators, curators, gallery owners, working artists and recent students regarding the type and impact of master of fine arts programs in the United States.

"This is a hot issue right now in the art world at large, particularly in Southern California," said Mary Kay, curator of the Art Museum and the symposium.

The first panel, "Teaching Talent: The Shaping of the Artist in the Institution," will discuss the importance that many graduate programs place on theory and research, and the prestige that comes with it. The panel will also look at what art education is and how it affects our culture.

"There's been a shift in how art is taught," Kay said. "Most schools are stressing theory."

CSULB has one of the largest art programs in the area, Kay said. She wanted to facilitate this symposium, in part, because the art program at CSULB still emphasizes technical skills and traditional techniques of representation.

The second panel, "Discovering New Artists: The Post-MFA Experience," will address the concerns of artists who have recently graduated from MFA programs and entered a world of commerce where they may gain attention quickly.

Kay said that art galleries are looking for younger and newer talent as collectors seek to "discover" them at an early stage in their careers. Top-notch MFA programs afford young artists access to galleries and curators who bring them this quick success.

"If an artist is selected at an early stage of their career, what does that do?" Kay questioned. "Does their art change to cater to a market, or are they able to continue to grow?"

These and similar questions will be addressed by panel members, including Amy Myers, an artist whose first museum show took place only one year after graduation.

The first panel will convene from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the second will run from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.