Today's art school graduates face an age-old dilemma with a contemporary twist.
Do they score lucrative jobs as digital animators or Web designers? Or do they follow their muses and try to find a place in the pantheon of high (digital) art?
Parsons School of Design in New York City, one of the nation's most respected art schools, recently initiated its Master of Fine Arts in Design and Technology program to help creative types balance both concerns. Barely a week ago, the first graduates of the two-year-old program received their diplomas. Work by the 30 freshly minted MFADT graduates are currently on display in a group exhibition titled close(*mfadt);. It's on view through 11 June.
See also: Web as Tryout for Animators- - - - - -
The show is a mix of conceptual art and graphic design. One student, for example, presents an installation in which sound generated by gallery visitors triggers a database of clips from the film Rebecca. Another offers an informational Web site about Indian saris. Another presents a "digital building block" game.
Some digital art curators find the mix disturbing.
"It bothers me to see exhibits of digital art that lump commercial and artistic endeavors together indiscriminately, so you see 3-D printer outputs of mechanical part prototypes next to a project that engages on many levels and has something to say other than 'This is high-tech computer art,'" said Jennifer Riddell, a curator at MIT's List Visual Arts Center.
Sven Travis, chairman of Parsons' Digital Design Department, said that the MFADT program's focus is intentionally broad.
"The goal was to create a program that placed technology and the creative process in the same arena, enabling the students to become a bridge between the two forces," he said. "Students are expected to look beyond the use of technology towards its implications: socially, philosophically, and spiritually." The curriculum is a two-year, 64-credit course of study. Students concentrate on multimedia, animation and visualization, or fashion/textile computing. Core classes focus on aesthetics and the theory of information design, as well as more technical electives.
"Where they take this experience -- towards the commercial world, towards business, or towards experimentation/fine arts -- is up to them," Travis said. "The focus of the program is to investigate principles of design and how they are augmented by new technologies.
"The program provides each student with the digital tools, nomenclature, and conceptual skills to solve problems and develop a unique and sophisticated approach to design. Our graduates are prepared to work in any field they so choose."
Yoon Cho, a member of the inaugural MFADT class, considers herself a fine artist who has valuable technical skills. It's an identity that she needs to support her artwork, simply because there isn't a market for it.
"There are a lot of exhibitions, festivals, and funds for multimedia-based art, but there aren't many cases of purchasing online art since it is such a public space, unlike paintings or sculpture," said Cho, who is currently teaching at Parsons and freelancing as a Web designer.
Cho's classmate, Aaron McComas, believes that his MFADT degree provides benefits beyond the monetary.
"Being able to work on projects ranging from JavaScript to multimedia kiosks to feature film effects can give an artist a nice boost of instant gratification and recognition that often takes a more traditional artist years to achieve," said McComas, who has just moved to Los Angeles to pursue feature film work.
At the same time, McComas thinks that the MFADT degree comes with a caveat.
"The main difference between getting an MFA in painting and getting an MFADT is that the work being done digitally is often overlooked as a product of the tools that were used rather than as an extension of the artist's creativity," he said.
Eli Katz, another MFADT graduate, finds the fledgling program gratifying because of its newness.
"I like the fact that, with digital art being such a new medium, that there aren't any 'masters' out there," said Katz, who teaches at Parsons and New School University and freelances as an animator. "Most of the faculty really respected thinking in different ways or exploring alternate design possibilities."
But now that he's got his master's degree, Katz considers himself an artist first and foremost.
"I've never just wanted to be a mouse jockey," he said. "Anyone can learn to use software. I try to find some artistic reward in all the work that I do."
