Changing Schools: Improving the Educational Experience at USC’s Roski School of Fine Arts

In the past three years, I have watched the Roski School of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California undergo major changes and improvements. Just as the university boasts of its focus on “increasing academic excellence, on hiring the best and most creative faculty, and on encouraging path-breaking” activity, the School of Fine Arts can now pride itself on upholding the same values. Recent initiatives such as the addition of some of America’s most renowned young artists to the faculty, the building of new structures and facilities, and the acquiring of prominent figures in the world of fine arts as temporary members of the pedagogical team, have made the school one of the most sought after institutions of its kind in the country. Naturally, as such developments are rather recent, many more initiatives must be taken in order to better fulfill USC’s central mission of “developing human beings and society through the cultivation and enrichment of the mind and spirit.” Fortunately, the College Dean’s Prize for the Enrichment of Student Academic Life gives all students a chance to help enhance their educational experience by proposing new and innovative steps to be taken by the institution. This week, I propose one such step in an attempt to encourage collaboration and creativity amongst art students.

Aware that USC has a long-lasting relationship with its neighboring elementary and high schools, I propose that students of the Roski School of Fine Arts use this existing connection to their own advantage, while building and maintaining a sense of community with and responsibility for younger scholars in the environs. My proposal is that we divide ourselves into groups of up to twenty individuals sponsored by a selected faculty member. Each group will consist of both advanced and beginner students at USC, in order to ensure an interaction that is now missing amongst the nearly two hundred young artists in the program. The teams will then travel to local schools, such as John W. Mack Elementary and Foshay Learning Center, in order to secure an exhibition space within the various campuses. These spaces could range from an abandoned classroom, to an empty locker, the janitor’s closet or the gymnasium. Once arrangements are made with the authorities on each campus, every two weeks a team will proceed to collectively put on an art installation that incorporates both the space and each member’s respective interests and aesthetics. The theme of the exhibitions will be determined by members in each group. The presented work can range from drawings to wall paintings, projections, ceramics and sculpture, incorporating skills offered by our various departments. Each event will be treated as an official art opening of the Roski School of Fine Arts, thereby drawing more attention to our creative activities as well as the state of the hosting school.

It is a central goal of this proposal to make art and creativity a regular occurrence at our neighboring educational institutions. At a time when most Los Angeles public schools have nearly abandoned art education due to "inadequate budget and [the lack of] other resources," it is our responsibility to introduce the children to the art world, allowing them the understanding that creative activity is both an option and a reality. After all, as the USC Strategic Plan states, our university is dedicated to "creating new societal opportunities." I believe that exposing young minds to art and culture and the possibility of unregulated self expression is an essential factor in bringing about social improvements. In my proposed plan, while the hosting students will not be physically involved in creating and presenting the various installations, they will serve as close observers and important components of these artistic endeavors.

As a group activity, this will allow our students a chance to undertake more ambitious and large-scale projects, while offering an escape from the regular “space war” that we are all a part of at the Roski School of Fine Arts. A major drawback of the school is a lack of studio and exhibition space at the undergraduate level. When the graduate studios were moved off campus two years ago, it was the assumption of all advanced undergraduates that they would be granted personal studios (Above is an image of one of the communal work spaces on campus) as well as an additional gallery in the space that had once been occupied by others. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Each semester, students battle for one or two available weeks at the university gallery and most end up increasingly disappointed and disenchanted with the experience. Since we lack personal studios, there is a trend of students working independently at home, without much exchange with their peers. Since we do not have on-campus studios where we can work while generating discussion and cooperation, I propose that we use the spaces allotted us by the various schools as both a studio and an exhibition space. The proximity of these schools to our own facilities will allow us access to the necessary tools and supplies, thereby providing a studio-like experience.

An artistic practice generally involves the claim and negotiation of space, whether it is in a gallery, on canvas, or in the public sphere. It is often times a reconciliation of an extremely personal space with that of the audience and always requires a perfect understanding of the two. I believe that no artistic education is complete without this understanding. It is my hope that the proposed project will allow us, as young artists, a chance at collaboration and a deeper sense of collective ideas and places. Although USC-sponsored programs, such as The Neighborhood Academic Initiative's Summer Art Intersession and USC Fisher Gallery's Art in the Village, currently provide neighboring schools with funding and staff to help promote visual arts activities, they employ no more than a handful of USC students each year. In my plan, we will all have the opportunity to be closely involved in shaping the future of our growing neighboring community.