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(More customer reviews)I'm the editor, so I'm giving it five stars. (Wouldn't be ethical to do anything else.)
The studio-art PhD, or practice-based doctorate, is a hot topic in art instruction in the US. Other countries have had these degrees for several decades; in the UK there are up to 2,000 students currently enrolled in such programs, and there will soon be 10 universities in Australia that offer the degree. At the moment there are about 10 programs in the US and Canada, and another dozen more under development. It appears that the PhD in studio art will become the next MFA--that is, the expected terminal degree for artists who want to get jobs teaching. In twenty or thirty years' time, it is likely that every major art school and department will offer the PhD. The degree is controversial wherever it exists, and there is a fair amount of resistance to it: there have been some stormy sessions on the subject at conferences. Most of the formative issues, from grading to accreditation, remain unresolved.
This book is the first of its kind in the US. It is meant as a resource to help artists, teachers, administrators, and students assess and compare the new programs. Part I is a selection of essays by the best-informed people on both sides of the Atlantic, including most of the principal players and institutions. Part II is a selection of excerpts of the PhD dissertations written by people who have graduated from such programs, so people can see the kind of art and scholarship the programs produce.
Here are the contents of Part I:
1: Judith Mottram, "Researching Research in Art and Design"
2: Timothy Emlyn Jones, "Research Degrees in Art and Design"
3: Henk Slager, "Art and Method"
4: Mick Wilson, "Four Theses Attempting to Revise the Terms of a Debate"
5: Victor Burgin, "Thoughts on 'Research' Degrees in Visual Arts Departments"
6: Timothy Emlyn Jones, "The Studio Art Doctorate in America"
7: George Smith, "The Non-Studio PhD for Visual Artists"
8: Hilde Van Gelder and Jan Baetens, "The Future of the Doctorate in the Arts"
9: James Elkins, "On Beyond Research and New Knowledge"
10: Charles Harrison, "When Management Speaks..."
11: James Elkins, ""The Three Configurations of Studio-Art PhDs"
Most of the literature justifying and defining these programs was written in the UK, although the programs can now be found around the world. This book has a double purpose: the selection of authors and artists is intended to span a wide range, showing how the PhD is implemented in different places; my own contributions are meant as polemics, because I am unconvinced by the rhetoric of "research" and "new knowledge" that continue to frame discussions on the subject. It seems to me there is an opportunity to reconfigure discussion in the US, and to remake these programs in a new mold.
New Academia Publishing is a peer-reviewed, print-on-demand initiative; the books may not show up in bookstores, but they are always quickly available through Amazon and other outlets.
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Artists with PhDs: On the New Doctoral Degree in Studio Art"A PhD in art is inevitable, Elkins argues, and so best to explore the implications of this seemingly inevitable development. Adopting that constructively critical approach surely is the best way to deal with change. By bringing in a variety of perspectives, Elkins provides a rich mosaic of opinions. His authors don't just express opinions, but offer nicely detailed argumentation and much information, with lots of good empirical evidence. And right now there is much concern with this change."David Carrier, Champney Family Professor, Case Western Reserve University/ Cleveland Institute of Art."I find this book to be fascinating and thought-provoking material.I also know from my own experiences that many faculty have been thinking (and worrying) about the idea of the Ph.D."Andrew E. Hershberger, Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History, Bowling Green State University."It is inevitable that one form or another, or indeed a variety, of the studio PhD programs will be appearing in US art schools.For this reason it is especially timely that a book addressing the many concerns regarding this degree, and the variety of possible forms it might take, should appear in the US market."Tom Huhn, Ph.D., Chair Visual & Critical Studies, Art History School of Visual Arts, New York."These essays represent breadth and depth in the field, and anchor the book in current knowledge not only about the visual arts but about the growing intersection between the university and the artistic world that has resulted from the loss of private and state patronage over the past two decades. The book is organized as a constructive debate that encourages people to engage with the issues, and is a new contribution that intervenes in a different manner in the nationwide discussion."Lynette Hunter, Professor of the History of Rhetoric and Performance and Director UC Multicampus Research Group in International Performance and Culture, University of California Davis."This book furthers the debate by opening various windows on the discussion of studio art and the viability of a new level of artistic exploration as opposed to simply writing and the production of new knowledge through library research."Harold Linton, Chair Department of Art and Visual Technology, College of Visual and Performing Arts George Mason University."This book deals with an issueof importance both in terms of the education of the artist and academia. We are in the midst of a paradigm shift-new models are emerging-art is making the transit from being a media based practice to a knowledge based one. The range of viewpoints presentedin this collection will help spur the debate and contribute to clarifying what is at stake. If the issue is not properly debated an inappropriate model of the Phd and practice-based research will be imposed on the visualarts by administrators as has beendone in the UK."Saul Ostrow, Chair, VisualArts and Technologies, Cleveland Institute of Art.
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