Talking Art: The Culture of Practice and the Practice of Culture in MFA Education

by Gary Alan Fine

In Talking Art , acclaimed ethnographer Gary Alan Fine gives us an eye-opening look at the contemporary university-based master’s-level art program. Through an in-depth analysis of the practice of the critique and other aspects of the curriculum, Fine reveals how MFA programs have shifted the goal of creating art away from beauty and toward theory. Contemporary visual art, Fine argues, is no longer a calling or a passion—it’s a discipline, with an academic culture that requires its practitioners to be verbally skilled in the presentation of their intentions. Talking Art offers a remarkable and disconcerting view into the crucial role that universities play in creating that culture.

Genres: Art

288 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2018

About the author

Gary Alan Fine is Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University. He is the author of Morel Tales: The Culture of Mushrooming, Kitchens: The Culture of Restaurant Work, and With the Boys: Little League Baseball and Preadolescent Culture.

Reviews

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent account by an academic sociologist of current MFA programs, based on two years field research in three programs in Illinois. The programs he visited "do not teach technique, career skills, or even research"; instead they "offer instruction in the authority of art practitioners as determinants of quality." Highly recommended for anyone interested in contemporary art.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just wanna know the bios of the ppl who go to these schools