Ep. 78 - Tell Me More about Studio Art and Art Education

In Episode 78 of the CSUSB Advising Podcast, Matt Markin chats with Professor Alison Ragguette about majoring in Studio Arts or Art Education. Professor Ragguette gives an overview of both Studio Art and Art Education, what students are learning in their classes, career options, and more!

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Transcript

Matt Markin  
Hey Yoties. Welcome back to the CSUSB Advising Podcast. This is Matt Markin, an academic advisor here at Cal State San Bernardino, and on today's episode, we're going to learn more about the art major, specifically the studio art and art education. So to help us learn more about these let's welcome our guest today from the CSUSB art department, and that is Professor Alison Ragguette. Professor Ragguette, welcome.

Professor Alison Ragguette  
Thank you so much for having me.

Matt Markin  
So, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your path into higher ed and being at CSUSB?

Professor Alison Ragguette  
Yes, sure. So I was hired in 2006 and I so I've been teaching over all 18 years now, and I oversee the ceramics area, and I also am the graduate coordinator for our graduate programs in studio art. And we have an incredible facility here at CSUSB, we offer painting, drawing, glass, sculpture, ceramics, 3d fabrication, which is using all the computers to make stuff, photography, video, design, gosh, print, making. What am I missing? So many wonderful things that we do here. So I first got into art as a teenager. I like to say that it sort of saved me in a lot of ways, because instead of going out and partying with my friends on a Saturday night, I wanted to go to the ceramic studio and get really good at throwing on the wheel. And from there, I followed my passion, and luckily, it paid off. And yeah, so that's how I arrived at CSUSB, and I've been so fortunate to be a professor and pursue my art career and have a family and live a really good life as an artist.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, awesome. And then so speaking of art, like, let's say we have an undergraduate student that's wants to know more about art, and maybe studio art or art education. How would you describe that to a student?

Professor Alison Ragguette  
Okay, so we have a couple of different pathways for studio art, some higher unit degrees. The BFA, the Bachelor of Fine Arts is probably the most serious degree, and then probably the lightest kind of low unit degree is the bachelor's of visual arts. And the curriculum really requires students to try a lot of different media and a lot of different technical areas, both 2d and 3d students get a comprehensive education in both art practice, but also art theory and art history. So that's also very important to becoming a good artist, and in the art education area students, most students are keen to become art teachers. So K through 12, and I will say that it's an excellent time to be pursuing. You know that avenue there's just recently some funding came. Was was legislated for art in K through 12 schools. So they are currently hiring a lot of teachers that does require the credential after you finish your undergraduate degree in studio art or art education a few more things. We have outstanding facilities. Okay? So I like to think of the Department of Art and Design as a playground for artists. There's so much to learn and explore, and we try to keep things very open ended, so that you can just be very intuitive and follow your nose and explore the things. Explore new things, right? Explore glass, blowing, ceramics, all these different areas. We have just such a wonderful studio facilities. We do metal casting. Sometimes we do all kinds of wonderful events. We also sometimes do public art projects. So we really do have a lot of exciting opportunities in our department for young, emerging artists.

Matt Markin  
And I guess that kind of leads into my next question. You know, you're kind of talking about things that students are could be doing in their classes and learning. And I guess this could be a nice question to ask is, you know, we have some majors that maybe their classes that they take are strictly lecture based, but a lot of the classes the student might take as an art major, there might be like a lecture discussion portion, but then there's also, like the activity, can you talk about, like, what students could expect in maybe some of those, maybe hands on. Classes and time that will be involved in some of their projects?

Professor Alison Ragguette  
Yes. So our studio classes, which are typically either lecture and activity or seminar and activity, are really hands on projects, project based learning, okay, and that means you're in the studio making all right. And you will get a combination of demonstration, lecture, presentation and studio time, time to work and make things with the support of your professor. And they tend to be extremely fun classes. I'm not going to lie, a lot of students gravitate towards our department because they are hands on, visceral kinesthetic learners, right? Like they need to like touch and feel things, to like really learn and understand them. They like to build things. They like to explore materials and meaning of things, like explore the meaning of things and conceptual thinking about art. So but I but don't get me wrong, they're not necessarily easy classes. They're just like very dynamic and interesting. You don't want to miss anything, because there's usually a new demonstration of something really vital to what you need for your projects. So it's the type of class where the time flies right, like you're not looking at the clock, wondering when this class is over. You're just sort of really captivated with what's going on and if, and also in, you know, learning to work with whatever medium you're exploring at that moment. Again, we have a lot of equipment that you have to access on campus, so that's really important to have that time to get comfortable working with equipment, learning by doing. Okay, we do a lot of that in the studio area, and it's a supportive environment where, you know you're not kind of thrown out to the wolves, and it's like, figure it out, like we're there to support you and slowly, incrementally, help you develop your knowledge of technique and get acquainted with equipment and learn and develop how to work with that equipment. So these classes are demand a lot of time. Okay, they do demand a lot of time, but it's, it's usually very satisfying time, and it's the kind of work that, if it's going well for you, you know, the time just flies by and you're like, oh my gosh, I've got to get to my other classes. So there's a lot of that. But having said that, I would also caution you to understand that choosing studio art is a big commitment. Okay? It's not. It's not really. It's not the path of least resistance, necessarily, and it's not the easiest route to take. We have a lot of students who whose parents don't really understand why they want to study art, what? How are they going to make a living being an artist? You know, a lot of students, especially our first generation, attending students, their families, just are terrified to think that they're studying art, and how are they going to make a living and have a better life than their parents did? And that often can be very uncomfortable for our students, and because they're kind of leading the way, they're they're pioneering a new path that their parents don't necessarily understand, and it can be very, very scary for these students. US professors have understand this. We know that it's a big challenge for some students to choose art. It is a big commitment. It's not for the faint of heart, but what we do see is those students who have that kind of fire in them to be artists like you really are. It is sort of a calling, and when you just have this this real desire or this pull to be an artist, you can't really deny it, because it is such a powerful call, and it's, you know, a little bit out there and unknown, but we see, we've seen so many students become professional artists and professors, and they're living a beautiful Life that's really satisfying, that allows them to be creative artists and also have an income. And their families learned, they learned that, yes, there is a way to be an artist in the society and give back and support themselves all at the same time. So it's a little bit going out on a limb. It's not, you know, kind of. The standard but, but also it requires that kind of creative thinking and that belief in oneself, right, that kind of that that knowing that you want this and having faith that it will work for you. And hard work. Lots of hard work.100%

Matt Markin  
And I guess this kind of based off that answer. Maybe this is like a kind of a combined question, I guess, you know, we were kind of, you're kind of addressing some of the misconceptions in a way that, you know, maybe students might think based off what they're hearing from friends or family. And we're talking early before we started recording about how in high school, and when the students in their senior year, they're like, all right, they're applying to different universities and colleges here. Pick a major, and when they really haven't explored a lot of what's out there, what might be offered at the institution. And then kind of tied to that, it's also, you know, the career type question. I'm sure you get a lot in terms of, okay, well, you know, what can I do with this major once I graduate? So I guess if you have a student that you know comes up to you and it's like, I'm interested, but I'm kind of nervous about what I can do with it, you know, or, you know, my parents want me to do this certain major, but I'm very interested in doing something with an art maybe within Studio Art, or going the education route, what types of things would you talk to that student about?

Professor Alison Ragguette  
Well, again, I think it's important to understand, if you have this kind of strong desire to be an artist, you can ignore it for a while, but it will probably resurface in decades to come in your life, and it'll still be there, you see. So you know, you don't have to deny that. And creative people always find a way to be creative. Ideally, you're going to get paid for that, right? That's the creative thinking here. Is that you're going to find a way to earn a living while staying creative, right? And that's the key to a happy life. You know, it's actually not. Money is not the key to a happy life. I know plenty of people who might earn a lot of money, but they're miserable doing their jobs. Creatives get up every day and they love, we love, we love, we're so excited to problem solve, to explore new things, to grapple and play with things like it's, you know, every day is so interesting and different. So I do think it's quite possible to locate that attitude. It is sort of like a personal value and a way of seeing the world, but the creativity is a huge isn't is in huge demand in many, many fields, not just art, particularly education technology. You need promotion like self promotion and like social media marketing, right? That's huge. Like, you need content creation. Like, look at all these people who are, you know, making content for the internet. Like, you need deep creativity to, like, figure that out and and cultivate that. So, you know, I think we're at a point where all these careers demand the creative spirit more and more, especially as we evolve into more technology, including AI, you know, like, can, can AI be creative? Can? You know what's going to compete in the future, you know? And I do think that creativity is one of those things that will be hard to replicate and will be required to solve problems, like, like, AI, like, it's presenting a problem, but then we have to, sort of, we have to come up with a creative solution. So it is definitely creativity is in demand, for sure, and it's, it's kind of something that you can bring to so many different career paths as well, and it gives you such an edge. But I do think that technology is a great tool, you know, like, I think we must engage I'm not afraid of it. We have incredible tools on campus. We have 3d printers that print clay. We have 3d printers that print plastic. We have CNC machines, like they're incredible machines, and I love using them, you know, I like it's very important, I think, to be knowledgeable about all your options as an artist and use everything. Use. You know, do? I always tell students, you have to do what the art needs, right? So if the art needs precision, you have these tools. But if the art needs to be loose and funky and a little out of control, then you can let it be very loose and. Easy, right, like, and maybe don't use technology. And that's sort of like the thing that I think technology wishes it could attain, and, you know, maybe it will someday. But, you know, this kind of biomimicry that technology is always attempting to to attain, I think, is sort of interesting. So, I mean, I don't, I think the more we have those options of like, you know, push a few buttons and produce something human beings aren't stupid, like, we will be able to just to discern what is like, you know, derived from Ai versus a human. I mean, I already look at text that's, you know, written on chat GPT. And I can already there's some very obvious signs of of that writing that that reveals that it was like, written by chat GPT, like, there's either stylistically, there's like, sort of this attempt to make things sound kind of a bit flowery or frilly, the way maybe a human would try, but it's over the top, so they're not quite getting it right. But I do think that, like look at how we adapted during covid, like we are adaptable as humans, right? So I'm actually not that terrified, because I think we learn as fast as technology is growing and evolving, so are human beings, right? And we're highly capable. We're highly capable of doing that. And so I think that the more it actually could even promote the need for handmade art, even more right? Because AI can't like, replace us?

Matt Markin  
No, I love that answer. And I think any student who might be interested in art, but might be thinking about AI, I like the way that you put in terms of, like, if you're creative, you're always looking for, what's the problem, what's the solution? How do you adapt? What opportunities are there?

Professor Alison Ragguette  
It's the human response to things. And I think that human beings fundamentally need that, like, that's intrinsic to being human, right? Like, we need beauty, we need we need humor, we need, you know, contemplation, and that's what art brings to the world, and it's still the world still needs it.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, absolutely. And you mentioned some of the resources that are offered through the art department as an art student, is there anything you want to add in terms of anything else a student, an art student, would be able to use as a resource to your department, or even if they're on the fence of declaring any suggestions for that student? 

Professor Alison Ragguette  
I mean, I think that I like to tell students, I know there's like initiatives to hurry up and get your degree and such. And often students feel I hear students say, I'm so old. I'm 24 you know? I'm like, Oh my gosh. You know, the thing about being an artist is, the longer you explore and learn art, the better art you'll be, artists you will be. And so it is not a race, it is a marathon, and it's not about how quickly you finish, like it's really not about the destination, it's about the journey. I know that sounds so cheesy, but it's completely the case in art. And you know, I'm 30 years into being an artist, and it's like more and more I realize I will never know everything about being an artist, and that's the beauty of it, because every day is so interesting, and I'm just surprised and stunned by the materials that I work with all the time. And so that's really the appealing part of being an artist. Now, for some people who really need answers right away, they they're kind of more black and white thinkers, you know, they might need. They're not so comfortable with, like, not knowing things or just being a little bit like, they need answers right away. Art can be very challenging, right? Like, because that's not, you know, art isn't like immediate answers. You know, it's not stats, it's, it's all it's, I always say, like, it's all the shades of gray in between, right? And there's beauty in all of that. But it can also be rather uncomfortable for students, like, if they need that answer right away, it's like, no, it's not. It might not happen. And you have to be patient, and you have to be intuitive, and you have to be open to all the possibilities. And sometimes that's very hard. If that doesn't work for all personalities, I would say, if you're on the fence of declaring an art major, I mean, again, try a few classes. How do you feel? Do you enjoy this work? You know, if you have can have daily joy in your life, daily joy in your career, you are successful like that's a such a wonderful sign of success. But if it's frustrating and uncomfortable, that's not going to work for you. And so I. I just think, personally, I think, don't commit until you have to try things out. Don't worry about what all your friends are doing or how fast they're graduating. That's not important. It's about making a really good decision for yourself, where you're going to be successful in your life and you're going to be happy in your life. Like, Joy is the aim here. Like, that's important. Obviously a living is too. But everything works better when you love what you do. So whether you know it's art or a whole nother discipline, you've got to like what you do.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, no, I think it's a perfect way, beautiful way to end this interview. A lot of great information, and then we'll also include links to the art website and contact information in our show notes. So thank you so much for being on the podcast today.

Professor Alison Ragguette  
My pleasure, and I hope to see everybody trying out a class, checking out the art department. Come, come, check and see we have a lot of events in our museum as well. I forgot to mention the Robert and Francis Fullerton Museum of Art. We have lots of cool things happening there. So stop by. It's free for anybody to stop in and check it out, incredible Egyptian collection, and come hang out with the art students.

Matt Markin  
Sounds good. Thank you again.