Why we once ended up at an art school is often because we have fallen in love with the building, the professors or the people studying there. But being there ourselves is an altogether different story. The reality of being a student is that some teachers give you the tools that enable you to work, whereas others seem to test your courage and dig deep into your creative endurance. They question the very foundation of your work and being. Some of them are glamorous and/ or famous artists with strong personal beliefs and methods. They are often attracted to the academies because it gives them status, diversity and public appeal. Often professors of leading academies end up representing their school and the local contemporary jewellery scene at international events, group exhibitions and conferences, which puts them in the role of politicians of a sort. Their persuasion inspires a personal conviction and gives students invaluable tools to reason about their work. They are like mental coaches, satisfied only to see you fighting and fatigued. And then there are those teachers who try to help in times of despair, when the institution of the school weighs too heavily on us. These teachers inspire solutions and supply us with tools only found in practical experience. These are the technical teachers, the unmistakable masters, each of their own specific trade. It’s not the ones on the back of your mind during the four-year reign, but those you remember years after graduation. They are the ‘heroes in the shade’.
Join Current Obsession community. Support our work. Receive access to high quality journalism on our website, collect our upcoming printed editions – magazines and papers – and experience the VIP vibes at our events!
Allready a member? Log in to access this content.
