Harvard Lacks Training for Artists

Kelli Rae Patton '94 has hand written her thesis hundreds of times.

A native of Tennessee, Patton wrote a 40-page book of poetry trying to capture the rhythms and cadences of Southern Speech.

Again and again, she painstakingly hand-wrote each poem because, she says, "I'd write a line and then I'd add to it and change it and then I'll have to rewrite it all over again."

Patton says this opportunity has allowed her to further her career interest in poetry. Next Year, she will enter a master's degree program in creative writing, and she hopes to make writing a permanent part of her life.

Harvard attracts many students like Patton who are interested in pursuing the arts--Whether in creative writing musical performance, drama or the visual arts--at Harvard and beyond.

But many students in these fields question whether Harvard is truly dedicated to fostering artistic achievement. Unlike Patton, many say they can't find the classes or encouragement they want.

Harvard officials point out that the University never promised future artists a conservatory.

"The stated purpose of the VES (Visual and Environmental Sciences) Department never said we wanted to take budding artists and make them competitive in the art world," says Alfred F. Guzzetti, who chairs the Visual and Environmental Sciences (VES) department.

But some students say that Harvard--which brags of its top-notch undergraduate musicians, artists and actors in admissions materials--could do more for them without violating its status as a liberal arts college.

"If I had known I would be so interested in painting, I probably would have gone to Brown or Yale," says Susie Reiss '95 a VES concentrator "I don't think artists are valued at Harvard in general."

Low Priority

One complaint Reiss and others offer about Harvard's arts curriculum is that, even where a department has classes in the arts, they are rarely the highest priority.

In the music department for instance the stress is on composition and theory not performance.

"Performance has never been the music department's main mission or even secondary mission," says Carl Voss '94 "I think the administration would agree."

Departmental literature states that the concentration "emphasizes the acquisition of a solid foundation in the theory analysis, history and literature of music....The program, while not primarily directed to performers, is of value in deepening the performers's understanding of the music to be played."

For those who wish to take creative writing classes, the problem is similar. The English department, which offers the classes places priority on the needs of its academic concentrators over creative courses.

Creative writing is "one of many things in the mix, and not an immediate priority," department chair Leopold Damrosch said earlier this year.

Instructors in creative writing are not tenured in the English department--except Boylston Professor of Rhetoric Seamus Heaney, who only serves one semester a year-and can only get five--year appointments.

"[The faculty] only think Chaucer and Shakespeare are worthwhile. Creative writing is just not respected," says one English concentrator who spoke on condition of anonymity. "I think most would say the department does not try to foster writers."

Some student find a similar situation in VES, where concentrators say faculty seem to value the study of film over the visual arts.

And in the dramatic arts, there isn't even a department at all, despite the hundreds of students involved in the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club.

Drama is represented by a committee, and by the professional actors at the American Repertory Theatre (ART) Whose presence is supposed to play an educative role for students interested in drama.

But the professionals often have other priorities as well.

"The ART system doesn't work so well," says Michael Rosenbaum '94, who is Crimson editor. "Few students are involved and ART's interests are not with the students. They are interested in making money and being successful."

Lack of Courses

The natural result of this lack of commitment to arts teaching students say, is a lack of courses and resources in most fields.

In creative writing classes, the crunch is severe. This semester, 500 students applied to take the 13 classes available. While those who do get in say the classes are well-taught and helpful only 180 people could take them this year.

Students interested in pursuing creative writing for a living say the English department does not help them do creative theses.

Only a handful of students a year--often just one or two--are allowed to do a thesis like Patton's book of poems.

"I had taken several creative writing courses and poetry classes and applied to do a creative thesis in poetry and was denied," says Natasha H. Leland '95 a Crimson magazine editor. "I was really upset."

In the music department, there is only one class for performers, despite the legions of Harvard musicians in such group as the Harvard musicians in such group as the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, Bach Society Orchestra and Mozart Society Orchestra.

"The department does not have instrumental teachers, it's primarily academically oriented," says Janet U. Tsung '95. "Recently there has been a little more performance integrated into the curriculum with Music 180r."

Music 180r, "Performance and Analysis," allows students to practice and analyze chamber music in self-selected groups. The department also offers a special five-year program for performers and composers can write original music for a thesis.

The five year program is only open to a few students with "exceptional" instrumental or choral ability, says Mark Kagan, music department administrator.

But for most aspiring musicians, the best they can hope for is to take classes with teachers outside the University for independent study credit.

Some say the department does help students find a teacher. But for others, the music department does not provide even that much help.

Tsung plays the violin seriously, and hopes to continue playing in recitals and competitions after she graduates. She says she had to seek outside resources on her own to continue playing.

"I sometimes play at the [New England] Conservatory or I see my teacher from home," Tsung says. "Most musicians here have to find their own teachers either through connections, or some go to the Conservatory."

And for dramatic artists, not only is there no concentration or department in drama, but only 12 classes are available. Dramatists cannot do an acting or directing thesis or final project.

"If you are serious about acting, honestly, Harvard is not the place to be," says Adam J. Hertzman '95 who has been involved in several dramatic productions at Harvard.

Arts Careers Discouraged

The result of the lack of courses and lack of commitment, for some students, is that promising careers in the arts are nipped in the bud.

One studio arts senior, speaking on condition of anonymity, says she feels distraught after concentrating in VES and deciding that she wants to continue her artistic endeavors.

"No, I don't think Harvard tries to foster the art s," she says. "Whenever I 'd ask about grad schools from the VES Department or from OCS [Office of Career Services],I'd get poor information--like no information."

Professors say advising students to pursue the arts professionally is a risky and questionable recommendation.

"It's apparent that making a living as a painter or a sculptor or an independent filmmaker is a very difficult choice," says VES Visiting Professor Ross McElwee. "How do you advise that?"

Sometimes artistic hopefuls are guided toward graduate programs, he says.

"In film, we'll tell them that certain schools are good or else they try to get a job, " McElwee says. "But how do you become a filmmaker? You can't guide them. Its not like medical school or law school. There is no prescribed course for success."

Harvard's Job?

But some students and professors alike ask if it really Harvard 's job to guide students in the arts. Students who enroll at a liberal arts school like Harvard should not expect top-notch and strictly focused performing and studio art programs, they say.

Nothing at Harvard is professional," says David B. Blumenthal '94 who has taken many elective courses in VES. "The way Harvard treats the visual arts is as a liberal art. It's just not as rigorous as an art school."

The answer says music concentrator Eng, is for those interested in professional careers to find their training in graduate school."

"The goal [at Harvard] was not to produce professionals," Blumenthal says. "That's what grad school is for."

Some students also suggest that Harvard's lack of emphasis on the arts parallels an artist's struggle in the real world. Artists need tremendous self-motivation to succeed, and many think Harvard weeds out those who lack this quality.

"Mother Harvard doesn't coddle her young," Hertzman says. "If you want something you've got to go get it. It's not necessarily a bad thing. It trains Harvard students to be the best."

And for students not interested in professional careers, the relatively low level of arts instruction at Harvard can be a boon.

"I chose Harvard, in part, because it did not have a dramatic arts department," Rosenbaum says, "because otherwise I couldn't have excelled in drama unless I majored in it."

Not all faculty feel that high-quality artistic instruction conflicts with a liberal arts education. Guzzetti says VES is now planning to restructure its department to place a greater emphasis on studio arts.

"Next year we'll have more faculty and courses to offer," Guzzetti says. "We'll be able to more aggressively go after artists in high school who are considering art as a career."

But to those who do seek careers in the arts or who desire high-level instruction, the University as a whole does not seem to live up to its potential in teaching the arts.

"It is legitimate for students to want more, if Harvard calls itself a great university," Reiss says.