Transatlantic Reflections on the Practice-Based PhD in Fine Art

by Jessica Schwarzenbach, Paul Hackett

Overview

Once the US was the only country in the world to offer a doctorate for studio artists, however the PhD in fine art disappeared after pressures established the MFA as the terminal degree for visual artists. Subsequently, the PhD in fine art emerged in the UK and is now offered by approximately 40 universities. Today the doctorate is offered in most English-speaking nations, much of the EU, and countries such as China and Brazil.

Using historical, political, and social frameworks, this book investigates the evolution of the fine art doctorate in the UK, what the concept of a PhD means to practicing artists from the US, and why this degree disappeared in the US when it is so vigorously embraced in the UK and other countries. Data collected through in-depth interviews examine the perspectives of professional artists in the US who teach graduate level fine art. These interviews disclose conflicting attitudes toward this advanced degree and reveal the possibilities and challenges of developing a potential doctorate in studio art in the US.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138801653
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/18/2015
Series:	Routledge Research in Education
Pages:	218
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jessica B. Schwarzenbach is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and Lesley University, USA and an artist and independent researcher who has published in the areas of education and qualitative methodology.

Paul M.W. Hackett is Professor of Ethnography, Research Methods, and Consumer Behavior at Emerson College, USA and holds PhDs in fine art and psychology.

Table of Contents

1. The Notion of Fine Art as Research 2. The Development of the Fine Art PhD Within Historical, Political, and Social Contexts 3. Methodology 4. The Cases 5. Analysis and Discussion 6. Conclusions

Editorial Reviews

"This book appeals to both artists and educationalists who are embarking on the exciting journey of discovery through art theory and practice at postgraduate level and beyond." – Kate Parsons, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK

From the Publisher