art/vision/voice - Maryland Institute College of Art

76 art / vision / voice
actually saw what we were doing. Administrators were on vacation
or too busy [when the Summer Sessions were happening].
Sometimes we were the only people in the building.
Antoine was conscious of the need to build a program that could have a
future life, and that the work he was doing could “pave the way” for others.
antoine I had to keep explaining to the people I’d emulated that there
was in fact a cap writing program. I wanted the next person to build
on what we’d done, not go through the same conflicts, to know the
dangers. You need to analyze what is possible, define expectations.
To have a structure that intervenes before there are fights.
leslie I witnessed lots of people wanting lots of control over something
they weren’t in touch with—too many chefs in the kitchen. In the
summer we were the administrators, the teachers, and we also lived
there. This synergy wouldn’t happen the same way if it had to
funnel through a hierarchy.
stephanie With layers and layers of administration, there are so many
checks and balances, that you get a lot of checking and not a lot of
balance. The organization, like a good artist, needs to get itself out
of the way of making good work.
anita The challenge for me here had to do with the creative and
administrative processes and whether they could be married rather
than be at odds with each other—whether restrictions based on
funding and limited facilities had to hinder creative possibilities.
From my vantage point . . . I witnessed many obstacles. Especially
when you have your own facility there’s a danger of becoming isolated
and ceasing to grow. . . . Partnerships are valuable, because they
provide different perspectives, resources, and—what’s so important
nowadays—an expertise you don’t have access to or cannot afford.
The lasting impact of cap was the possibility it opened for
broader programming. We have retained the model that cap offered,
with after-school programs for teens, mixed media and architecture
classes, and we hope to restore the summer initiative. Its success
was clear, and even though funding dried up, we remain committed
to finding a way to keep this model of success going. . . . Partnership
is truly important, because it multiplies what you alone can do. It is
crucial to have these resources available for young people. For
young people, even those who are not on a track for a degree in the
arts, it is indispensable to have new options to explore and thereby
grow in a valuable way.