The claim at the time had been that a real building would give the Purdue program credibility. All the arts (fine, music, and theater) would be in one place along with design and other cultural draws. The reality is that a small and open department went from an active community into a new building with cell-block windowless offices where the air smells like institutional air always smells in large impersonal buildings. With all the locks and doors and floors and distances there was no longer any reason to interact. And the new dynamic became one of the mechanics of teaching with little left of the arts.
And here's the big-ass sculpture that's visible in the top pic. Seen from the ground.
It does look beautiful, yet seems quite sterile. We were definitely not sterile as art students! It has been observed before, that once an artist has everything they need and can dream of for a perfect "if only", the artist can no longer produce. The creative flair seems to rise from need and chaos.
ReplyDeleteChristine
As far as there being too few students, I wonder how the economy plays into that. University education has become very, very expensive. Though I'm glad I got the degree and love the arts, as an adult I'd think long and hard about throwing so much cash into a field with minimal job prospects. The serious and prodigious students now find a way to go to bona fide art schools. The rest go to community college or commit to something else.