#focus week

BTRtv’s Pulse: The Focus Of Society 

I am a middle aged guy of moderate means. I have a wife, two kids, two chickens, and a poor old pug not long for this world. My home life is nothing glamorous, but is demanding none the less. This makes doing homework a challenge most the time as I balance out my attention between those that I share my life with, and the education I’ve worked a long time to get.

One way of getting my schoolwork done is to stay late at the school and lock myself in a quiet room in the library, or an empty classroom. It typically works well when the family needs don’t override my need for study, so the time I can spend at the school is very valuable to me. Tonight was one of those nights where I could slip away to school after hours.

As I walked in, I immediately saw that the quiet rooms would be anything but. As they are adjacent to the atrium, any sound, like the Dj booth and PA, would be very audible in library, and quiet study rooms. Frustrated with the noise, and blocked off common spaces, I headed up to the Video and Sound department to escape the distraction. Despite not having direct access to the contents of a quiet library, upstairs worked out and I was able to work uninterrupted.

As I left, I headed to my car in the parking lot. I’m lucky to have been picked at random for the chance to pay full market rate for a designated parking space. A space that I’ve only had occupied by school visitors, contractors, event staff, no less than a dozen times thought the semester. The lot was full, with my car being the only car with a tag indicating it belongs in the lot. Now, I understand that parking is always in demand in an urban center. But, if I were to have showed up just a few hours later, event goers would be in my spot. And what of all the other paid spaces? What if someone else decided to come to school for late night studying, where would they park?

I think it is superficially clever for the call to create pop galleries all over the school while these events take place. But really its not clever at all. It’s similar in philosophy to giving away work for exposure. It’s exploitive of the student and diminutive of the seriousness of their person modes of expression. It suggest that art’s primary function is to gain the attention of the wealthy, and serve as an upscale backdrop for the socialites that would use our space. Granted, there are artists that are happy with that sort of arrangement, and I’m not here to judge what they do with their work, however, if students are showing work and it is increasing the overall profile of an event, then the students should be compensated as is all the other rental equipment used for the event. And at the least, those artist with work shown in conjunction with the party, should be invited to attend the party.

What adds insult to this issue of venue rentals, is that there are current gallery shows that are pushed out of the way at the venue renter’s discretion. Specifically the Home/Less and Entrapment shows were relegated to an inaccessible corner in the former Bridgelab space. This would stand a chance of being excusable, if this were the exception to standard practice, not the new norm.

This school should be striving to be the leading contemporary school on the west coast, not some cultural prop. Events like these parties also undercut the legitimacy of liberal arts/fine art academics. It is common enough that students of these types of school face the stigma of going to “party schools.” The spaces that we have at PNCA should rented to those hosting artist talks with contemporary arts leading people, symposiums of culture and politics. Hell, even at Ted Talk would be a step up from these exercises in excess parties. What happens in our walls, defines us. Are we for sale? Are we a cultural prop? Party hosts? I expect more from this place than that.

These type of events, during the school year, especially during finals week, are poorly thought out, and directly effecting my experience at this school, which is to say as a student, should be held as the most important. It seems that the experiences of students take the back seat when there are events.

The quiet rooms, when there are events, are more akin to Moda Center rooms overlooking the spectacle. If the school is going to allow its event guest to use spots paid for by PNCA students and staff, then they need to collect a fee, and disperse it to the parking space renters, or simply discount the cost of the parking spaces.

But most importantly, no venue rentals should be booked during focus week and finals week.

Everything for sale!

It’s focus week at PNCA, be sure to stop by and check out these thesis presentations by Animated Arts seniors!

Nicolette Busyakum proposing Thursday, May 7 11:30am-12:30pm in room 511 - “Technology, connectivity, supernatural sh*t, possession, ghosts and animation. Let’s see how it unfolds together.

John Summerson defending Friday, May 8 9:30-11am in the Mediatheque - “A stolen paddleboat, pig’s rights, and deer CPR: a story about life and death in Eastern Washington.”

Maddie Loftesnes proposing Friday, May 8 11:30am-12:30pm in room 510 - “Stop by and enjoy all that Boonsville has to offer, from our noteworthy swamp meets to our lethal earthly vortex!”