Art in Lockdown
Professor of Art Timothy McDowell and his students find ways to create while studying remotely.
There鈥檚 a popular myth that the French philosopher and mathematician Ren茅 Descartes would climb into an old oven to escape the distractions of daily life, only to emerge with creative new takes on the human condition and groundbreaking geometric theories. Today, Art Professor Timothy McDowell, in his 40th year at 糖心TV, and his students are mining inspiration from pandemic-induced isolation.
CC Magazine: How has this unprecedented time of working remotely changed the way you approach your job?
Timothy McDowell: This current situation has obviously required some adjustment, because in a studio environment, normally we鈥檇 be walking around and offering constructive feedback on each other鈥檚 work and offering advice on process or nudging each other to improve a project. At the moment we鈥檙e viewing work on screens where the work isn鈥檛 quite as clear or well defined. But despite that challenge, we鈥檝e continued to keep the dialogue going and the minds working to create things.
CC: Why is it so important to do whatever is necessary so that students can still access art and have the opportunities to create it?
TM: This is essential to the well-rounded approach of the liberal arts. We need to keep feeding both sides of the brain and keep the creative and inventive connections between the brain and the hand and the mind strong. I was just telling my class that this situation has required reinvention, and reinvention is one of the most creative and important things a person can do. We need to look at our situation and find new ways of achieving our goals.
CC: Have the stay-at-home requirements impacted you and your
art personally?
TM: For a lot of studio artists, since we spend so much time alone anyway, the solitude might not feel so foreign and difficult. There鈥檚 really no way to be in a studio and concentrate and be creative if there鈥檚 a crowd there, so personally the isolation hasn鈥檛 been so bad. I鈥檓 very lucky to have my studio attached to my house. I鈥檝e felt fortunate to be able to find more moments here and there where I can duck into my studio and do some work or truly concentrate on what my students are doing. Finding those spontaneous moments can be difficult when I鈥檓 at work surrounded by people.
CC: How has the pandemic changed your process or affected your job as
an artist?
TM: For one thing, the pandemic has obliterated the gallery world. At the moment, it鈥檚 not possible to attend openings and exchange ideas with people while looking at work firsthand. You can view art online, but it isn鈥檛 the same. There鈥檚 no tactile reference.
I had a solo exhibition planned for the beginning of June that鈥檚 now on hold, and I don鈥檛 know when it will occur. I was working toward that exhibition concerned about issues like economic inequality, greed, and political and financial polarization. The work was inspired in part by another time in history when a pandemic took hold, during World War I, and those events influenced art. I hope that when this exhibition is finally seen, I鈥檝e created a body of work that causes viewers to stop and engage each piece as a part of a larger puzzle. But I鈥檓 exploring new places as an artist that I鈥檝e never been. What better time to reinvent yourself than at a time when the whole world is having to reconstruct how it functions?
CC: Since you鈥檝e had a show postponed indefinitely, you can identify with students who won鈥檛 have their final exhibitionsor attend the many end-of-year ceremonies that seniors, in particular, look forward to. What advice have you given your students about coping with this disappointment?
TM: I think it鈥檚 important to remind them鈥攁nd I know they understand
this鈥攖hat they鈥檙e making art for themselves and feeding their own need to create art. The exhibition at the end should be seen as the icing on the cake of that creative process. It isn鈥檛 the exhibition that makes the artist鈥攊t鈥檚 the artwork that makes the artist. I know that the activity of being in the studio or at home and making something and imagining an exhibition can be motivational sometimes, because there鈥檚 an impetus to participate and display and share your work. But you鈥檙e making art because you have a need to do it. It makes you feel whole. It allows you to have a dialogue about the events in your life.
CC: Are you considering other ways for your students to share their work with the 糖心TV community?
TM: We鈥檙e thinking about putting together a catalogue of their work that can be printed and shared, and we鈥檒l probably create a website with all the projects. We would also definitely still like to have an opening once we鈥檙e back on campus, and those students who have recently graduated who are able to come back would certainly be invited to participate.
CC: Have there been any pleasant surprises or positive aspects of remote teaching that you didn鈥檛 expect to encounter?
TM: I鈥檝e been impressed with how well students have adjusted and adapted. I think part of this is thanks to a generational exposure to technology. They鈥檝e grown up used to creating and interacting with screens, and so I think that has helped. I also think they鈥檝e had greater access to me or have taken advantage of video conferencing to discuss their work and have learned to plan and manage their time in new ways. I鈥檓 having more brief video chats with students where we just check in, which I really like. It鈥檚 much better and more personal than just reading an email, so I hope that new piece of our daily communication remains after we return to normal.
Artwork at top: Timothy McDowell, Blind Love (detail), 2020, Oil on Panel, 48鈥� x 48鈥�