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A prize contest for the most original ThesisWith our partner professorship for the Arts - Ruth Benschop - we organised a prize contest for the most original thesis.
You can read all about it here.
Writing seems to be quite challenging for both art teachers and students alike. To put it bluntly: most of them hate it. Writing in an Art study practice, is almost exclusively produced in the context of an examination. It is something you produce so that somebody else can criticise you for it.
For sure, this context doesn't prove to be very stimulating. Writing in art schools seems to have the spontaneity of a last-will-writing. And that has a profound effect on the writing of their - obligatory and not much loved - thesis.
On top of that, both students and teachers alike seem to nourish a quite archaic idea on what a 'scientific thesis' should look like. Lot's of thesis prove to be so far out of the comfort zone of students, that it looses every possible connection to the art practice of the student. It feels like a waste of time, a useless circus act, a sad necessity of school life. And in that archaic form, it probably is.
Both professorships for the Arts organised a course in new approaches towards thesis writing for all teachers. For 2016, we asked Anna Harris to write a manual with some practical and refreshing approaches to artistic research and thesis writing. We hope to open up the concept of a useful, enjoyable and stimulating thesis. Shouldn't an Art thesis feel inspired and influenced by art? Or at least, shouldn't it look different from a post mortem diagnosis?
Since 2016-17 we organise a four days workshop aimed at art teachers, on Artistic Research, given by Peter Missotten, Ruth Benschop and Anna Harris.
Aiming to cultivate writing as an inherent artistic tool, both professorships in the Arts Zuyd organise a yearly prize contest for the most original and/or inspiring Thesis. The first year, we only gave an honourable mention to one thesis. In 2015, we awarded 4 full fledged prizes. In 2016 we got some 20 entries and awarded 2 prizes and 3 honourable mentions. Students slowly find their way to this contest…
All winning thesis are publicised online, producing an ever growing database of best practices in thesis-writing for the arts.
You can read all about it here.