COLUMN: Finding space to draw in

From Michelle Weinberg's, "For Every Action," Fall '99 From Michelle Weinberg's, "For Every Action," Fall '99My freshman year I enrolled in a photography class. Every week, I would wander over to the Blauhaus -- the little blue shack on the edge of campus -- and explore the techniques and processes necessary to develop pictures. Unfortunately, many Penn students never enroll in a Fine Arts course, either because the University creates no incentive for them to do so, or because there are not enough spaces available in classes. Each semester approximately 500 students take Fine Arts classes, and the department is forced to turn away over 200 students every semester, due to lack of space. In fact, the only way the department is able to accommodate their current amount of students is by holding classes from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. almost every day of the week, with one class on Saturday. Built as temporary swing space in 1992 for only $1 million, the plywood shack has become the center of Penn's artistic community. Two years ago, the former Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church was being renovated to create the new Charles Addams Fine Arts Hall. In March 1997, an electrical fire severely set back these renovations and made the walls too unstable to rebuild. Still faced with a severe shortage of space, Penn drew up plans to provide additions to the Blauhaus. But after the Palestra shootings, which injured one student as a bullet went through the plywood walls of the building, the Trustees voted against the plan. However, it's not the quality of the building that's the issue -- the nature of the Blauhaus allows artists to make their messes without feeling like vandals -- it's the general lack of space that is the problem. Even those who do manage to enroll in classes have trouble finding space for their work on already overflowing shelves and lockers. Studio space is only available for 12 of the 50 Fine Arts majors. Furthermore, for those of us who have had the opportunity to take Fine Arts classes, the lack of space makes it impossible to continue a personal exploration of the arts once the class is completed. More space would certainly allow not only for more classes but open studios for students who want to continue to create art on their own time or for students who simply want to try pottery or painting without the pressure of homework and grades. The University should also consider allowing, or requiring, a studio art course as part of the General Requirement. Visual literacy should be considered an important aspect of a liberal arts education. As Fine Arts Department Undergraduate Chairperson Julie Schneider points out, "Communication is no longer merely text based. With the widespread usage of electronic media, visual literacy is becoming more and more important. The Fine Arts Department is the only one that educates students in visual literacy." Schneider makes an important observation. In our fast paced society, many types of communication rely on visual effects to get people's attention. Yet students do not even have the option of taking a Fine Arts class to fill any of the General Requirements. Even Art History majors have no requirement for a studio art class, which Schneider sees as a "disservice to art historians." All of their classes are focused around seeing art and they never are forced to experience firsthand the decision-making process that goes into creating a piece of artwork. While Schneider acknowledges that the administration is extremely supportive of the fine arts, the issue is a bit more complicated. The Fine Arts Department has no wealthy alumni to donate large sums of money for new buildings. But isn't the important issue the quality of the education, not the amount of money graduates are able to contribute? With the importance of creativity and visual literacy as part of both a liberal arts education and the skills necessary to succeed, the University should pay more attention to the Fine Arts Department, the one department specifically designed to enhance these skills.