she had a weakness for writers

I'm reading a book called Seven Days In The Art World, and one chapter is about art school critique seminars. alpheratz and I had an email discussion about it. No Waycest! This is just, um...character study? Not really. It's silliness.


I suppose if I'd ever thought about this, I would've realized this ages ago, because literary programs do the same thing: crit sessions are where your classmates analyze and critique your work in front of you. Usually in literary ones, the author isn't allowed to speak at all, you have to sit there in silence and just absorb the critique. Apparently in art schools, some do it that way and others almost the opposite, where the artist presents their work and then defends it while their classmates critique, offering justifications and explaining, well, their thought process and motivation for the work.

Basically I'm picturing bb!Gerard having to justify and defend his vision, and having a screaming shitfit in the middle of crit. And then Mikey has to come up and cuddle him.

Of course, now that I've said all that, it occurs to me that the chapter was specificially discussing MFA programs, which Gerard did not attend. but w/e, it's funny to think about.



I didn't know about justifications! I did know that apparently first-year art instructors are fucking sadists to weed out the weaklings. But I like the idea of Gerard having to justify his vision and Mikey cuddling him.

And then he got himself a sweet gig where no one questioned his vision. \o/



I can see Mikey calling him after class all "How did it go?" and Gerard going :((((((((( THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND ME.



And Mikey is like :[[[[ why doesn't everyone get his great my bro is? And how his vision is amazing? >:[



Gerard's all I AM GOING TO FAIL ART SCHOOL. EVERYTHING IS AWFUL, I AM RETIRING TO MY FAINTING COUCH. So Mikey has to hop on the train and go give him snacks and cuddles.



Maybe like every time Gee gets a bad critique he's like "well at least Mikey will bring me Cheetos and a movie this weekend. And cuddle me."

He's a cheap date.



By the way, the critiques in that chapter are at a really weird hippie art school in California, but they go on for THREE TO FOUR HOURS PER STUDENT. Apparently a lot of that time is people sitting and staring at each other, or going off on angry rants about politics. Art schools are weird.



Gerard is like "I don't care about politics. :( I don't even vote :( I want to draw zombies."



The hippies are like "Oh, are you a post-structuralist anarchist who doesn't believe in the system?" And Gerard's like "...maybe? I don't know what those words mean. :( Look, I drew an alien eating a cat."



They just don't understand him :( it's ok, though, Mikey does and he'll even look up those words for him.



Mikey is the greatest bro. :))))

Okay, dumb!Gerard has his critique seminar now is the only fic I want. He should show up with a drawing of two ghosts and try to explain it to the class.



Bweeeee he is the actualfax best



I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO FINISH MY WHOLE PROJECT, BUT I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE CONCEPT. :D? :D?



Love love love



His second critique seminar of the year: an installation piece featuring land mines.



He couldn't get a real landmine so he got a pal in sculpture class to cast some out of plaster. What do you mean it's not work? He spray-painted them.



And put them in a box. That's totally art. >:(



Just imagine a real spray painted landmine in its place and you'll get it. Unless you're a total tool.



God, SO GREAT. I'm imagining his Black Parade equivalent.



Black Parade is an a cappella multi-media performance. Everyone is speechless.



ah ha ha ha ha. Then he follows it up with Danger Days, an interpretive dance performance art piece.