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Chapter IV : My Education Experience
Many of these ideas like color interaction and “Gesamtkunstwerk” were part of my own
art education experience. The teaching styles I encountered at East Tennessee State University
(ETSU) were modeled after the Bauhaus. Even if this goes unnoticed, it is not difficult to grasp
that the Bauhaus has influenced our system of education. Looking back at some of the courses
and lectures I attended, I can make the claim that I essentially had a Bauhaus learning
experience.
First, like all Bauhaus students, I too had to complete certain Vorkurse before moving on
to specialized art classes. These included 2D Design, Drawing Fundamentals, 3D Design, and
Color Theory. Together, these took a little over half a year to complete. The lessons I learned in
my first year I built upon and developed in later classes. The next three years were spent in
upper-level classes, exploring other materials and techniques. Some of these courses, like
Ceramics, Weaving, Book Arts, Metalsmithing and Printmaking gave me a feel for material and
an eye for design. I feel I grew into a well-rounded artist, capable in many areas with a greater
appreciation for skilled artists and craftsmen. Thanks to the Bauhaus, I consider craft as high a
form as fine art, and yet I still revere the Old Masters. Creativity, too, is as valuable as the skill
needed to produce any work of art.
In my preliminary classes we learned the visual language of art. These building blocks of
design were the elements of art, – point, line, shape, space, form, color value, texture – and the
principles of design, – rhythm, harmony, unity, emphasis, variety, balance, contrast, symmetry,
movement and pattern. Learning these terms, not only could I become a better designer, but I
could more clearly speak about my own art. In all my classes, we did what was called “critique.”
These were our tests, but not in the objective sense of the word test. We brought our works in