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Senior
University/Community Projects
At
the Minneapolis School of Art, graduating Seniors in all departments
had to mount a thesis show which was reviewed by the entire
faculty from all departments. The show had to be approved
by a majority for the student to graduate. Within a year or
two, it was apparent to me that Graphic Design graduates were
routinely doing the same thing each year; a poster, corporate
mark, album cover or some similar work. This bothered me as
I felt the work was not particularly challenging and students
were not learning much from the show. In 1959, I told the
Seniors to go out into the community, to find a non-profit
organization that was not using design but needed it who would
provide time and expertise to work with a student doing a
design demonstration.
Students found projects with the Chamber of Commerce, public
television, zoo, an organization promoting people to vote,
and other similar clients. Students had to work with people,
propose design solutions, make presentations and there were
no precedents that they could turn to for imagery. All the
work was mounted as an exhibit and clients were invited to
an opening. I found the entire experience beneficial for students.
The student involvement was also good for the school as it
promoted a positive image of the institution participating
in community affairs.
Finding
Projects, Funding and Outside Expertise
Each year there were refinements in how community projects
were handled. Instead of each student finding their own client,
I searched out several potential clients and contacted them
to explore the possibilities. An important consideration was
whether we could find outside funding for the project and
this was also investigated. One client was chosen and all
the students focused on that project. One important incentive
for clients was that all work produced by students would be
turned over to the sponsoring organization. Students knew
that they either had to make duplicates of the work for themselves
or make slide records. They usually did the latter. By working
with a local non-profit organization, and because whatever
we produced would be given to that body, we were in a position
to approach local foundations, corporations or relevant organizations
for funds to implement the project. We could also go to a
variety of local suppliers such as printing establishments,
photographic suppliers, typesetting shops or paper houses
for donations of services or materials. This permitted students
to do design work that they probably could not afford to do
on an individual basis.
When we started the procedure of funding community
projects, it was necessary to have some kind of prospectus
describing the purpose, scope and objectives of the project.
I found that it was necessary for me to spend considerable
time during the summer months meeting with the client, familiarizing
myself with the subject, defining the project structure and
setting goals. When the students were ready to begin work
on the project, my prospective was distributed as a hand-out.
The client would come to school and meet with students or
we would go to the client. There would be many questions and
much discussion. Some part of the project, such as an identity
system or posters, was assigned to every student. Concurrently,
students were doing research on the client’s operation
and the subject. Students then identified what part of the
project they would work on individually, and what part they
would work on as a team member. Sometimes we would identify
expertise in the community which would be contacted to see
if they would work with us on the project. For example, when
working with the Kansas City Zoo, we contacted the statistical
division at Midwest Research Institute and they assigned one
staff member to work with students on preparing and interpreting
a statistical survey. On the same project, we hired a young
teacher who taught writing composition on campus.
She
worked in the studios with students on writing text for their
design work. One group of students would be responsible for
designing the final exhibition. Sometimes students would define
their own area within the project, and most worked on several
parts of the project simultaneously.
Student
Teams
Each student team elected its leadership who had
responsibility to overview work, schedule meetings and coordinate
with the other teams. It was interesting to see how the teams
were chosen. Initially, the groups were determined by social
relationships, but as the work progressed, there was some
shifting of students from one group to another based on abilities
and skills. In the final hours of one project, I remember
hearing one team leader trying to trade two photographers
for one typographer.
The
community projects were either one or two semesters. Often
I would give the initial stages of the project to all students
during the first semester, and in the second semester, we
would break up into teams. In order to keep students moving,
we scheduled work in progress reviews about every four to
six weeks where clients and interested parties would come
to the school to review progress. Usually we notified newspapers
and television stations, and generally they would cover these
events. The publicity was good for the client, students and
school.
Usually
one faculty member would be in charge of the project but all
faculty members were used wherever their expertise was appropriate.
These community projects resulted in an incredible amount
of work, and by the end, the students were exhausted. Near
the end of projects when students are working nights and weekends,
it is imperative that there be a faculty presence in the studios.
Teachers cannot expect students to do this much work without
being available themselves. The learning experience for most
students was excellent. Most students did not want to work
in teams, and when they did, they often argued and fought
like brothers and sisters. Many students felt that working
as part of a team meant sacrificing individuality and that
teachers would not recognize their creative effort and identify
their work on the project. Students did not realize that following
graduation and working professionally would require abilities
to function as a team member on numerous occasions. Team projects
were a valuable learning experience.
Some students ducked responsibilities, others stepped in and
picked up the slack. However, when the final show was up,
most students were amazed at what they had accomplished collectively.
Some students became expert in the project content and continued
to pursue it later in their career.
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