Craft artists suffer in university system

A business-oriented, academic-focus tertiary system is struggling to provide the craft skills artists need.
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Art by Matt Burgess, a graduate of the University of South Australia glass program

When Gabriella Bisetto studied glass, her university program lasted four years. Now the equivalent program is covered in two.

As Head of Glass at the University of South Australia, Bisetto is sharply aware that the changed university environment is making it difficult to teach artists the craft skills they need. ‘One of the things we discuss is how much we can teach skills and tacit learning at a university when that environment is increasingly changing,’ she said.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Instagram: fairleygina