With Full Speed Ahead to the Future

Yesterday, the artistic advisory board discussed the future of the summer academy. Two outsiders, Yilmaz Dziewior, current director of the Bregenz Kunsthaus, and Maria Lind, professor for post-graduate curatorial studies at Bard College in NY, together with two insiders, Ines Doujak and Hildegund Amanshauser talked about their experiences with the summer academy and their ideas for the future in front of an interesting and participating audience. The guests, who had spent the day visiting the different course locations, were thoroughly impressed by the intensity they had found in the classes, the bonds between the teachers and students, and the broad program the summer academy offers. Still, they see quite a bit of room for improvement, especially Maria Lind who would like to have more international students and teachers, and additional courses on subjects like curating an exhibition, or recurring courses that span over 3 years. Ines Doujak, who felt the desire of participating herself upon seeing some of the classes work, would like a leisurely chourse where you could take some time off and just work without any pressure or set goals. According to Hildegund Amanshauser, the summer academy is already a space where students don’t have to bring results at the end but are free to try things out without fear of failure. Yilmaz Dziewior was more interested in how the gap is bridged between professional and amateurs, and what is done if problems occur. As some of the professors say, their students are on so many different levels and have so many different approaches, that it rarely becomes a problem. The students come from all walks of life and are aged between 17 and 82 years old, but all are driven by the wish to create. Another idea, provided by Ines Doujak, is trying to intensify the exchange between students from different classes, but also with other teachers. Hildegund Amanshauser, who founded the artistic advisory board last year, seemed very pleased with the feedback, but also the plethora of ideas provided, and said she will keep thinking about them in the months and years to come. So watch out, art world! If the ambitious drift of tonight prevails, the summer academy will become a fixed point on the international art map.