The pandemic forced us all to make changes to how we work and learn. It also forced trade schools to find new ways to teach people their crafts.
Students who attend Laguna College of Art and Design in California spend a large amount of time in a studio setting, at least they did.
When the pandemic hit, faculty had to find a way to create the studio experience virtually.
Some of the challenges have been giving students feedback, allowing them to see the work of fellow students and the dialogue that comes with it.
“These types of interactions, they're intuitive, they're organic, they flow,” said Hope Railey, chair of fine arts at LCAD. “It’s just part of the day, so now those types of interactions need to be planned.”
Railey says 6-hour studio classes take faculty 12 hours or more to put together.
She says instructors use pre-recorded lectures and lessons so they can do one-on-one meetings with students.
She admits it’s a work in progress, but says students are getting invaluable life lessons through all of it.
“They're experiencing some of what life is like after a BFA program,” said Railey. “They're experiencing some of the challenges and kind of facing those challenges and the good thing is, they're getting services and help, like detailed granular help.”
Railey says students are helping themselves by asking more questions about how to do things once they finish school, like how to do certain research.
She also says doing classes over Zoom allowed the school to bring in artists and speakers they wouldn't normally be able to use.