>>The older faculty regard such photographing as a quasi-secretarial task, something that is not central to making art. The younger faculty regard "documenting" work as an important skill that shows you are a working artist.
There are probably two senses of "document" that show whether you are an academic or not.
Margaret ___ is a professor at Cal Arts, where they have separate courses on "theory." Based on conversations with her, my understanding is that, post-Duchamp, the degree to which a work is "conceptual" determines the importance of the accompanying essay and its presentation as quasi-philosophy. (For example, if you're doing something like Weiner with his Statements or Kaprowesque installations, you obviously need an essay and lots of documentation.)
Of the few working artists I know outside the academy, all maintain slides of their work for submission to galleries, granting entities, etc., and regard making and maintaining the slides as an art-related skill. After all, if they don't do it, who will? It's the first step toward an academically approved catalogue raisonne.
Getting out my piece of obsidian to do a self portrait, Bubba ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
