Everything you wanted to know about art school but were afraid to ask

Associated media

101 Things to Learn in Art School

Kit White

Kit White's 101 Things to Learn in Art School is a delight. Rather than trying to be a manual, this book offers a set of guiding principles for art students – things they really should be aware about, in White’s view. Many of these 101 principles have been heard before and, often, they are those old adages that are trotted out with little, if any, explanation in discussions about art.  I have to admit my heart sank a little when I turned the page to the first principle and read ‘Art can be anything.’ Well, yes, it can be but it isn’t and thankfully White goes on to provide an informative explanation of this and every other entry and why it is important. 

Each entry in this guide is also accompanied by one of White’s own drawings. The conciseness with which he explains each entry is expanded upon by the illustrations and White’s often witty drawings belie the seriousness of his message. A lesson on the physicality of sculpture is accompanied by a drawing of William Tucker’s work, a lesson on handling space is illustrated through White’s drawing ‘After Hans Hofman’, a lesson on process draws on Robert Smithson’s work and when it comes to drawing, White can speak for himself. With ‘lessons’ on colour, the digital arts, perspective, metaphor, photography, time, and much more, there is a lot to digest.

I was interested to see where White places his emphases in this book and there seem to be a few threads running through the whole publication. He talks about the importance of teaching skills and techniques, and a knowledge of the history of art. I don’t know enough about American art education to say whether these concerns are unique to White, who teaches at the Pratt Institute in New York, or are representative of broader concerns in art education in America. I do know that such emphases are rather surprising in the context of contemporary British art education so those differences are interesting in themselves. What British art education does have in common with White’s formulation is a renewed interest in drawing, something he foregrounds in his short texts and through the 101 examples of his own work.

One of the first things that struck me visually about this book was how beautifully it had been made. MIT have clearly taken much care in putting this little book together and use several different materials and techniques in the cover alone. The back cover is constructed from a thick, heavy board whilst the front is overlaid with a rubbery material that has been variously embossed, cut away and printed upon. The cloth spine is printed differently again, with the book’s title glistening slightly in silver lettering. The small images printed front and back, both by White, seem to me to suggest woodcut prints.  The sheer materiality of this book then is emphasized by the techniques used (or hinted at), all of which have a long history in the art school even if some are less commonly engaged with today.

White suggests that although the book was developed with art students and teachers in mind, it is not just intended for those readers. Rather, the ‘book is really for everyone who cares about art and the way it enriches our being’. I tend to agree. Anyone who has every visited an art museum, made art, or read about it could learn something from this little book. Its lessons may, at times, be well-worn, but there is something in White’s delivery that voices them afresh and with new meaning.

101 Things to Learn in Art Schoolby Kit White is published by the MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts and London , England, 2011. 224 pp. 101 mono illus, £10.95.  ISBN: 978-0-262-01621-6