Reimagining Art Education

With the rapid development of technologies and the unstable economic state of the world it is vital to understand that everyone faces certain challenges. Many people choose to receive their education in creative professions and it is beyond doubt that teaching them must evolve and requires innovative approaches. In regards to that we at Harbour.Space created an innovative program of Interaction Design which blends technical know-how, interdisciplinary research and a creative artistic-scientific approach to enable the development of creative interfaces that generate progressive and innovative applications for media design, media research, media art, and communication.

In order to delve into the subject of teaching creative professions, the founder and CEO of Harbour.Space Svetlana Velikanova sat down with Yuko Shimizu, who is a multi-award-winning illustrator from Japan. Her work includes multiple disciplines: from pages in respectable newspapers to covers of comics and advertisements for worldwide-known companies. In addition to being an experienced illustrator, Yuko is an instructor in the School of Visual Arts in New York, sharing her knowledge in multiple lectures, workshops and conferences all over the world.

Yuko highlights the differences in approaches to creative education in the US and in Japan. Due to cultural differences, the attitude towards individual creative thinking varies in these countries. Yuko has first-hand experience in learning in both US and Japan and confirms that while Japan’s literacy rate is almost 100%, it lacks room for developing creative individual thought. And in the US, on the contrary, the education system provides creative freedom, but sometimes fails to cultivate foundational skills, especially in creative fields.

If we compare this to European education, we can observe the fact that the European systems stand somewhere in between these two: they ensure that all students acquire a moderate level of foundational skills while also leaving room for individuality.

At Harbour.Space we are combining structured learning with creative freedom: during the 100-hour course students get 45 hours with their instructors, while also getting practical experience with companies throughout their education. Every course also includes multiple practical projects that go to their portfolios and build up confidence in their skills.

Everyone understands that tuition fees have risen dramatically all over the world in the past few decades. Yuko expresses her alarm that in the US it is practically impossible to graduate without student debt as opposed to the 2000-s when it was still expensive, but more families were able to pay from their income or with the help of much smaller student loans. This creates a sharp divide in the society. Education has become a luxury good rather than something available to those with talent and dedication towards learning.

Yuko states that she feels guilty not being able to provide teaching to those who cannot afford it and that is exactly the reason she loves teaching the weekend workshops. Those are not cheap as well, but they are far more affordable to those who are willing to save up for it: the participants are there by choice and are highly motivated to get their money’s worth. 

Traditional universities have professors competing for positions and promotions, which, undeniably, wastes priceless energy that could be devoted to teaching. At the School of Visual Arts, where Yuko is an instructor, the professors are practicing professionals who happen to teach, but only part-time. This cultivates a friendly environment beneficial to both students and teachers and eliminates unnecessary competition between instructors for limited spots. The instructors genuinely want to help their students find the classes that suit their needs best, even if it means sending them to another teacher. This approach also ensures that teachers remain in their current fields. Many great artists teach to pass their passion onto their students, allowing them to simultaneously create their own work.

At Harbour.Space a similar model is implemented. There is only one required course in the program and the rest is chosen by students depending on what and from who they want to learn. We believe that students learn best when they are passionate about the subject and are connected to their instructors.

At Harbour.Space we are reimagining education by combining intensive three-week learning periods with immediate practical application. This module system allows our students to fully immerse into one subject instead of juggling multiple of them. This mirrors the professional world where workers focus deeply on one project before moving on to something else.

Our students also get practical experience through on-the-job training with corporate partners, typically start-ups or small companies. This is intentional as it allows them to see for themselves how the organization operates rather than being isolated in one department of a vast company.

Moreover students of Harbour.Space typically graduate with at least two specializations, for example they may be both data engineers and digital marketers. This interdisciplinary approach makes them especially valuable in today’s job market.

In addition to this, Yuko mentions that even in specialized fields like illustration, exposure to different disciplines is indispensable, with some of her most meaningful learning experiences coming from teachers in completely different fields.

Professionals agree that one of the most important and valuable things in education is personalized feedback to each student. This cannot be outsourced to AI or automated systems, especially in creative fields. Yuko also agrees, saying that the ability to analyze one’s work and to provide constructive criticism that help students grow is a special skill, valuable in the learning process.

“It is more than ever important, if you want to be a paid artist, to create work that is unpredictable,” Yuko says when explaining the effect artificial intelligence has on the creative fields. While not being worried herself, as her work is always made by hand and is unpredictable even to her, she states that if a client were going to use AI, they would not even be thinking about hiring her.

However, Yuko expresses worry for younger generations of artists. They have not made their name yet, they do not have a studio and, more importantly, some of them are too lazy to improve their generic artwork. And there is a huge possibility that in the future AI will wipe out artistic jobs. A key thing to battle this is not being lazy and constantly improving.

When students hear something in a lecture, they retain mere scraps of information, but implementing their knowledge in real life helps the retention jump to about 80%. Harbour.Space’s model is designed around this principle. “Perhaps the future lies in these hybrid models,” Yuko says. Breaking away from rigid semester systems and academic hierarchies could open education to more diverse participants and approaches.