Read on Twitter
I commented on this post on Instagram and I hesitate to bring this discussion to Twitter also but I think it is worth mentioning.
Art is an incredibly subjective thing, which makes it incredibly hard to teach. And also makes it incredibly susceptible to perpetuating opression https://twitter.com/IllustrationAge/status/1278490379197665280
Art is an incredibly subjective thing, which makes it incredibly hard to teach. And also makes it incredibly susceptible to perpetuating opression https://twitter.com/IllustrationAge/status/1278490379197665280
The attached thread and insta post goes into details and scope more, but for the purpose of this thread I only want to examine Chris Buzelli's, the teacher in question, primary teaching technique
At the start of each class he directs the students to rank their work best to worst
At the start of each class he directs the students to rank their work best to worst
Ostensibly the exercise of ranking is supposed to show students what the public responds to. So much of Editorial illustration is about being visually catchy. And this should, in theory, be a clear and thought provoking examination.
However, it relies heavily on internal biases
However, it relies heavily on internal biases
And while Chris never directly participated in the voting, he was extremely vocal, and by the 3rd class the "ranks" for all the students are set for the semester. The same 3 students are always top, the same 3 always bottom regardless of skill or execution.
This meant that students stopped voting on what they liked and started voting more on what they thought Chris liked.
And there are certain styles Chris doesn't like, (and I am sure you can guess what some of those are) And those students were bottom rank every time
And there are certain styles Chris doesn't like, (and I am sure you can guess what some of those are) And those students were bottom rank every time
He is an incredibly positive and uplifting teacher to students whose art he likes. He is thoughtful in his critiques, he encourages the rest of the class to praise them. He is full of resources and is an absolutely incredible invaluable connection in the world of Editorial Illus
To students whose art he doesn't like, he is dismissive and demoralizing. Comments like "This just isn't good" and "We're not going to waste time on this one" are not infrequent. He encourages students to ignore and distance themselves from those in the bottom rank
Being in the bottom is a terrible position to be in. Not only are you denied help, or even the opportunity to learn and grow, but you can't even complain about it.
Because your complaints are painted as "An Angry Artist frustrated with their own lack of talent lashing out"
Because your complaints are painted as "An Angry Artist frustrated with their own lack of talent lashing out"
In Chris' eyes "Good" artists "deserve" better treatment. And "Bad" artists "deserve" less resources.
And you can see how easy it is to slip in additional subtle biases of race, gender, class, and disability without even realizing
And all of this in a Learning Environment
And you can see how easy it is to slip in additional subtle biases of race, gender, class, and disability without even realizing
And all of this in a Learning Environment
It was so difficult because not only did Chris, the teacher deny services, but he weaponized the students to perpetuate his ideals. They class was encouraged to idolize the top and ice out the bottom tier. Students began avoiding the bottom students like the plague
To be in Chris' top tier is so positive, and so beneficial monetarily. And yes, all of his top favorites ARE incredibly hard working and talented artists absolutely deserving of the accolades they have received.
But there is no reason for Chris to uplift them by crushing others
But there is no reason for Chris to uplift them by crushing others
I won't name names, but it was extremely disappointing, but not at all surprising, to see Chris' top tier artists coming to his defense in this Insta post over his god awful (and typical) treatment of a bottom tier student
They have been treated well and don't understand
They have been treated well and don't understand
I don't want to get into this too much on this thread because I don't believe that I am the best person to be talking about it, and Twitter is a terrible place for nuance but---
Ppl defending Chris were saying "He's not Racist! He has so many POC friends!"
And to slap the "Racist" logo on him is too big, easy, and inaccurate
He is guilty of the far more typical and hard to detect micro racism's amplified by his teaching technique and masked by allies
And to slap the "Racist" logo on him is too big, easy, and inaccurate
He is guilty of the far more typical and hard to detect micro racism's amplified by his teaching technique and masked by allies
So yes, Chris does have Black friends (some came to his defense in this insta) and other BIPOC friends
But his positive treatment of these individuals is dependent on if he thinks they are a good artist. He withholds basic civilities based on if they are "worthy"
But his positive treatment of these individuals is dependent on if he thinks they are a good artist. He withholds basic civilities based on if they are "worthy"
And if you're a teacher who is set on judging the worthiness of a student's art on your "gut" How do you keep your judgement from coming from institutionalized racism, sexism, and ableism?
Honestly, you can't. It's a broken system that you, a teacher, are obligated to fight
Honestly, you can't. It's a broken system that you, a teacher, are obligated to fight
The Ranking system treated some students really well. But at the cost of hurting others.
And as a teacher you should recognize everyone is on a different path/diff part of their journey. Your job is to encourage and help guide regardless of ability
And as a teacher you should recognize everyone is on a different path/diff part of their journey. Your job is to encourage and help guide regardless of ability
To see Chris' public apology is frustrating. He says he cares about his students, and I believe that he thinks that he does.
But he really only puts effort into the growth of those he likes. He has been ignoring this criticism for YEARS, and calling critics salty bad artists
But he really only puts effort into the growth of those he likes. He has been ignoring this criticism for YEARS, and calling critics salty bad artists
Am I saying Chris should use his connections to give work to those whose art he doesn't like? No, what I'm saying is that he should be treating ALL his students like they DESERVE to be taught.
He should treat ALL his students like they are WORTHY of learning
He should treat ALL his students like they are WORTHY of learning
Lastly, I want to say it is incredibly difficult to talk about this because, yes, he is an wildly connected and influential person in the Editorial Illus scene. He and his wife know everyone. It is so easy for them to shut doors. It's scary as a freelancer to discuss
But I really wanted to take the time to discuss the nuances and subtleties (in as much as is possible on twitter) of these series of terrible actions. And maybe help people learn to not do this, and to examine structures that inherently lend themselves to institutionalized racism
I had Chris Buzelli as a teacher, and I think he was a bad teacher.
((Also in case you didn't realize, this method of 'worthy' and 'unworthy' is also how you create things like the 'Model Minority' to beat other minorities down with))
