Book Art is the Jewel of Mills College & Cutting it is a Betrayal of the School’s Identity
(In response to proposed changes and cuts)
I moved across the country to attend Mills College specifically because of the strength of its Book Art program. A returning adult student, I graduated in May with a minor in Book Art. While I was a student, I revived the Book Art club, serving as president, and received the Rosalind Keep award for Book Art.
The Book Art program, along with the legendary music department and the progressive education school, is the jewel of the college. The program uniquely and rigorously combines writing, bookmaking, and printmaking in a way that elevates the medium on a nationally recognized level. The cross-pollination between the program and the college library’s incredible rare books collection is also a valuable and unique asset.
Many colleges are in a moment of transition these days. Liberal Arts schools feel the pressure to be more profitable. Many are responding by trying to reinvent themselves by adopting the neoliberal techniques of corporate universities, slashing programs (particularly in the arts), exploiting workers (particularly adjuncts), and hiring outside consulting firms to evaluate what can be gutted or monetized.
These proposed cuts would hurt students, faculty, and the community in the short term. In the long term, they won’t even work. Mills will NEVER be primarily a business school. The proposed additions–economics, languages–pander to frivolous and unsustainable regional trends. Mills is not going to become a goldmine by catering to aspiring international biz/techies. Becoming a fourth-rate Stanford is not going to enable Mills to retain greatness. Buckling to the national –but particularly accelerated in this region– devaluation of art would be a tragic waste. Staying true to the school’s roots (avant garde art, cutting edge social critique) and cultivating the departments that make Mills so special is the only way for the school to maintain integrity in the short term and survive in the long term.
Instead of recklessly and foolishly slashing the Book Art program, Mills ought to support it working more closely with its other art departments, with programs that train students to apply for grants and fellowships, and with library science certification programs. Instead of destroying one of the best resources for learning about Book Art in the country–equipped with a fantastic studio and brilliant faculty–Mills ought to support the program growing to include papermaking facilities. There’s plenty of room for the Book Art program to improve and grow. Killing it would be a blow to the local and national book art community, past and future students of Mills, and the identity of the school as a whole.
[petition to save Mills College Book Art]
[tumblr devoted to saving Mills College Book Art]
[Mills College Book Art facebook group]
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