CRITICAL RESPONSE AT THE PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS Mercyhurst College Erie,Pennsylvania Sherry Knight and Wendy Milne

A stereotypical reaction to criticism tends to be negative, when in actuality the Proposed Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities defines critical analysis, as "the process of examining and discussing the effective uses of specific aspects of a work of art." In July 1999, students and faculty at the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts actively participated in the process of critical analysis. One approach was Liz Lerman 's six step process for critical response. This "artist-centered" approach encourages the artist to be open when receiving comments about their work of art and to move ahead in a more positive way. Originally developed for dance, this process has crossed over into the visual arts.     In this video clip, the student and instructor analyzed and formed judgments about her plaster reductive sculpture (Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities 9.3.12 A: Analyze and synthesize the critical examination processes of works in the arts and humanities through comparing and contrasting, analyzing, interpreting, forming and testing hypotheses and evaluating form judgments). Prior to the video clip, the instructor, acting as responder, asked the student's questions about her piece. Three of Lerman's steps, Affirmation, Opinion Time and Subject Matter Discussion, were discussed. Step Two, Artist as Questioner, followed with specific questions regarding suggestions for continuation in the reduction process. (Once people are well versed with the process of critical response it is not always necessary to follow the steps according to the order suggested by Lerman.) Liz Lerman's philosophy says that this process excites the artist to go back in and re-work the piece (Step Six: Working on the work).

In the painting class, the instructor and the students engaged in meaningful dialogue and critical response as depicted in the Proposed Academic Standards 9.3.12:

A. Analyze and synthesize the critical examination processes of works in the arts and humanities/ form and test hypotheses and evaluate/form judgments.

B. Determine and apply criteria to a person's work and works of others in the arts.

D. Evaluate works in the arts and humanities using complex and advanced vocabulary and concepts of critical response.

E. Analyze the various types of critical analysis of works in the arts and humanities/ intuitive criticism

F. Analyze works in the arts by referencing the judgments advanced by arts critics as well as one's own analysis and critique.

G. Analyze and synthesize professional critical positions and opinions about selected works in the arts and humanities.

(Art critic and professional critical positions are references to the painting instructor, Terry Bowie.)

Step four- Opinion time, was the focus for the video clip shown above. The five remaining steps of Lerman's model were addressed sequentially during the critique.

This heartfelt response to the young artists who attended the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts exemphlies that the stereotypical negativity in criticism need not occur to be affective.