Works of Love Quotes by Soren Kierkegaard brought to you by one hip artist

An answer to the 2004 San Francisco Art Institute MFA crew, regarding comparisons of CCA, and change…

“…the one who is busily occupied tracking down hypocrites, whether he succeeds or not, had better see to it that this is not also a hypocrisy, in as much as such discoveries are hardly the fruits of love.” -SK

First the rants are about the lack of art-related jobs (c’mon selling art supplies, and photos of orchids) and then have the gall to take issue with other schools by criticizing them for being commercial??!?! Perhaps it would be wise to get off the “I’m a tortured romantic artist, and can’t make money for fear my artist peers dare think I’m ‘commercial’ “kick.

I’m going out on a limb to say it… I want to be “HIP” and I want to get compensated for the work I produce. I want to have friends who are designers, competent in computers, can make 30 second commercials, music videos, oil painters and metal sculptors, and 3d animators…I have friends at CCA and at the Art Academy who are just as much fun to hang out with as you guys (and damned good at bar-b-cue)! Diversity is the spice of life…Plus they give a different perspective to shared experiences.


The fact of the matter is that art for it’s own sake, and art history (thank you invention of photography) is relatively new…We didn’t really have either before the 1800’s…

What does that mean you ask? Broadly speaking, MOST ART IS COMMERCIAL. MOST ART IS FUNCTIONAL. (yes even yours) Do we not judge our peers success by how many shows they have, if they were reviewed in magazines, or got fellowships from the government or dare I say it the NEA (sniff sniff)…Without patrons the Renaissance would not have happened, perspective, architecture, and anatomy as we know wouldn’t exist. The Sistine chapel wouldn’t exist…WE need grants, we need friends, and patrons, a supporting community.

I digress…

“But without willing it and without coveting it, the person whose love truly bears its own fruit will expose every hypocrite who comes near him, or at least shame such hypocrites; ” -SK

Haven’t we learned from attending SFAI that the definitions of “ART” is malleable? I got naked at school, Mark Morris wiped his ass and called it a Rorschach test…so aren’t clothes and furniture (Sarah Barsness’ pieces) art? What matters then if the materials don’t play a role if it’s art or not? CONTEXT? Is being physically IN the walls of the Diego Rivera gallery, or the “hallowed” halls of Fort Mason permission to call it “art” while if the same ideas are shown at say, 16th and Wisconsin (cca’s grad gallery) they are criticized? I’m not saying it’s good or not, I’m saying it EXISTS.

“The most mediocre defense against hypocrisy is sagacity; indeed it is hardly a defense, but rather a dangerous neighbor” -SK

When we get over the pretentious bullshit, about who went to school where and what media they use to express their creativity (whether they identify as a “designer” or “artist”), and realize that we all bleed the same color, one will realize that we have a lot in common…

Creativity and the desire to produce affect our direct environment is what is important. It comes down to respect. We can appreciate the efforts, (or sometimes lack thereof) in all fields (including arts administration). That doesn’t mean one must like it subjectively, just that it is there and deserves to be acknowledged.

“The best defense against hypocrisy is love; indeed, it is not only a defense but a chasmic abyss; in all eternity it has nothing to do with hypocrisy.” -SK

Addressing the other two issues the magazine and “Design and Technology”: Leonardo has an amazingly complex history and is an organization that supports artists and introduces them to a keenly scientific network of academics. They are intimately tied with MIT, CAA (whose conference many of you attended) and also give monetary awards, and publish artist statements in each issue. I encourage you all to check out their website , especially the “about us” section.

D&T (not to be confused with WMD) has existed for a long time under another name and is (from my understanding last year as a member of Artech and hanging out with the kids in it) is the smallest department in the school (even less than printmaking). There is instruction now in video editing (which we’ve had for a long time) max/msp (digital music etc. which Charles Boone and Matmos in the past have taken a large role)…According to the SFAI website the mission is to “challenge students to use the tools of design (we’ve all used Photoshop right??!?) to explore how design functions and why our designed world reflects the larger social transformations taking place today…” My question is this, is the hang-up just the name?

“This also is fruit by which love is known-it secures the loving one against falling into the snare of the hypocrite.” -SK

Published by Pete Ippel

Pete Ippel, the son of a dancer and a musician, was born in Oak Park, Illinois and has been surrounded by the arts since birth. He moved to Morris, Illinois in 1989 and started to participate in athletics rather than dance. After high school, Pete attended Cornell University where he received a BA in psychology and a BFA in photo / digital art making. He continued to follow his sporting dreams in the high jump, which culminated in a school record leap of 7 feet 1/2 inch in 2001. In May 2004 he attained an MFA degree in the New Genres department of the San Francisco Art Institute. Presently Pete is a practicing artist whose work is in numerous private collections and has been exhibited in New York, California, and internationally. Mr. Ippel resides in Working Artists Ventura, a sustainable artist community in southern California. In addition, he teaches art, is a web developer, an active blogger, and still high jumps from time to time. As a passionate problem solver and a pragmatic optimist, Pete’s art and his life are full of exciting challenges.

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