We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned that Creative Leave is not guaranteed for all eligible faculty members at CalArts. We understand that a donor’s gift funded (an insufficient number of) Creative Leaves for several years and has now run out. The number of Creative Leaves granted for next year has been cut in half, with no guarantee of how many, if any, will be offered in the following year.
Steps should have been taken earlier to ensure the continuance of Creative Leave, and to safeguard this vital source of creative development for faculty and, by extension, all students at the Institute. We understand that finances are tight at the moment, but we are concerned by evidence that there is a lack of will on the part of the Board of Trustees and the Administration to support Creative Leave going forward. This failure to ensure Creative Leave is an assault on the value that we hold most dear: artistic creation. We respectfully request that Creative Leave be guaranteed to every regular faculty member at CalArts as part of their contract at a rate of one semester every seventh year.
Students make the choice to study at CalArts on the strength of its faculty’s reputation as artists and teachers. Students want to study with artists who are regularly embarking on new, ambitious projects where they learn new techniques and hone their methods as artists. Students directly benefit in the classroom from the acumen of faculty returning from Creative Leave with new ideas, new experience, and new work.
To withhold support from the Creative Leave program is shortsighted. While on Creative Leave, faculty complete significant projects that gain notice nationally and internationally, as documented in the report compiled by faculty member Charles Gaines. This is a huge benefit to the Institute. We cannot hope to maintain the vitality and international reputation of CalArts without supporting Creative Leave.
Creative Leave, in the form of a paid semester’s leave every seven years (a Sabbatical) is an almost universal practice in institutions of higher learning, including art schools, where it is understood as a way to maintain the vitality and rigor of the institution as a place of learning.
Students, alumni, and faculty are united in appreciating the value of Creative Leave, because we share an intimate understanding of the enormous value of “time to work” to an artist. CalArts was founded on the principle of working artists teaching working artists. As artists, we have chosen to build our lives around making art. In our own life schedules, we prioritize the act of artistic creation. The Institute that we comprise should reflect this deeply held value by supporting Creative Leave.
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
May 21, 2012
May 21, 2012
we hit a really meaningful point today and it is wild to see how many people care about this. the momentum is starting to feel real even if the admin is staying quiet for now. thanks for sticking with me while we push for what the faculty actually deserves.
May 18, 2012
we just hit 100 signatures and im honestly pretty stunned. its clear that so many of us care about protecting creative time even when the administration is dropping the ball.
Reached 100 supporters
May 15, 2012
7 Comments
My teachers are the reason I came here. They need time to work on their own stuff so they have new things to teach us.
KEEP CREATIVE LEAVE. It is literally why calarts is relevant. dont let it die.
Absolute shame that this is even a discussion. pay the faculty their leave.
Its pretty simple. If faculty cant create they get burned out and the students suffer. Stop cutting corners on the vital parts of this school.
please fix this. we need our professors growing as artists, not just stuck in the classroom forever.
I do not believe that one semester every 7 years is good enough, or even ok, for the kind of integral practice that our regular faculty is involved with. We live in a world that is quite different from the world we lived in 7 years ago. With so many faculty at Calarts that need to continue to connect with issues such as practice, technology, and maybe the most important to the student body, connecting with their own and ever changing sources of inspiration, I challenge Calarts to take a deep look into their jargon about artistic practice and importance. The school will grow ever more divided under cuts to Creative Leave, so I plea with the board, find a Development Director who has a long history in Los Angeles. Bring them here. Let them help to fund the work we all do, including the personal work of our Faculty.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept iPetitions Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Copy link or share directly
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned that Creative Leave is not guaranteed for all eligible faculty members at CalArts. We understand that a donor’s gift funded (an insufficient number of) Creative Leaves for several years and has now run out. The number of Creative Leaves granted for next year has been cut in half, with no guarantee of how many, if any, will be offered in the following year.
Steps should have been taken earlier to ensure the continuance of Creative Leave, and to safeguard this vital source of creative development for faculty and, by extension, all students at the Institute. We understand that finances are tight at the moment, but we are concerned by evidence that there is a lack of will on the part of the Board of Trustees and the Administration to support Creative Leave going forward. This failure to ensure Creative Leave is an assault on the value that we hold most dear: artistic creation. We respectfully request that Creative Leave be guaranteed to every regular faculty member at CalArts as part of their contract at a rate of one semester every seventh year.
Students make the choice to study at CalArts on the strength of its faculty’s reputation as artists and teachers. Students want to study with artists who are regularly embarking on new, ambitious projects where they learn new techniques and hone their methods as artists. Students directly benefit in the classroom from the acumen of faculty returning from Creative Leave with new ideas, new experience, and new work.
To withhold support from the Creative Leave program is shortsighted. While on Creative Leave, faculty complete significant projects that gain notice nationally and internationally, as documented in the report compiled by faculty member Charles Gaines. This is a huge benefit to the Institute. We cannot hope to maintain the vitality and international reputation of CalArts without supporting Creative Leave.
Creative Leave, in the form of a paid semester’s leave every seven years (a Sabbatical) is an almost universal practice in institutions of higher learning, including art schools, where it is understood as a way to maintain the vitality and rigor of the institution as a place of learning.
Students, alumni, and faculty are united in appreciating the value of Creative Leave, because we share an intimate understanding of the enormous value of “time to work” to an artist. CalArts was founded on the principle of working artists teaching working artists. As artists, we have chosen to build our lives around making art. In our own life schedules, we prioritize the act of artistic creation. The Institute that we comprise should reflect this deeply held value by supporting Creative Leave.
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
May 21, 2012
May 21, 2012
we hit a really meaningful point today and it is wild to see how many people care about this. the momentum is starting to feel real even if the admin is staying quiet for now. thanks for sticking with me while we push for what the faculty actually deserves.
May 18, 2012
we just hit 100 signatures and im honestly pretty stunned. its clear that so many of us care about protecting creative time even when the administration is dropping the ball.
Reached 100 supporters
May 15, 2012
7 Comments
This failure to ensure Creative Leave is an assault on the value that we hold most dear: artistic creation. We respectfully request that Creative Leave be guaranteed to every regular faculty member at CalArts as part of their contract at a rate of one semester every seventh year. - ABSOLUTELY
My teachers are the reason I came here. They need time to work on their own stuff so they have new things to teach us.
KEEP CREATIVE LEAVE. It is literally why calarts is relevant. dont let it die.
Absolute shame that this is even a discussion. pay the faculty their leave.
Its pretty simple. If faculty cant create they get burned out and the students suffer. Stop cutting corners on the vital parts of this school.
please fix this. we need our professors growing as artists, not just stuck in the classroom forever.
I do not believe that one semester every 7 years is good enough, or even ok, for the kind of integral practice that our regular faculty is involved with. We live in a world that is quite different from the world we lived in 7 years ago. With so many faculty at Calarts that need to continue to connect with issues such as practice, technology, and maybe the most important to the student body, connecting with their own and ever changing sources of inspiration, I challenge Calarts to take a deep look into their jargon about artistic practice and importance. The school will grow ever more divided under cuts to Creative Leave, so I plea with the board, find a Development Director who has a long history in Los Angeles. Bring them here. Let them help to fund the work we all do, including the personal work of our Faculty.
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 750 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept iPetitions Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
This failure to ensure Creative Leave is an assault on the value that we hold most dear: artistic creation. We respectfully request that Creative Leave be guaranteed to every regular faculty member at CalArts as part of their contract at a rate of one semester every seventh year. - ABSOLUTELY