Due:    February 3, 2015

First:  Read the excerpted chapter from The Artist by Edmund Burke Feldman entitled "The Medieval Guildsman" (posted for you under this assignment in Blackboard).

Second: Write an essay on the guild system of training (typed, double-spaced, 2-3 pages in length) addressing the following questions/issues:

Think about the training and status of Medieval and early Renaissance European artists.  What types of skills were valued?  How long did the average artist train?  What was the purpose of the journeyman stage of an artist’s apprenticeship?  How did this training reflect the demands of the media and techniques used by Renaissance artists?  What do you perceive to be the strengths and weaknesses of this type of educational program?

Describe the power and role of the guilds in early Renaissance times.  What advantages did they hold for artists?  In what ways did they limit artists?  What were the religious, moral, and financial requirements for guild membership?

Compare and contrast these artists’ training with you own degree program.  What types of skills are valued here at MSU?  What kinds of courses are required of you (including general education requirements)?  Is there an apprenticeship type component to your major?  Do you think guild like organizations could be beneficial today in your field?

Who is/was excluded from each educational system?  What definition of an artist is/was favored by each type of educational system?  How do you think this might impact the art produced (ie. How might the guild system and/or the university system define what art can be?)