three
minute
thesis
abstract
Leatherworking. Stained glass. Bookbinding. Glassblowing. Weaving. Is it art? Is it craft? More significantly… when was it art, or craft, and where is it found today?
In the history of art, we find that the artisan was the progenitor of the artist, and the application and intent of artisanry has changed alongside society on the world timeline. Today, classical skills are often diminished when high art is elevated, and yet there is a persistent resurgence toward traditional practices. The components have changed, as the ready availability of tangible and instructional tools have made some of these “lost arts” accessible to the masses, and the lines between art and craft, expression and function are increasingly blurred. Even blacksmithery, once a derivative of industry, has evolved as an artistically elite craft in select areas of contemporary society. Is there value, therefore, in the inclusion of traditional, artisanal arts in present-day visual arts education?
The answer lies in the discovery of what skills are being taught, and where: in which type of institutions, in which regions of the world; and in finding whether and how they are being taught: by necessity, for artistic expression, toward innovation, or to preserve and maintain cultural tradition.
THE 3-MINUTE THESIS COMPETITION
the background
​Shortly into the second semester of my Art Education master's program at BYU, our professor announced that we would all be participating in the annual 3MT competition at the college level.
​The 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) competition is an academic contest that challenges graduate students to present their thesis research in just three minutes, using only one slide and no props. It was developed by the University of Queensland in Australia to help students improve their communication skills and convey complex research ideas in a concise, engaging way to a non-specialist audience. The competition emphasizes clarity, timing, and the ability to distill a large body of work into an accessible and compelling presentation (Read more about it on the 3MT WEBSITE).
In theory, this was a fantastic assignment, as it really is helpful to be able to explain one's thesis briefly, concisely, and in layman's terms--as people are always asking me "what's your thesis about?" At the time the assignment was given, though, I hadn't even decided on a concise direction for my thesis yet, so this assignment felt both overwhelming and highly undesirable.
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BUT, clearly my professor knew what he was doing :), because the 3MT was exactly what I needed to get myself in gear in regards to choosing a thesis. I'm highly indecisive in general (with a lot of ideas) and a perfectionist (must pick/do the best!), and I wanted to unequivocally select a thesis that I would be passionate about.
So, I brainstormed a giant list of thesis ideas, and a coordinating list of things that I love, and then looked for the common threads. The result? I decided that what I am most passionate about, is CRAFT, and --shocker-- TRAVEL ... and realized that those two things are not mutually exclusive, they could be combined as a thesis line of inquiry. First, in contextualizing my own art practice, I realized that it's the "lost", artisanal arts that are my jam, and that I'm emphatic about their inclusion in art education. And as far as the travel element... where are artisanal arts being taught? In cultures across the globe, as there is an inherent element of heritage and apprenticeship in artisanal craft. So, clearly I would need to travel to trace the preservation of the art of, say, papermaking, and part of my research would be participatory in learning the craft, so that I could take it back to my own classroom... therefore doing an additional part to help in its preservation. Travel grants, here I come.
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SPOILER ALERT: then the COVID pandemic hit, and my thesis had to change. But before that happened...​​​​​​​
SPOILER ALERT TWO:
I WON ROUND ONE
I now had a thesis direction-- and it was titled, "LOST, OR FOUND? THE EVOLUTION AND PRESERVATION OF ARTISANAL ARTS". Whew! That was done, and I was super-excited about my choice. I then spent an inordinate amount of time on the slide that was required for the 3MT competition, and didn't write the actual "3-Minute Thesis" itself until the night before, because that kind of habitude is also very non-allegedly my jam.
BUT LOOK HOW AWESOME MY SLIDE GRAPHIC IS! As my thesis is about the lost arts, I decided to spoof a "missing child" milk carton. I incorporated the "found" element as well, and...it turned out even better than what was originally in my head. Worth the ridiculous amount of hours? Yes. ...But which hours maybe would have been better spent on writing the 3MT text, first? ... Perhaps. But we were limited to 3 minutes to talk, and everyone knows a picture is worth 1,000 words, so.....
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click the images above for more info on the process
On February 26, 2020, I competed with 12 other grad students in BYU's College of Fine Arts and Communications round of the 3MT. Fortunately, late the night before, it all suddenly came to me and I was able to formulate a decent explanation of my thesis, in what I hoped was an engaging way. The one thing that I knew was that it was within the strict three minute time constraint (I'd practiced it numerous times), and that maybe I'd have a slight leg up because, though not required, I'd memorized mine (...I'd practiced it numerous times). I did not expect to win the speech contest (how could we compete with the college of Communications?) and I didn't care-- I was just happy to have fulfilled the assignment. Actually, to be honest, I remember being super bugged the night before, that I had to compete. A lot of "I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS" complaining to myself. But once the ideas started flowing and it came together... I was down. ​​​​
in the car on the way to the competition, practicing
and timing myself over and over. sidebar i don't
normally wear dark lipstick, but it had worked for
my flight attendant tryout, soooo...
And it was so cool hearing about everyone's theses, and admiring how they were cleverly able to portray them within the three minute constraint (it really is such a great tool). Such an impressive group. So imagine my surprise when I won... first place! I'm not being falsely humble. I really was surprised. But also not sad about it, because it came with a sweet cash prize that was very much appreciated re: my grad-student-poor status. And I think my professor was also pleased (if also surprised haha) because it gave the Art Department some cred!! (like I said-- even he said that Communications always wins).
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The next step was the University-level competition... and that one was for the BIG bucks. I definitely had zero delusions of winning that time around--this was a competition of all the first-place winners from the various colleges! and I didn't care. Every non-placing competitor got $250 just for participating! Best pay ever for 3 minutes of work, even if I had to suffer through cottonmouth and a racing heartbeat and shaking limbs (why? why? I can talk in front of a classroom or act onstage, no problem... but in front of a group like this? I get oddly nervous). Wanna watch the cottonmouth for yourself? I never have, but here's the recording of my 3MT presentation/attempt at the University level: YOUTUBE LINK
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Oh and no, I didn't win. But it was an auspicious day nonetheless.
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The University 3MT competition was on March 12, 2020... The Day Everything Changed. The night before, the NBA had suddenly announced the suspension of the season due to the Coronavirus, and that one incident pretty much set everything else in motion, like a huge country-wide domino effect.
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There were a lot of rumors flying around that the University was going to shut down as well-- we were just waiting for the inevitable-- and sure enough... on the morning of March 12, prior to leaving for the competition, I received this email:
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Dear Graduate Students,
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We are excited to host the University 3MT competition today at 11:00 am in the Varsity Theatre. Given the current concerns about CONVID-19 (coronavirus) we have decided that there will NOT be a “People’s Choice” award at this year’s competition. While we welcome your attendance, we do not want anyone in the audience to feel compelled to attend in any way.
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We wish you well as you work towards completing this semester.
Best,
James
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the 3mt, covid, and how this all significantly pertains to my thesis evolution
And when we arrived, there was a lot of disorganization and the competition start time had been delayed... Turned out that all the university bigwigs were in a meeting (auspiciously to determine the fate of BYU that year), and they had to scramble to get new judges.
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It was a strange event and a strange day, as there was this underlying frisson of uncertainty, and no audience for the competition aside from the competitors and a few others. Sure enough-- later that afternoon, while in my drawing class, everyone got the email blast telling us to "go home" ... classes were canceled for the rest of the week and would resume online, so we were encouraged to literally go home-- away from BYU, back to home states, etc.
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those aren't fans in the stands. those are life-size photos of students, so that when the football team played to an empty stadium... there would be some faces in the background
That 3MT competition ended up being (possibly) the last university function on BYU campus before the COVID shutdown. And what resulted-- online classes, inability to travel-- changed not only the face of my graduate studies, but the intended vs. actual projection of my thesis inquiry.