Rethinking art education: The art school theory teacher as an executive producer

A major part of the work of most aestheticians consists of teaching. One part of teaching is supervision. As an art school and/or university theory teacher, I also in some sense co-design the student’s graduate work, as I take part in such a fundamental way in the building of the theses. Students on a thesis level are less ‘ready’ for the job in art schools than in science universities. The supervisor becomes a living library providing ideas, concepts and materials during the process. Can we think of this work as something analogous to the work of ‘executive producers’? Executive producers are central in rap music, where they in some extreme cases practically produce nearly everything except for the rap. I take the analogy as a reflective mirror for my inquiry. I hope to produce some central questions needed for a further study of theoretical supervision in art schools and/or universities.