Visual Arts Committee To Begin Conferences

The Committee on Visual Arts will begin a three-day meeting today to continue its discussion and investigation of methods of improving art in the University.

Among the important proposals on which the committee may make a preliminary decision at the meeting is the appointment of an artist in residence and the creation of a studio in Fogg Museum for painting and sculpture.

The committee, whose formation was announced in October, has been meeting fortnightly since its appointment Sept. 8 to discuss the best ways to utilize present facilities for art teaching.

Members of the committee last night stressed, however, that proposals are strictly in the discussion stage and that a final report is "not imminent." No agreements on concrete recommendations have yet been made.

Use of Fogg

Other matters under consideration are how Fogg Museum may best be used by other departments than Fine Arts. At the formation of the committee, it was announced as well that the group would discuss the relation between art teaching and General Education Courses, besides the relation between practice-theory courses and those in art-history.

The committee is headed by former Overseer John Nicholas Brown '22. Its Executive Secretary, who will write the final report, is Lane Faison, Jr., Chairman of the Art Department of Williams College. He said he would begin to write the report in February while on session duty at Williams.

Other Members

Other members of the committee are: Dean Francis Keppel '38 of the Graduate School of Education, Donald Oenalager '23, prominent stage designer who is also on the staff of the Yale School of Drama, Charles Sawyer, Dean of the Division of Art at Yale, Wolfgang Stechow, professor of Art at Oberlin College, George Wald, professor of Biology, and John Walker '30, Chief Curator of the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.

It is not known how the group will work with the new Committee appointed in December to form a liaison between the Department of Fine Arts and the Graduate School. The group has not yet announced formal organization or definite projects, but it is expected the group will discuss joint instruction in the two departments.