Field Notes

Ideas on creative growth, education, and helping students find their own direction.

Essays by Massimo Pacchione on how students learn, what nurtures creativity, and the choices families face along the way. These reflections offer a window into the thinking behind Vision Field’s mentoring, art instruction, and approach to college admissions.

Vision Field 1/17/24 Vision Field 1/17/24

Art In Schools: More is Not Always Better

A response to the notion that more support for visual thinkers is always a good thing.

Vision Field 2/8/23 Vision Field 2/8/23

Drawing and Teaching: How the Visual Arts are Outdating Themselves in Schools

When we speak about the visual arts to the non-arts inclined, the conversation very quickly turns to a conversation about “ability.” Why are the arts pigeonholed into a one-dimensional expression, and how are schools supporting this ancient narrative?

Vision Field 10/28/21 Vision Field 10/28/21

Before applying to a college art program, read this.

Questions and advice for students applying to undergraduate or graduate school arts programs.

Vision Field 10/21/21 Vision Field 10/21/21

Art Schools vs. Traditional Universities: Where do you fit in?

Vision Field 9/28/21 Vision Field 9/28/21

How to parent an artistic child (especially when you aren’t an artist)