DISTANCE-LEARNING DEVELOPMENT
by Lanier Graham

Education Director, Institute for Aesthetic Development

1966-68 Project Associate, Computer Project, Museum of Modern Art, New York. Member of the planning team that designed the program goals and software specifications for America's first multi-museum database. This database was used first by curators & registrars, and then by students & interns at MOMA's International Study Center. This database was a national model for many years. Project Director: David Vance, MOMA Registrar.

1968-69 Project Advisor to WNET-TV, New York, for "MUSEUM MINUTES from THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART" Pilot segments were made, but a regular program was not developed.

1969 Project Associate to PBS -TV for "Design in the Year 2000" featuring segments with Buckminster Fuller, Lanier Graham, Les Levine, et al.

1969-70 Project Advisor to Time-Life for the developing distance learning dimensions of "CIVILISATION" by Kenneth Clark (study guide & regional follow-on shows). This was the primary home-learning Art History series for 20 years, until the Annenberg-PBS series. Clark was the Director of the National Gallery, London.

1973-74 Project Advisor to the National Endowment for the Humanities, for "BICENTENNIAL MINUTES" (showing what can be "taught" in one minute). Concept developed by IAD, in conversation with John D. Rockefeller 3rd, with whom a series of Bicentennial projects were planned and developed by Graham & associates between 1971 & 1976, including the exhibition of Rockefeller collection at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, to which the collection was later donated. The exhibition catalogue was edited by Graham.

1974-75 Project Advisor to the National Endowment for the Humanities, & the for Norton Simon Foundation, for how to create an educational Think Tank focused on the R&D of future learning systems so complex they can only be designed by interdisciplinary teams. The result was the creation of the Institute for Aesthetic Development as that Think Tank.

1974-76 Project Director, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "Teaching American Art History with the collection of Mr. & Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd." All universities in northern California were invited to participate in a program using the most important private collection in the United States during its opening exhibition in San Francisco. The program included visits to the museum, and videotapes of a series of seminars organized by a distinguished group of Americanists under the direction of Professor Wanda Corn, Stanford University.

1975-76 Project Director (Producer/Director/Narrator) for a 30-second PSA: "THE ROCKEFELLER COLLECTION OF AMERICAN ART". This was the first Art Museum PSA, the format of which was later adopted as a national model by the Art Museum Directors of America, and soon became common practice. Funded by IAD.

1976 Project Consultant to KQED-TV, San Francisco, on a planning study for 10-part series to be called LIVING RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD (Producer: Susan Garfield). Not developed, because THE LONG SEARCH came out from the BBC and no other plan could be funded.

1977-78 Co-Project Director. Consultant to KQED-TV, San Francisco on a planning study for creating a weekly, 30-minute "magazine" - "THE MUSEUM MAGAZINE". Part of the concept later developed into "ART NOTES", a new national model for cultural news. Planning funded by IAD with a grant from Gerbode Foundation.

1977-78 Project Director, Norton Simon Foundation: "Distance Learning for the 21st Century" - WORLD ART & CULTURE. Phase One", a series of planning studies for creating cable-TV & video courses that would go beyond the current A.A. level of programming to the B.A. level. Concept later developed by PBS & the Annenberg Foundation. Planning funded by IAD.

1978Project Supervisor, "The Inflatable Classroom" - a pilot project to test the influence of a special learning environment for handicapped children to use self-activated distance learning media. Funded by IAD with a grant from the San Francisco Foundation.

1979-82 Project Director, Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Masterplan for Headlands Center for the Arts with local & distance learning. HCA is now a national model for Artist-in-Residence programs and is funded by the NEA, MacArthur Foundation, Marin Trust, et al. Planning funded by IAD with a grant from San Francisco Foundation and contracts with the GGNRA, National Park Service.

1983-87 Distance Learning Project Advisor, Australian National Gallery. Regular evaluations of evolving technology for word-image linkage by means of computers, CD-ROMS, & laser disks, and purchasing options. Taught workshops on how to use the Internet for research & headed the committee that wrote the software specifications for the museum's art database to be a management tool & a teaching aide for museum visitors and students around the world.

1987-88 Project Advisor to PBS for the PBS-Annenberg series "ART OF THE WESTERN WORLD" & "ART OF THE EASTERN WORLD". (Producer: Perry Miller Adato). The first series was developed, and remains the world standard. The 2nd series, for which IAD designed a national advisory committee, at Adato's request, was not developed.

1988-90 Project Director (Producer/Director/Narrator) of PSAs (TV & radio) for Norton Simon Museum. Regular air-time on TV & radio.

1987-91 Project Director, Norton Simon Foundation, "Distance Learning for the 21st Century - WORLD ART & CULTURE, Phase Two", a series of planning studies to go beyond the PBS-Annenberg series with CD- ROM & Internet courses at the B.A. & M.A. level. The project included a systematic analysis of all art-based programs being aired by distance learning channels, as well as individual videotapes, CD-ROMs, & laser disks being produced in North America & Europe. The planning was supervised by Mr. Simon, and the courses were to be funded by Mr. Simon either in collaboration with an existing cable network, or by creating a new cable network. The project died when he died.

1989-91 Planning Advisor to Home Vision, Chicago, for "portraits" of artists. Their 30-minute & 60-minute videos are the best biographies of their kind, e.g., Bonnard, Cassatt, Degas, Delacroix, Magritte, Miro. IAD's planning study was a review of the positive & negative aspects of all biographies done to date, comparisons with the best parallel work being produced in Europe, and recommendations for both future videos and linkage with one or more cable-TV networks.

1990-91 Planning Advisor to "Arts & Entertainment" cable-TV for their early morning "classroom". A&E used the program designed by IAD (with Home Vision material) as their first pilot program, and then A&E began creating their own programs on art & archeology. Those programs are so good that A&E now has their own retail outlets.

1992 Project Director. Planning study for Degas exhibition & publications (printed & electronic). Funded by the J. Paul Getty Museum & IAD.

1993-94 Project Associate, California State University, Hayward, for distance learning from Art Department. R&D for live TV & CD-ROMs. Conclusions: 1) Live TV is good for some things but not art classes, as the resolution is not yet good enough; 2) CD-ROMs should be made, but they are not as interactive as one might wish; 3) The future seems to be with teaching over the World Wide Web, perhaps in combination with CD-ROMs.

1995-- Project Associate, Humboldt State University, Arcata, for distance learning from the Religious Studies Department & Ethnic Studies Department. R&D for Internet courses, CD-ROMS, & other WWW possibilities for all faculty to be able to use on campus & over the Net.

1996 Producer/Director/Narrator, "Goddesses in World Mythology - the Internet Course", an asynchronous Extended Education 3-unit course developed in association with the Religious Studies Department, HSU; & the Courseware Development Center, HSU. Funded mostly by IAD.