Page 20 - Studio International - November 1971

Some concerns in our view of its potential value'. must disappear, and 'in addition to the present
A more detailed criticism follows which
assumption of a mono-vocational/professional
fine-art deals with each stage of the current hierarchical art education there would need to be introduced
structure of art education : a series of inter-disciplinary courses including
education II conventional refresher/re-training short and
Dip AD medium term courses'. Also, the assumption
That Dip AD should be considered an upper that the majority of further education occurs
tier of art education is, in the view of the NUS, exclusively for the 16/21 age group must be
largely responsible for the shortcomings of the removed. The courses themselves would
system. become part of a 'more sophisticated system,
student-oriented and therefore information
It is at this point that the topic of Fine Art is based'. These proposals are long-term;
introduced. It is dealt with minimally, with a however, colleges should begin by directing
regret that NACAE4 placed undue emphasis on courses towards inter-departmental federations,
it, 'precipitating a situation in which, for every and start to form exchanges with other art
student studying in one of the three Design colleges geographically related, and with
areas, there is, by intention, a Fine Art Student'. technical colleges or polytechnics so as to
I (This topic, in relation to the articles in the introduce the wider range of expertise necessary
The Policy Statement on Art/Design October issue of Studio International, surely for future developments.
Education, recently published by the National requires a more informed discussion.) The appendix to the document, which is
Union of Students, marks the initial stage of a mainly the work of staff and students at Ealing
proposed rethink on the subject of higher Vocational Courses School of Art, provides a more detailed outline
education in Britain. It was proposed by NACAE and NCDAD5 of the type of course envisaged. The initial
Bearing in mind the emphasis placed on that vocational courses should disappear. stages of the course would be project-based,
reforms in this area since the 1968 disturbances, However, despite the pressures for Dip AD and as the students' knowledge of the various
it is not surprising that the NUS has made art recognition, several colleges have pioneered media increased and they achieved sufficient
and design the subject of their first statement. courses impossible under the structure of Dip self-reliance, the projects would be replaced
By its nature, this field has been the catalyst for AD. Information on vocational courses is not by a tutorial system. At all times the course
further education reforms to which the NUS widely available to pre-dip students, who are would be student-oriented and its direction
has responded. encouraged to apply for Diploma places dictated by the development of the individual
The statement, however, is not the work of an regardless of suitability. student.
esoteric group of art students, but reflects the Assessments would be continuous, and made
views of students in this country as a whole. Foundation Courses jointly by both staff and students, the main
The document was produced by the NUS Art The foundation courses do not fulfil their stated criteria being that the students have gained
Colleges Advisory Panel,' based on motions function under the present structure, partly from their study, rather than the production of
carried at the 1970 April Conference at due to the pressure of gaining Dip AD places, objects. The assessment should be a `two-way
Bradford University,2 and intended as a and because of their limited resources it is process in which staff performance and the
development of NUS evidence to the impossible for students to make an informed course are also evaluated'.
Coldstream Committee of 1968. choice of the area in which they are to continue Continually, throughout the document there
Initially, it is important to understand the their studies. are references to the social objectives of art and
NUS proposals for higher education as a whole, design education, and the function it will have
which provide for greater flexibility-nationally, Post Diploma in future society. The points raised range from
economically, constitutionally, and In post diploma education the main difficulty the dramatic drop in evening class students to
educationally. 'Polyversities' are proposed is in the availability of places. In 1968-9 there the part art education should play in providing
which would relate to other forms of higher were 6.4 per cent places for art education to the `institutions able to encourage social and cultural
education in the same way that the relative figure of 19.4 per cent in universities. innovation'.
comprehensive system was intended to relate A further difficulty is the apparent monopoly In the context of the statement such points
to existing forms of secondary education. of the 'Big Three', the Royal College of Art, tend to read as a justification for the development
Within these comprehensive centres of the Royal Academy Schools, and the Slade. of art education. Such comments as these
higher learning the student would be able to The formation of the one-year Post Dip courses would not appear as predominant if this
choose from a greater number of diversified had not managed to balance their influence. document had been produced by art students
courses than is possible in the present structure, for themselves. However, it is in an evaluation
so that non-specialization, and retraining in Teacher Education of these points that the value of this policy
both related and non-related subjects, would The lack of information relating to ATC6 statement lies. q
be fostered. The constitution of these courses available to Dip AD students means that LINDA MORRIS
Polyversities' would involve a much greater many students have no detailed conception of
degree of student and community representation the courses for which they are applying. The
'The National Union of Students (NUS) Art
than within the current structure. relation between art teacher training college Colleges Advisory Panel has nine regional members,
It is within this envisaged structure that the courses and art colleges also needs to be all art students. However the executive member at the
NUS criticize art and design education and completely rethought. time this document was produced, Digby Jacks, is an
ex-science student, full-time member of NUS.
propose future developments. The critique In the conclusion to this section of the report 'April conference minutes and summary of
begins with evidence of the curtailed growth of it is stated that 'under the present system proceedings available from the NUS, 3 Endsleigh

art education in relation to higher education artefacts and designs are produced, rather than Street, WCi.
'Motion 24, p 15S
as a whole. This relates directly to the motion artists and designers, or, as we would have it, 4 NACAE : National Advisory Council for Art
carried at Bradford3 that 'art education should artist/designer'. Education (Coldstream Committee).
be radically increased, or at very least, that art The main proposal of the NUS is that the 5NCDAD : National Council for Diplomas in Art and
Design (Summerson Council).
education should expand at a rate which reflects traditional barrier between the departments 6 Art Teachers Certificate.