Page 24 - Studio International - October 1970

Some concerns in letter and the consequent problems that will May 1969 may not have been clear to the
arise in the future. The following is extracted
NCDAD, as we feel now that the implications
fine-art education from this letter. may not have been clear-cut to staff concerned.
`I write in reference to our meeting at this But no matter what the 'finished product', Art
office yesterday when you sought clarification of Theory was seen akin to Studio Work and not to
my Council's views on matters concerned with Complementary Studies.
the Quinquennial Review in May 1969 of the Despite continual encouragement from
then Coventry College of Art.... members of staff and assurances on a contractual
`In accordance with recognized procedure a level, which will be referred to later, now, at the
consultative meeting with representatives of the start of our final year, after two years of
college and the local authority was held on following a course, a number of students find
25 June 1969, when attention was drawn to the that their chances of passing the Dip AD are in
doubts expressed by the Visiting Board, fully jeopardy. (It must be mentioned that the
shared and endorsed by the Council, concerning following of the course was not uncritical, as the
the lack of balance in the proposed modifications very essence of the course was to be constantly
to the programme of study in the Fine Art area, critical.) The argument for Art Theory being
and a note of caution was added with a view to the main area of study and assessment is both
avoiding what could be a distortion of emphasis contractual and ideological. However, the
in the programme. NCDAD, we feel, must be sympathetic toward
`In other words the Council considered that the contractual standpoint, without necessarily
a proper balance should be maintained between agreeing with an argument based on a
studio work and complementary studies and that metaphysic. We feel, nevertheless, that the
in any integration of the two such as was ideological grounds are all the more important as
proposed there should be no subordination of their implication is to prescribe for future
the former to the latter. courses to be sanctioned by the NCDAD.
`There is no doubt whatever that the Board There are arguments against the notion that
and the Council used the term "studio work" in students could not present wholly written work—
its commonly accepted meaning, that is to say i.e. the products of Art Theory—as their main
the production of tangible visual art objects. body of work :
This is confirmed by the terms in which 1. The previous Dean of the Faculty, Mr Hoch,
reapproval was expressed, including, it should had said as early as December 1970 that he was
be noted, specific reference to Painting and concerned that, for a high proportion of students,
Sculpture as chief studies. The Council at no the award of the Dip AD was in jeopardy; yet
time had in mind any deviation from the basic '... Students could present themselves for
principle of chief studies in those terms. diploma assessment in terms of conceptual art
`I hope this information will serve to make provided the amount of work and its quality was
my Council's position quite clear.' sufficient'. Earlier he had said that he 'was not
There appears to be a misunderstanding by satisfied students' interests were safeguarded';
the NCDAD over a balance between studio he wished `to make quite clear that there was no
work and complementary studies. That is, the question of preventing either Painting or
Art Theory course1 in the Dip AD at Coventry Sculpture'. Also, paradoxically, he was
College of Art was thought to be of the same concerned that there should not be 'a large
character as, say, an Art History course. Maybe number of Dip AD failures on the part of
this was precipitated by a similarity in students who were selected for the course but
intellectual status between Art History and who did not develop in that direction'.
Art Theory, but certainly on the grounds of (Minutes of the Fine Art Department Course
much recent art this classification is not Committee meeting, 9 December 1970.)
warranted. A point is that the way something 2. At the close of the last academic year, Mr
can be seen to be taking part in a practice is that Plummer had intimated in frank terms to us
it is either an accepted paradigm case or that it (with the President of the Students' Union of
is 'following' a paradigm case. These two the Polytechnic present) that we had been, in
contingencies are the simple reasons for seeing following this present course, 'sold a lemon'. He
things to be in a practice (thus the emphasis on expanded this by saying that a Dip AD in Fine
paradigms). The Quinquennial Review of May Art was 'not about' or 'not concerned' or 'in
1969, which accepted with reservations the disagreement with' what had been proposed in
course proposed by the Department of Fine Art, May 1969 and concretely begun in practice in
may have misapprehended the importance of an October 1969. We only have to refer to the
Art Theory part of the course, for they would NCDAD's Memorandum No. z to point out Mr
have considered Painting and Sculpture as taking Plummer's error in hiding behind some sort of
I up the majority of the students' working time. As vaunted prescription of what a course should be.
On 29 July the Chief Officer of the NCDAD, the course proposals were promulgated—that is, The NCDAD do not hold that responsibility.
Mr E. E. Pullée, wrote to Sir Alan Richmond, came into existence—Art Theory was not We have been led to believe by individuals
Director of the Lanchester Polytechnic, regarded as a minor part in the work of a concerned with assessment that the NCDAD
Coventry. A copy of this letter was passed to us painting or sculpture student; rather, as will be encourages diversification of interests from
by Mr R. Plummer, Dean of the Faculty of Art shown later, Painting would be seen as an department to department of various colleges.
and Design. What we feel ought to be made alternative to following the Art Theory course. This liberalism, or pluralism, appears to be
public is the history of events that led up to this The aspirations of the course as envisaged in orthodox policy of the NCDAD, from their
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