Page 26 - Studio International - October 1970

2 inevitable— would remove the fine-art There is no evidence to show that either review
In the broad context of fine-art education in departments from under the 'protection' of body or external assessors have ever been
Britain now and in the context of the letter the NCDAD and create an anomalous situation impelled by objective criteria to regulate the
printed here there seem to be three main areas between these departments and the autonomous interpretation of 'fine art' current within any
for concern. colleges of art. There is little comfort to be individual department. We now have a situation
1. Within the polytechnics the fine-art courses drawn from the results of speculation about how where (a) a precedent has been set
are likely to become increasingly subject to such an anomaly might be sorted out. There administratively for an implicit equation
criteria of administrability of a kind applied by is some reason to believe that one end envisaged between the practice and study of 'fine art' and
the polytechnicians to courses of a more easily for fine-art departments might be the the 'production of tangible visual art objects'3
circumscribed nature. While the National production of 'teachers' of `visual' intelligence% in terms of notions of 'work', and where (b)
Council for Diplomas in Art and Design (the (The Dean of one Faculty of Art and Design is —for better or for worse—some teachers and
`Summerson Committee') is able to maintain quoted as saying that 'Art colleges do not some students feel justified by other precedents
both its essentially liberal attitude and its power provide vocational courses for fine artists'.) (or by conviction) in interpreting 'the practice
as the final administrator of Dip AD awards, the 2. Following their own normative practices and study of fine art' according to a more
art departments have still some minimal —and perhaps with a mind to the events of heuristically-based notion of 'work'. The
safeguard; or they would have if they could learn 1968 —the polytechnic administrators tend to adherence in all but a few schools to a belief in
how to use it. But there are signs that the liberal favour permanent staff over part-timers; the theoretical autonomy of 'painting' and
principles enshrined in the NCDAD documents' effectively this has tended to mean that time `sculpture'4 complicates matters further,
are not necessarily effective in practice. Despite and money previously allocated for casual and militating as it does —through emphasis on
their expressed aim to give colleges maximum part-time appointments is used to establish demarcations in 'practice' — against the
confidence in the opportunities open to them to `permanent' posts, sometimes divided between consideration and understanding of the 'theory
develop and administer their own various two or even three lecturers. If only as a factor of art' in general. Within the attitude towards
courses, the NCDAD and the NACAE of administrability, this tends to militate art education which now seems to be gaining
(National Advisory Council on Art Education— against the kind of flexibility in staffing from prevalence it is unlikely that the dichotomy
the 'Coldstream Committee') seem on the which art schools, part-time lecturers and can be resolved advantageously. The fine-art
evidence to have been most typically resorted to visiting artists have all benefited substantially departments are the last places where one would
by principals wishing to bring outside authority in the recent past. It is, of course, also likely to have expected—or wished—to re-counter the
to measures of curtailment. ensure that the kind of autonomous development old pseudo-antagonism between 'mental' and
The document signed by the Chief Officer of of courses favoured by the NACAE and `manual' workers. q
the NCDAD which is quoted above was sent NCDAD will take place only insofar as it can CHARLES HARRISON
while the various panels of the NCDAD were be made subject to overall control and scrutiny
in fact disbanded pending reformulation. There by administrations evolved to deal with more
is some evidence to suggest that the Council—as `technical' subjects. The association of 'studio
constituted in 1969 and until the middle of this work' with 'sweat-of-one's-brow' types of
year —might at least not have been unanimous in activity is, in this context, a sign of real danger
defining 'studio work' as 'the production of for the future of art education and for the
1For instance the Memorandum No. 2: Procedures for
tangible visual art objects'. It is of course now prospects of future part-time employment for a Assessment and the Appointment of External Assessors
too late to put this particular matter to the test; wide range of artists in need of precisely such for the award of the Diploma in Art and Design, and the
but where judgments of this nature are employment. There has always been trouble, at Second Report of the National Council for Diplomas in
Art and Design (the 'Second Summerson Report').
represented to students as final decisions in worst, and apathy at best in fine-art NCDAD documents are available from 16 Park
matters of concern, one would wish to be very departments where the balance has become too Crescent, London WIN 4DN. It is to every student's
certain that no element of interpretation was strong in favour of permanent staff who have advantage to study them. NACAE documents (the
allowed to enter in at the moment when the tended to abandon their profession as artists `Coldstream Reports' etc.) are available from HMSO.
The NCDAD is subsidiary to the NACAE in that its
professional administration relayed the for a profession in art schools; in the past such raison d'être is to administer, as an independent body,
pronouncements of those it serves. It would be situations could always be partly offset by the the Diploma which was proposed by the NACAE as a
sad, if not entirely surprising, if the laissez- casual visits of practising artists. Such visits replacement for the old NDD.
2 See Memorandum No. 2. In principle, the external
faire benevolence of the NCDAD and the are bound to become—at the very least—harder assessors are there 'to bring independent professional
NACAE were to be used to undermine those to arrange. experience and judgment to the final assessment, and
very principles which they have attempted to The tendency to divert 'research work' to act as moderators on the level of awards'. In
practice, the wide divergence in student work
make implicit in art education. The second away from the polytechnics towards technical frequently makes nonsense of the appointed assessor's
Coldstream Report aroused some misgivings on universities is another factor to be born in `professional experience', and this can lead to
this score. Liberal principles in an area largely mind in this context. There is a buried unbalanced assessments. It is in fact the express duty
controlled by government expenditure are implication that, so far as fine-art departments of the external assessors 'to acquaint themselves with
the details and aim of the specific Dip AD course...
worth only as much as the arguments which can are concerned, no equation between 'art' and and to raise any questions before assessment and
be mounted in their defence. In this respect the `research' (or 'theory') will be capable of moderation take place'. Furthermore, the college or
department administration can at its own discretion
guardians of liberal art education in Britain are validation educationally within the polytechnic suggest and (if they are approved by the NCDAD)
toothless. framework; i.e., so far as 'art' is concerned, invite appropriate assessors for particular courses or
As more fine-art courses come under the `research' is not 'work'. even students. This discretion can, of course, be used
administration of polytechnics, it seems likely 3. (Following from I and 2.) The NCDAD with intent. The NCDAD publishes a list of approved
assessors in the various areas, which may make
that the authority of the NCDAD —as a council documents suggest that virtually any course of amusing reading for some. The revised list of
—will be increasingly undermined. At the close work in fine art will be acceptable so long as the January 1970 is at present subject to revision.
of the last academic year the Committee of individual college or department can substantiate 'It is hard to imagine that that phrase came
spontaneously from the pen of the Chief Officer of the
Polytechnic Directors held a meeting at which relevant criteria of evaluation. The Summerson NCDAD. It would be interesting to know where it
they expressed their desire for a charter for quinquennial review body surveys individual originated.
polytechnics under which they could award courses and the Council's approved external "Despite the recommendations made in recent
Coldstream and Summerson reports that ease of
their own qualifications within five years. Such assessors serve to moderate in the final transition from one area to another should be
a development—which some observers see as assessment of students' work on the courses.2 safeguarded.

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