On reading the a-n report, The lay of the land: current approaches to professional practice in the visual and applied arts BA courses, I was struck by a number of recurring themes in the development of our subject (discipline or field) in the UK.Firstly, the notion that fine art is frequently perceived as a form of philosophical, intellectual activity unsullied by commercial concerns, other than when exhibiting works to informed audiences. (This perception of elite introspection is formed from anecdotal public feedback associated with my own personal research). Secondly, the idea that the applied arts are primarily a vocationally relevant alternative with its own concerns, different from reflective studio practice.While neither is necessarily true, the generalization is persistent, despite the evidence to the contrary (demographic and academic backgrounds of students / employment destinations of graduates). These distinctions in creative practice have led to many problems in the past decades and have, in more recent years, resulted in ‘design’ and ‘craft’ being appropriated in secondary schools by the more technologically biased curriculum.Historically, as indicated in the a-n report by Jim Hunter from Arts University Bournemouth, “if you go back 125 years we had art schools in every provincial town in England to promote good design in support of local industry”. Hunter appears to be relaxed – as I am – about the term ‘vocational’, but there are dangers in pursuing, unquestioningly, the pressures of the current political administration and its motives.As a point of detail, the 19th century regional schools were ‘design schools’ not ‘art schools’, and the applied arts dominated the agenda. These regional design schools later became art schools, but their purpose was to champion the aspiration to educate the masses in the refinement of design production, craftsmanship and the appreciating of finer things. Studio activity, more associated with fine art practice, was principally considered a means towards that end rather than an end in itself. Fine art, in this context, remained the preserve of the few – the pursuit of excellence was driven by personal ambition, affordability and rigorous national standards of draughtsmanship.Parameters of practiceInterestingly, the focus of the a-n report had something of a familiar ring, as its intention was to interrogate what was happening to the content of BA courses in a period of increasing accountability and a quantitative agenda. Certainly since the late 1960s we can trace the polarisation of ‘fine art’ and the ‘applied arts’, where the parameters of practice were refined to separate rather than unify these creative endeavours.Having personal experience as a fine art student and a ceramicist, I can recall something of this ideology of purism (the elite position), where anything other than personal practice was anathema and postgraduate teacher training was an indication of failure rather than a worthy destination. Employability throughout the 1970s was regarded as an unfortunate necessity rather than an indicator of success. Perversely, a ‘vocational’ interest was regarded by BA fine art staff as the domain of the less ambitious.The report made clear that the economic climate and political priorities had significantly changed in the last decade and that the survival plan for the ‘subject’ (discipline or field) required strategic planning. As a snapshot, the report’s findings indicated the need for significant developments and a change of emphasis. The creation of new opportunities and new thinking was considered necessary to ensure the continuity of recruitment to BA courses, but this is only part of the story.Progression through the educational system is presently undermined by the disappearance of subject guidance/ training provision in primary schools, reduced specialist staffing levels in secondary schools and a drastic cut in postgraduate teacher training. This combination will undoubtedly impact on undergraduate provision and it is now more crucially important to form those arguments about what we do and why.The threats are seriously different to those of the past and we need to get better at extending awareness of BA course content and how transferable skills, especially divergent thinking, contribute to largely unpredictable and sometimes dynamic career routes. In whatever form (‘embedded’, ‘named’), we need to demonstrate coverage of vocationally relevant content. Regional initiatives have considerable value as supportive networks and promote this ‘value-driven, localised and geographically-spead arts ecology.’Vocational placementsIn the context of vocational placements, I make a modest contribution to the BA Fine Art programme at Staffordshire University. Coordinating a module that gives students self-directed access to off-site placements, it provides an opportunity to sample and test possible career options. Under a working title of Self-Initiated Creative Arts Project (SICAP), students identify a placement, write a proposal, negotiate a contribution and adopt a professional role in communicating developments to often non-art audiences.Support is offered through lectures, seminars and most importantly virtual tutoring, using and developing information and communication technology (ICT). Now in its seventh year, an evaluation report was produced in 2008 and it is currently in the process of being further incorporated into the general course provision. These placements are offered as an optional module with assessment credits. (Some related material, including extracts of the 2008 report, is available on a personal website at www.wholearthmedia.com.)It would seem that what drives successive generations of undergraduate applicants to study art, design and craft disciplines is, encouragingly, a passion and enthusiasm. Motivated students invariably exhibit an interest in refining skills, broadening knowledge and seeking further developments in personal understanding and its application. They appear to see the potential benefits and risks in studying art/ design/ media/ craft, and most regard the rise in tuition fees as a major issue.Student hardship, however, is nothing new and today’s cohorts are going through the process of adjustment to accommodate the financial commitments that include the delayed debt and repayment over what is still referred to as a career lifetime. The perception of student success is largely dependent on the institution and how staff interpret the range of outcomes. Clearly, the diversity of destinations that graduates need to explore requires access and opportunity in order to fulfil a rewarding contribution to the wider community.As a footnote in the Lay of the land report, it was stated that ‘Fine art practice is less commonly associated with “vocational study” and “career path”, more an emphasis on ‘challenging,questioning experience rather than vocational training’. This is poignant as the challenge for all of us is to demonstrate support for what makes sense, while preserving a questioning approach to the status quo and the prevailing orthodoxy.The Lay of the Land: current approaches to professional practice in visual and applied arts BA courses is a subscriber-only resource. Login for members or buy a trial subscription: JoinMore on a-n.co.uk:a-n Degree Shows Guide 2013 – 44-page guide to this year’s degree shows, including an essay by Tom Morton, interviews with art professionals and degree show listings.Transition and Progression in Fine Art Education and Research – report from 2009 PARADOX conference, Palermo, Italy.Where the education takes place – Sarah Rowles’ article examining how conversation and discussion can be considered an education in contemporary art.Alternative art schools – research into the context of contemporary artworld preoccupations and cultural movements.
Flying a flag: the intrinsic value of study in the visual and applied arts
As the degree show season gets into full swing, Professor Tom Davies from Staffordshire University responds to a-n's recent report on approaches to professional practice in visual and applied arts courses.
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