Art School – Location – Agency
Henri Lefebrve predicted that the future of art is urban. Stuart Hall summed up postmodernism as ‘modernism in the streets’. The arts and the city seem to go hand in hand. The city has become established as the site of art, its production, distribution, acquisition and consumption, indeed a key framework of reference. In the 20th century, the metropolitan environments of New York, London, Berlin or Shanghai were considered to be the site of the most dynamic cultural exchanges, the home of cultural industries alongside economic focus and growth. The global, incessant and accelerated shift of populations from rural to urban areas which has led to the emergence of super cities like Mexico City, Tokyo, Delhi, or the megapolis of the Pearl Delta River crystalizes the growing importance of urban spaces for the creative economy. Urbanisation has shaped mainstream arts education from the founding of Royal Academies and their Schools based on the models of the Ancient Athens to the Schools of Design situated in the large manufacturing city centres of the UK.
Where does this leave the regions, its university campuses, art schools and other creative and education communities?
The 2016 CHEAD conference explored a contributing set of visions concerning the dynamic of the art schools in the regions including:
- The regional universities including their art schools are often the biggest employer in the area. They are based on large and thriving campuses that have seen substantial investment in buildings and facilities over the last decade. They are networked in to the cultural establishment and local movers and shakers, The Arts School in the smaller cities and towns supports its graduates who stay locally and the communities of practitioners they form. It has a real impact on the economic wealth, social well-being and cultural activities of the locale.
- The on-line arts communities share ideas and operate as digital entrepreneurs in cyberspace. Non-profit platforms such as the Creative Commons and social networks enable the sharing and use of creativity and
- knowledge across the globe. How does this affect the work and agency of regional art schools?
The conference programme can be found here: Conference programme
Presentation downloads:
Wednesday 16th March: Agents of Change: Creative and Cultural Ecologies
Stephen Perkins, Herman Miller: Good design isn’t just good business, it’s a moral obligation
Claire Doherty MBE, Situations: The New Rules of Public Art
Simon Morrissey, Foreground: Middle of Nowhere, Centre of Everywhere
Dr Gillian Youngs, Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design, University of Westminster: Internet of Place: Innovation in the data-rich experiential economy. Link to short film: http://ow.ly/ZOBbT
Kate Brindley, Arnolfini: The tripartite relationship between a City and its people, Artists and Higher Education
Alison Bevan, RWA (Bristol) and Happy Museums Project: The serious benefits of happiness
Rosemary Harden, Fashion Museum Bath: Fashion Museum 2023
Gary Sangster, Arts Catalyst: 10 Observations on the trajectory of museums drawn from museum experience in USA and Australia and research into museum programming and architecture at the University of New South Wales
Thursday 17th March: Agents of Change: Art Schools and Universities
Michael Marra, Design in Action: Dundee: A city of designs
Dr Kayla Rose, Bristol & Bath By Design & Dr Graham McLaren, Bath School of Art and Design: Co-Creating Value: The Dynamic Design Ecology of the Bath and Bristol Region Presentation
Dr George Windsor: NESTA: Full STEAM Ahead: The future of Creative and Digital Skills in the UK
Links to data visualisations:
Full Steam Ahead
Top 30 Skills Chart
NESTA Reports:
Creativity vs Robots
Where do the creatives cluster?
Sir John Sorrell CBE: Sir John Sorrell CBE
Link to Creative Journeys film: http://creativejourneyuk.org/
Professor Neil Mulholland, The University of Edinburgh: „DER FACHIDIOT?” : The Paratechnic in the Monotechnic
Friday 18th March: Agents of Change: Artists, Designers, Makers
Professor Gavin Turk, Bath School of Art and Design: Learning Art
Professor Simeon Nelson, University of Hertfordshire: Space Wars, Dislocation, Dissociation and Relocation
S Mark Gubb, Artist, The University of Worcester: If You Build It, They Will Come
Rabab Ghazoul, Artist: Rabab Ghazoul presentation
Delegates who attended the conference can leave feedback via: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/X33K23W
