Asuf’s PgCert Blog

Recently, I have been thinking about my own experience as a student in art schools in England. This article interested me Coatman, A. (2016) ‘What Next for Art Schools?’, Times Higher Education, March 2016 [Accessed 21 June 2016]. The romanticised arts school of the past is partly true if you take out institutional sexism, male chauvinism and casual misogyny. Coatman explains today, course sizes are much larger than they used to be, which meant “one-to-one tuition and large studio spaces are virtually things of the past. Yet these things were only possible in the first place because just 5 per cent of young people went on to higher education in the 1960s, compared with 45 per cent today. And although grants, in theory, enabled young people from working-class backgrounds to go to art school, the demographic of these institutions was even then predominantly middle and upper class”. Coatman, A. (2016). It had unlimited freedom of expression was a lack of guidance and support. Coatman explains “The “anything-goes” teaching style did not suit everyone, leaving some adrift. Last, but certainly not least, arts faculties were held much less accountable for their actions than they are in 2016 and – going by first-hand accounts – were by no means free from institutional sexism, male chauvinism and casual misogyny”. Where I teach in Glasgow School of Art there are larger-size studios per student, and longer 1-2-1 tutorial times, it gives me a nostalgic feel of the old art school at least the good parts.

I was drawn to one of the suggested readings, Race and the Neoliberal University: Lessons From the Public University, By John Holmwood 2018. This chapter covers the history of Colonialism and to Neoliberalism today, after the 2008 financial crisis and the implementation of Neoliberal policies through all aspects of life and institutions. From education being social right to the personal responsibility of individuals and their families. With huge fees higher education in the last couple of decades have impacted lower-income students, BAME students were impacted disproportionately.

“In this context, the call to ‘decolonise’ the university faces the paradox that the neoliberal university claims to be ‘race-blind’ – indeed, it is typically held to involve competitive processes that would dissolve any ascribed characteristics involving differential treatment.” Holmwood, j. (2018) p.2, . There was a huge push in the last two decades to recruit students from BAME backgrounds because of past advantages associated with the witness of institutions.  but now the Neoliberal universities follow the market-based fees from recruiting overseas students who are from a wealthy background, which fills the ‘diversity’ gap, supported by the argument that this is consistent with a merit-based selection. While domestic students from BAME backgrounds are once again disadvantaged. I teach at two different intuitions and notice the difference, Glasgow School of Art, a Scottish social approach to education, Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) will pay for the first degree for domestic students but see fewer students of colour. Whereas London-based UAL does not have a free high education system, and a decrease in scholarships or funds.

I found the ‘Object-based Learning’ event by Judy Willcocks, Jacqueline Winston-Silk & Georgina Orgill very interesting. Objects are multi-faceted, they aid in understanding complex and abstract ideas. understanding materials and visual cultures. Objects are reflective, they behave as portals between generations and history. I have run a workshop once around personal objects at the Glasgow School of Art and at Camberwell College of Art. I asked students to bring an object that is very important to them. In a workshop setting we share the objects and the storytelling the object carried.

As Judy Willcocks described objects contain aura. As Students enjoyed the session, it was an informal social, collaborative experience, a discussion centred around the object and a gateway into peers’ thoughts, dreams and journeys. This session was beneficial for my art practice. In my work as an artist, I work with an object that has crossed cultural lines through the owner’s migration experience, how objects carry culture and language from another place and time, and this intergenerational transmission of knowledge. This object-led learning makes crosses my art practice learning from students, that is why I led that workshop. I think I will do more of this as it is a shared and two-way learning process. I found it interesting to learn through objects’ tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge, the deciphering of it is very interesting, learning through touching and exploring.

I also found the explanation of around physical sensorial experience of an object and the digital representation of the object; can operate in a limited but useful way.

It was a fun day for our Microteaching sessions, here are some photographs
I manage to take, Sebastian, Smriti and Sarah M.