Francine Norris, the Director of Education at West Dean College,
warns that a lack of investment and focus in the arts and crafts
subjects has worrying consequences…
Every morning when I arrive at West Dean College I walk
through workshops bustling with people making things. Furniture,
books, jewellery, stained glass, baskets, automata, textiles. Seven
thousand students pass through our workshops each year, some
spending a few days as a holiday, some gaining a masters' degree
and going on to work professionally. What they share is that they
understand the joy of interacting with materials, of the process
and not just the result, and of making their mark on the three
dimensional world. There is a broad mix of people here, all ages
and all backgrounds, from young artists and trainee conservators,
many supported by our bursary scheme, to mid-career changers and
some people, who simply find a sense of purpose and meaning through
making.
The one thing all of these people have in common is that they
were introduced to making skills when they were at school. I
realise that this is now changing, and that it will become
increasingly rare in future for people to have this opportunity.
The
English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) does not include arts subjects
and as this is the main performance measure for schools it is not
surprising that participation has decreased as both schools and
parents focus on the qualifications that 'count'.
One recent study found that the number of arts GCSEs studied by
children had fallen by 14 per cent since the EBacc was introduced
in 2010. In February a comprehensive Crafts Council research report
specifically into craft education showed participation in
craft-related design and technology GCSEs fell by 19 per cent
between 2007/08 and 2010/11. Participation fell across all
subjects, but most dramatically in graphic products (29 per cent)
and resistant materials technology (26 per cent) - two significant
areas for future craft and conservation practitioners.
Increasingly the arts and crafts are seen as an 'add on',
something for people to enjoy in their spare time rather than being
at the centre of their education. This is likely to increase a
'class divide' in the arts and crafts, with them becoming something
to do out of school and the preserve of an educated, middle class
elite who elect for their children to study traditional
'culture'.
[First published in full in Ink Pellet magazine, June 2014
www.inkpellet.co.uk]
