The Current Education System: Too Much Beta, Not Enough Alpha

How we are breaking not building

Unknotting, The Things We Hold In Our Hands

As part of my role at AccessArt, I’ve been attending roundtable discussions with various organisations about the future of art education, in particular with regard to a probable change of government in the UK. Although these discussions centre around art education, it’s clear from all conversations that it is education in its entirety that needs a rethink. The impact education has on all areas of our lives, both in the short term, and the long term; on our wellbeing, relationships, health, as well as the way it nurtures our sense of place in the world, is of course clear. The education system we have now is just a variation of one devised in the 20^th century – and we find ourselves in a very different kind of century now, so we cannot assume what once worked (ish) would work at all now.

I must admit to a huge feeling of overwhelm at the roundtable meetings – problems seem intractable, and a government would need to be very brave to tackle and rewrite our entire system, so we will probably just see more tinkering at the edges. But what interests me is how, one day (and I’m under no illusion this will be with the next government, or the next or the next), perhaps science can help describe what we, as artists, know instinctively, and lead us forward into a new, more holistic approach.

What artists intuit about education…