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Reflecting Contemporary PracticeAs a teacher at Liverpool College, I read with interest the article 'Reflecting Contemporary Practice', on post-16 textiles education, featured in the September 2002 issue of Embroidery. In response I make the following comments.
My initiative as an artist and teacher has been to cross established boundaries and traditional concepts of textiles by introducing textiles as a new field. Indeed I have observed a sense of freedom, which has allowed my students to embrace modern movements, and at best I have witnessed many of them engaging meaningfully with the most controversial and sometimes difficult examples of contemporary art.
To this end, we see it as essential that contemporary practice is incorporated within our courses, from Key Stage 3 right through to Sixth Form level. We try to encourage pupils to view us not just as teachers but also as practising artists. With regard to the AS/A2 Syllabus: during the early stages of the course we have encouraged students to explore and experiment. The final examination was frustrating for some pupils. They had enjoyed a successful period of generating ideas, and then they were asked to produce a sample in five hours. Many had ambitious ideas which they wanted to pursue further, but were unable to complete due to the restricted time allocation. In relation to the Critical Studies component of the course, I feel it is difficult for pupils to access information regarding the work of contemporary textile artists, although Embroidery magazine, a new addition to our school library, was vital in this area.
I hope you and your readers will find my department's methods and approaches regarding the place of textiles in the arts curriculum of interest, and I would welcome comments from other art teachers in the field.
Sophie Pearson