ART AND CRAFTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25560, 13 June 1944, Page 4

ART AND CRAFTS

EDUCATIONAL COURSE NEW SCHEME INTRODUCED In furtherance of the Education Department’s policy in encouraging education, a new venture m art and crafts work has been Dunedin by Mr G. Tovey, Art at the Training College. The Artnu Street School has been selected for me inauguration of a progressive scheme in which the children will pursue a course graded in conformity with the practice in subjects of the curriculunn The course is carried on throughout the school, the group method being emDlcved in all classes, but it is mam y concerned at present with the younger children. The aim is to secure a balance between the time-honoure formal work, and the perhaps overrated free expression. A highly qualified teacher. Miss E. Browett, has been appointed full-time art and .craft specialist, and the project is alrea y an outstanding feature of the school activities. Creative Development In war-time, destruction on the one hand, is often balanced by the endeavour on the part of men to develop their creative powers. In .the educational field, this has taken the form of instituting a modern scheme of work in art and crafts, the main purpose being the development of the cnild s own creative work. The object is the establishment of a teaching method by which a child’s visual aptitudes are encouraged and developed. This will enable him to take his place in society fully aware of his powers of selfexpression and with the ability to apply his knowledge in relation to his normal every-day liying, such as an appreciation of architecture, gardens, industrial and commercial art, interior decoration, and dress. In fact, all those aspects of his life that he meets with visually are included. Behind the scheme is the desire to allow the different characterisations of children to find expression. The preferences which children display,in their earlier years are generally in line with the styles of the adult artists such as realism, impressionism, and expressionism, and the scheme aims to tram the children along these lines. The child’s art is really an “expression language,” and the training that he is given will allow him his visual preferences, but will put them in such a ferm that they will be readily understood by others. The early training is based on memory images, and whereas boys used to favour ships and trains as objects of expression, they now tend to draw aeroplanes and tanks. Girls, on the ether hand, prefer to draw ladies of fashion, designs, and rural scenes, but it is found that they are not so definite in their ideas as boys. Extension of Work

The scheme is part of the department’s policy to see what can be done to develop the child’s art expression and to use the time at present allocated to art and crafts to the best advantage. While the Arthur Street School has been selected as the focal point for the introduction of the scheme, it is hoped in due course to extend it to other schools.

Third year specialists from the Dunedin Training College have been afforded an opportunity of observing the methods in practice, and it is hoped to. bring teachers from other schools to see the scheme in operation at Arthur Street. Mr Tovey expressed his appreciation of the co-operation received from the headmaster (Mr C. D. Gilling) and the staff of the Arthur Street School, which should ensure the sue-, cess of the scheme.