Top School Trips 6

diversity in art, in a way that mirrors the approaches currently being pursued by big galleries like The Tate and The Royal Academy. Changing attitudes Some recent exhibitions in London have included exciting and diverse line-ups, including Labid Himid, Sarah Lucas, Philip Guston, Yayoi Kusama and Paula Rego. This needs to filter through to the classroom. Teachers should try stepping away frommore traditional practices in art once in a while and shine a spotlight on a greater diversity of artistic endeavour. It’s essential that students’ creativity be nurtured from an early age, continuing what’s historically been a great British tradition of innovating in both the arts and the workforce. Exposure to a more diverse range of artists ought to start in primary school and continue throughout secondary, with students of all backgrounds being encouraged to visit galleries and museums, and see plays that will help them further develop their critical and cultural understanding. Pieces such as Duchamp’s Fountain and Tracey Emin’s My Bed caused controversy when they were first exhibited. It’s important to show students artworks such as these, which step away from art being limited to simply taking the form of paintings or sculpture. Whether the broader societal reactions to such artworks have changed over time, or if students’ views of them are representative of a major shift in public attitudes remains to be seen. Acknowledge the ignored Still, the fact remains that art teachers have to now carefully consider what and who they include within their curriculum. Creating a diverse curriculum that’s informative, without being shocking or considered “too controversial” remains a tough challenge. On the one hand, art teachers are required by the likes of Ofsted to actively expand their curriculum beyond traditionally taught artists and introduce students to a broader curriculum. At KS4, students will typically be better able to cope with more challenging artworks, but the backbone of any curriculum should be an art history that covers some previously ignored contributors to art history. Examples here might include the first professional female artist in western art history, Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614), who ran her own thriving studio in her native Bologna and later in Rome. Another notable figure is the first widely recognised professional artist of colour, Henry Ossawa Tanner, who gained international acclaim in the 1890s for his beautiful paintings. The art history taught must also take account of relevant contemporary biases and historical influences. By taking students to galleries such as the Tate Modern, Tate Britain or the Royal Academy, they can begin to understand the vast depth and quality of art that’s out there, and start thinking more critically about what art is and why it’s created. If schools lack the time or resources for such trips, then another option could be to arrange for artists to visit the school, or make original artworks inspired by pictures and commentary relating to currently running exhibitions. Caroline Aldous-Goodge is an art and design teacher, head of year and education researcher www.teachwire.net/school-trips | 13 THE ARTS