Sunday 25 May 2014

Review of The Decorated School. Essays in the Visual Culture of Schooling, published by Black Dog in October 2013

The review is written by Jon Wright for the Twentieth Century Society Journal.

This wonderful book is the culmination of a two year study funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council into the extent and significance of art as an integral part of the built environment of schools. Using examples from around the world, it looks at how artists, architects and educators collaborated in the C20 to create unique works of art. It’s a timely reminder of an overlooked bit of design history and material culture which still has important implications for how we make and view art, not just in schools, but in the wider public sphere. In that sense, it can be read as powerful testimony for paternalism in public art.

The full text of the review is accessible here

at http://www.c20society.org.uk/publications/c20-magazine/c20-magazine-2014-01/review-the-decorated-school-essays-on-the-visual-culture-of-schooling/

Cathy Burke