School of Art and Design, University of Salford, 11. April 2008

Supported by: NAFAE (National Association of Fine Art Educators), GMSA Regional Progression Network in Art and Design, Faculty of Arts, Media and Social Sciences (University of Salford).

This was a very interesting and thought-provoking event on widening participation into art and design at all levels. Speaking at the event were Patsy Forde from the Glasgow School of Art, Paul Haywood from the University of Salford, Jane McKeating and Tim Dunbar from Manchester Metropolitan University.

Patsy Forde

Glasgow School of Art

Patsy described the highly distinctive approach to widening participation currently being used in Glasgow.

She described two projects:

Transition module that is provided to support progression - classic ‘bridging’ projects. This initiative involved a number of related projects including five different outreach projects and a portfolio preparation scheme for 15 year olds. It also involved a FE/HE summer school to help students get over the human experience of loneliness that new students often experience when entering HE and the Prato (Tuscany) exchange project which was useful for making connections, building confidence, information and understanding and developing social skills in potential students from underprivileged backgrounds.

Creative GOALS project that provides greater opportunity for access to schools and involves 300 schools in 250 mile catchment area. Currently working with 18,000 kids on 800 projects.

There was a developing sense of the service a HEI can give to a community. The project provides a school based placement opportunity for Year 2 and Year 3 art and design students from Glasgow, delivered and assessed in partnership with schools. Over the years a clearer sense of dialogue between school and art school has emerged – a more clearly formulated contract or engagement has evolved so that a sense of the other space within the curriculum is created. There is a growing sense of a notion of SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT – an art school reaching out to the community.

Questions and Comments:

• Outreach programs still tend to facilitate middle class people first?
• Glasgow still maintains a reputation for being an elitist institution.
• These processes aspire to create greater social benefit. However, the question is:
  • How much feedback is there getting back into the institution that might change the culture of the institution?
• How do you break down the ‘ghetto’?

REdGENERATION: Salford’s Experience. School of Art and Design and Albion High School

Presentation by Paul Haywood

REdGENERATION is the culmination of a collaboration artists and designers working with Salford Innovation Park and Albion High School. The project started as a commission to provide a visual character assessment of the Innovation Park area. An enterprise project with Albion High School converted the artists research into Salford branded products that sought to celebrating the character and innovation of the local community.

As artists we are fascinated by the potential interface between art and either allied design disciplines or other professions impacting on regeneration and what that might cause in terms of innovation.

The original artists research in the Innovation Park area resulted in a selected colour scheme of 32 REDS. The Salford range of domestic, household emulsions presents people in Salford with the opportunity of painting the inside of their homes the same colour as the outside. It was also the starting point for an enterprise project with Year 10 pupils from Albion High School who worked with the colours to invent new, Salford branded products. The project was supported by a learning mentor and by postgraduate students working in Product Design.

Pantones from the colour range were used by the architects to design the façade of the Innovation Forum Building.

• A product development CIC run by young people
• We design, commission and bring to market, Salford branded products.
• We make products about Salford, in Salford, for Salford.
• We aim to make profit from people with money.
• We aim to give money to families in Salford displaced by regeneration.

FADE Nail Varnish by REdGENERATION is a colour change product that responds to daylight. It is virtually invisible away from ultra-violet rays. As colours are copied from Salford brick it helps the wearer to blend with the urban environmnent.

This Article with further information is available to download: