Conditions for learning: partnerships for engaging secondary pupils with
contemporary art.
Lesley Burgess and Nicholas Addison
Abstract
This paper examines the findings of the London Cluster research, ‘Critical Minds,’ in
which the Institute of Education, University of London (IoE) worked in collaboration
with Whitechapel Chapel Art Gallery (the lead London gallery), Bow Arts,
Chisenhale Gallery and Space -The Triangle, and four, east London comprehensive
schools. By collaborating with art departments and by focusing on learning within the
gallery context, the research team questioned whether the perceived constraints of
traditional art and design pedagogy can be overcome by changing the conditions in
which learning takes place. The following analysis focuses on these conditions as
outlined in the research report’s recommendations.
Introduction
The En-quire project, Inspiring Learning in Galleries is an ongoing collaborative
research project coordinated by the Arts Council and Engage and funded by DCMS
and DfES. It has been designed to develop ‘a better understanding of the learning
benefits to children and young people of engaging with contemporary art and artists’.
The first phase, 2004-2006, was organized into three regional clusters: London, North
East and South East, each of which comprised a partnership between artists, art
teachers, gallery educators, pupils and university-based researchers.