An Ideal Arts School
In this paper we will discuss the concept of infinite education in Art and Design for an uncertain future. We will set out our ideal school of art and design where studying will evolve throughout life. We are a multidisciplinary research group and have posited our ideal learning community: a meeting of minds and practice. A true collaboration in which disciplinary boundaries are broken and our approach to learning is blended. We have identified six key principles, based on research on the History of Art and Design education, that unite the disciplines and set the context for the learning environment. INVOLVE RISK REQUIRE SKILL CALL FORTH IMAGINATION STRENGTHEN WILL EXPAND PERCEPTION DELIVER EVOLUTIONARY PURPOSE The value of an ideal form within art and design education will be that it will resonate at any moment in history but especially now during the current climate of social and economical change. Many of the current issues in Teaching in HE overlook the creative process in the learning environment. These oversights and the 'commodification of learning' have worrying implications for the future. If those characteristics that are central to learning in art and design are undervalued then we are in danger of losing the unique force that lies at the heart of our field. Large institutions are unlikely to embrace uncertainty but it is a condition for change that sits within the process of innovation. The prerequisite for change is preparation. The preparation that we propose is that students become aware of the responsibility that they have for themselves. Their evolution as learners will not be marked by an academic timetable; it is synonymous with their attitude. Is it possible to implement a system where the student can develop a personal programme of learning that covers all of their needs, as well as satisfying the requirements of an educator?
